![\"Life\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Happylife.jpg?resize=460%2C307\")
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We can all probably recall a time when we first noticed an ant trail marching back to its colony. And perhaps how we fought the temptation to stomp on a few, just to see what would happen. \u00a0It is human nature to ponder the frailty of life, and also how it can persist against all odds.<\/p>\n
It was one such moment like this that I taught our eldest son his first lesson on respecting life. We were walking with friends and we happened across a preying mantis. After much oohing and ahhing and picture -taking, no one realized that my toddler was about to stomp on the unsuspecting preying mantis. \u00a0We didn’t catch him in time and he did stomp on the bug. Fortunately it scuttled off looking no worse for the wear. \u00a0No bugs were harmed in the making of this story. But the incident presented a teachable moment. We talked about how we would never hurt something unless we were trying to keep ourselves safe (or if we needed to hunt for food). Now as our young sons begin to practice martial arts, that’s a lesson that is repeated in many different ways each day in our home and in our conversations.<\/p>\n
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The little things can become the big things.<\/p>\n
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As our children grow, the issues we face as a family are changing. We still talk about being nice to bugs, but the respect for life mentality has developed into discussions of how to treat people who are different from us at school, to why we seek to buy goods and services that support fair trade practices. Our children are not yet at an age where we discuss current news events, and issues such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and embryonic stem cell research, but we know the time will come. We also know that we have no guarantees that our children will always make the wisest choices, but we know our duty is to equip them to do their very best.<\/p>\n
![\"ACNM-Advent3\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/ACNM-Advent3.jpg?resize=125%2C250\")
As parents we are our children’s first and most important teachers. What we underscore in our homes, they will carry with them in their hearts. It is never too late to step in as a parent to initiate these discussions.\u00a0The Advent challenge I pose for us all is to discuss one of these topics with our children today, or to choose a family activity which especially inspires a culture of life.<\/p>\n
Challenges:<\/strong><\/p>\n– Create an album of ultrasound pictures from your pregnancies, or take out your children’s baby books while they are still young and impress upon them how sacred their own life is and how much they are loved.<\/p>\n
– Life is a gift from God to be cherished. Let our children hear us give praise to those who work each day to protect, defend and improve life for others.<\/p>\n
-Remind our children that their bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
– Teach our kids that every person has value and God-given dignity, regardless of how people appear or what they do. We are all made in God’s image.<\/p>\n
– Show respect to the elderly, encourage children to care for the elderly members of your family in small ways.<\/p>\n
-Ask your child to have the courage to reach out to a student that seems lonely, or picked on, and show kindness.<\/p>\n
– Be mindful as a parent and monitor inappropriate and violent media. Listen to your instincts and act on them.<\/p>\n
– Collect baby items or clothes to deliver to a ministry for unwed mothers\/pregnancy outreach center.<\/p>\n
– Visit an animal shelter and help feed the animals or take them for walks.<\/p>\n
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Let us pray that as a nation, we can encourage each other to work together to form children who are sensitive to life at all stages. And may we never doubt that our words and actions, as parents and teachers, make the most<\/em> profound impact on our children.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe new evangelization calls for followers of Christ who are unconditionally prolife: who will acclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation. \u00a0A\u00a0sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must\u00a0never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Pope John Paul II<\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We can all probably recall a time when we first noticed an ant trail marching back to its colony. And perhaps how we fought the temptation to stomp on a few, just to see what would happen. \u00a0It is human nature to ponder… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90,89],"tags":[165,67,1255,1256],"class_list":["post-29673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-faith-blog","category-family","tag-parenting","tag-pro-life","tag-respect-life","tag-teachers","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":124010,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/3-annoying-traits-of-a-catholic-husband\/","url_meta":{"origin":29673,"position":0},"title":"3 Annoying Traits of a Catholic Husband That Point You to Heaven","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"June 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Last night something rare happened: My husband and I found ourselves at the MOVIES. Shocking, I know. I'll pause to let you collect yourself. (Seriously, we don't go to the movies. We usually watch Netflix with the volume so low that we only catch about half of the dialogue and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":150937,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/when-everything-falls-apart-a-reflection-on-the-exaltation-of-the-holy-cross\/","url_meta":{"origin":29673,"position":1},"title":"When Everything Falls Apart: A Reflection on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"September 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes things just fall apart. No matter how much you prepare yourself, how much planning you do, how much you know or how much you try, everything just falls to pieces before you. Then you are left standing in the rubble, mouth agape, and brain spinning with so many thoughts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"dragged in the sand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/footprints-550x197.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/footprints-550x197.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/footprints-550x197.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":195881,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/the-fine-line-between-sin-and-virtue\/","url_meta":{"origin":29673,"position":2},"title":"The Fine Line Between Sin and Virtue","author":"Ablaze Ministries","date":"January 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"40 miles per hour is the speed limit on University Drive going towards Highway 6.\u00a0\u00a0When I drive through that zone, I try to go exactly 45 miles per hour.\u00a0\u00a0Why?\u00a0Because I can get where I\u2019m going faster than if I drive 40, and few police officers aren't going to pull someone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Fine Line Between Sin and Virture","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TheFineLineBetweenSinandVirtue-550x333.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TheFineLineBetweenSinandVirtue-550x333.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/TheFineLineBetweenSinandVirtue-550x333.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":117906,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/a-mexican-demon-named-charlie\/","url_meta":{"origin":29673,"position":3},"title":"A Mexican Demon Named Charlie","author":"Matthew Hartwick","date":"June 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The recent trending hashtag #charliecharliechallenge has been shown to a lot of teens and tweens recently through social media like Twitter and YouTube videos. In this game, you cross two pencils and put yes and no on a paper, then ask \u201cCharlie\u201d a question and wait to see if the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Social Media and Tech"","block_context":{"text":"Social Media and Tech","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/social-media\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"St Michael by Luca Giordano","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Luca_Giordano_-_St_Michael_-_WGA9023-140x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":303474,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/how-a-st-francis-statue-changed-my-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":29673,"position":4},"title":"How a St. Francis statue changed my life","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"October 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I was 19, and living back home with my family for a while, when, coming in one evening, I found everyone very bemused with me. \"We got a call from the Christian book store that the book you ordered is in.......?\" My mom queried. \"OK.\" \"We thought it might be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"How a St. Francis statue changed my life","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_1097-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":359908,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/02\/meditation-decisive-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":29673,"position":5},"title":"Meditation and Decisive Times","author":"Rachel","date":"February 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0We live in decisive times. 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