AMDG
Cara Frazee receives her First Holy Communion.
Most of the time Catholics feel honored when they are named as godparents. Few realize that they are taking on a life long responsibility which is very easy to neglect as the child grows up and advances into adulthood. That is to take a special continuous interest in the child beyond birthday cards or gifts, showing up for Confirmation and graduation, etc. They should keep in contact with the child for the rest of their lives and get to know him/her well. The godparents should take advantage of opportunities to assist the parents in the spiritual formation and development of the child over the years, especially if the parents are not doing their jobs. They should be always available as a resource for the child be it advice or help in other ways. This is of course the ideal, but the ideal gives us something to aim for; it gives direction. I myself am not even close to being the godfather that I should be, but I have tried at least sporadically. Below is one of my efforts. May it stimulate you to examine your role as a godparent or choosing one for one of your children. Choosing a devout responsible Catholic, who is a relative or friend of the family whom you see often, would probably be a good prospective godparent.
St.
Louis Church
Gallipolis,
Ohio
April
21, 2013
Dear
Cara:
It was such an honor and a privilege for us to be your
godparents at your Baptism in October 2004.
That was a happy day. You were a
beautiful baby being received into the Church as a child of God ever so pure
without the slightest stain of sin. Now
all of a sudden we have a beautiful little girl nine years old, receiving her
First Holy Communion, another great milestone in your life. Wow does time fly!
What an awesome gift!
You have received into your heart the body and blood, soul and divinity of
Jesus, the Creator of the universe, the King of the Universe, the Almighty, the
all-knowing ingeniously creative God. He
comes into our hearts in a real but mysterious way, physically and spiritually
for a short period of time…….a communion with the infinite! What
an awesome gift! Never, NEVER, take the
Eucharist lightly and miss Sunday Mass. Always be faithful to our Lord and Church teaching.
So dear Cara, your soul is now so pure. Don’t let it ever be darkened by a mortal sin
or even let it be stained by frequent venial sin which can slowly erode your
soul. Go to Confession often (once a
month is recommended) and receive the Eucharist at least every Sunday and more. Read every day a page or two from the Bible
which we gave you and don’t forget to say your prayers every day……at least
a short morning offering before school as: “Oh Lord, I offer this day to
you. Please help me to make it pleasing to
you.” In that way every hour of your day
becomes a prayer. Talk to Jesus for a
moment whenever you feel like it during the day. At night talk over your day with Him. Learn all you can about God, but that’s not
enough. The MOST important is to try to
get to know Him well as your friend.
You do that by prayer, receiving Communion, and adoration before the
Blessed Sacrament.
Because
God has given you everything, give something back to Him by good
deeds and by serving His people as your parents, your brothers, your
classmates, your neighbors, the poor, etc.
You’re the oldest and the big sister.
So help your Mom and guide your three brothers on the right path to
God. These are all paths to
holiness. You, all of us, are called by
God to become holy, to someday become a saint.
Read the book of saints we gave you.
They are great models of extraordinary holiness and heroic virtue. Imitate them and someday you will become St.
Cara and why not?
When
things get difficult as sickness, offer these crosses to God. No matter how bad things get, always trust in
the Lord. Every saint has had to suffer
sometimes. In the long run, everything will
work out for good and you will become closer to God. TRUST!
It says on that Divine Mercy
picture we gave you. “Jesus
I trust in you”. Always seek to
do the will of God in your life. Give
yourself to Him. He indeed has a special
mission for you. When you die, may the
world be just a little bit better because of you.
Enclosed
in the Bible are a card and two articles I wrote recently for our Church
Bulletin, on Divine Mercy and the other on serving God and His people and the
awesomeness of the Eucharist. I dedicate
them to you.
We,
your godparents love you, Cara and will always be among your biggest fans
pulling for you and praying for you. Don’t
hesitate to call us if we can help you. May
God bless you richly on this day and thank you for allowing us to share in your
joy.
With
love from you godparents,
Paul and Jaga Sebastian
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