Call & Response

The Call: Baptismal Font at St. Catherine’s, Great Falls, Virginia — Jessica

O God,
protector of those who hope in you,
without whom nothing has firm foundation, nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance your mercy upon us and grant that,
with you as our ruler and guide, we may use the good things that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

Response: Father and Daughter — Cheryl

The family is the foundation of society; it’s a microcosm of the world outside. A family should provide a safe, loving environment in which children are free to learn, to make mistakes, to love, to socialize, to try out new words and new ideas. A positive upbringing in a home where children are protected and respected should be the first — the firmest — foundation for every single human being.

In The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World, the late Pope John Paul II tells us: “According to the plan of God, marriage is the foundation of the wider community of the family, since the very institution of marriage and conjugal love are ordained to the procreation and education of children, in whom they find their crowning.”

Meg Meeker, M.D., in her book, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, acknowledges the importance of a firm foundation in a stable family, but narrows her focus: “I have not chosen attributes of fathers to discuss randomly. I have watched and listened to your daughters for many years and have heard what they say about you [fathers]. I have talked to countless fathers. I have treated daughters and counseled families. I have read psychiatry texts, research papers, psychology journals, religious studies, and pediatric journals. Doing this has been my job. But I will tell you that no research paper, no textbook diagnosis, no instructions can begin to change a young girl’s life as dramatically as even a handful of interactions with her father. Nothing.”

I am thankful that my husband is providing a firm foundation for my daughters (and sons).