Until I became a parent, I never spent much time integrating religious imagery, bible verses, and other reminders of Christ and His word around my home- I just didn't fully realize how much your surroundings effect you. How your home can be part of your witness, aiding in evangelizing, and ultimately helping to save souls. (big picture stuff, people!) Now since I'm a little further along on my journey, it makes perfect sense that we should fill our homes with such imagery so that we can help guard against all the immoral and downright evil propaganda that is constantly in our faces. You do realize we're in a spiritual battle with everything to lose, right? Don't you love that God gives us an instruction manual that tells us just what to do to attain life everlasting? While I sympathize with those who don't value such an effort due to their ignorance, arrogance, or just plain lukewarm spirit as I was there just 9 years ago, I pray that more and more will look towards God's word and try to live by it. We have the bible to instruct us for our own good. A priceless gift! The following was taken from www.catholictherapists.com, which is a wonderful website that you could use in helping to create your own little bubble:
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord;[a] 5 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart;7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.[b]
"In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Moses exhorts the Israelites to cling to their identity as the people of the covenant, and to teach their children to do likewise. He knew that the people of Israel would be surrounded by pagan nations, filled with idolatry and with abominable practices such as child sacrifice and ritual prostitution, and Moses knew the danger of adopting pagan ways. In order to retain their identity and their fidelity to the Lord, Israel developed a way of life that was imbued at every level with the worship of God and faithfulness to the Torah (a lifestyle we still see today among, for example, Hasidic Jews).
Catholics and other Christians live in a similar atmosphere today: the secular culture of death makes war on Christian beliefs and values at every level. It invades our homes and minds through much of the content of the Internet and popular music and movies, and most prime time TV programming. Any child educated in the public school system – as well as in many “Catholic” schools is relentlessly evangelized with the gospel of political correctness from pre-school on. Long gone are the years when one could count on a Catholic school education, weekly Mass attendance, an occasional family rosary, and parish picnics to ensure one’s children would grow up committed Catholics; I doubt if such a situation ever existed."
Here are some quick pics I took this morning which offer a glimpse at some of the corners of our home where we have tried to do just this. Of course, in a few years our home might look more like the domestic "shrines" I used to mock as I am becoming more and more interested in beautifying our home to glorify and honor God.
No comments:
Post a Comment