A Father’s Sharing<br/><br/>
McAvoy is a father of six from Toronto. Recently, he was featured in Toronto archdiocese’s newspaper, The Catholic Register, sharing about his family’s spiritual life. In particular, the time he spends bringing his children to and from school is filled with the true essence of living lives of humanity and spirituality.<br/><br/>
“When I wake up at 6:30am, the first thing I do is tell God, ‘I love you Father. Thank you God for another day. Father, help me to do your will in all things.’ In order to avoid lingering in bed, I go immediately to the kitchen and turn on the lights in the living and dining rooms and then wake up the children. My 15 year old daughter is relatively more independent and wakes up quickly, but his older brother who will be graduating this year is a deep sleeper. I have to yell, ‘Seven more minutes!’”<br/><br/>
“The time from 7:30 to 7:50 is a test of the limits of my patience, my prayers and yelling are commingled! In the car, when I ask them for their prayer intentions, it surprises me how much they care about the things that are going on around us. Still, sometimes they do pray for good results on tests that they haven’t fully prepared for.”<br/><br/>
“When it’s my turn to lead the prayers, I say, ‘Father, help us to see all the beauty and the goodness that surround us. To use our gifts and talents for the well-being of others. Help us to have forgiving hearts. To say ‘I love you’ often.’”<br/><br/>
“When we arrive at school, I drop them off, then on my way to work, I continue to pray and also plan out the work I must do that day; especially when I encounter difficulties, I return to prayer.” The task of raising children is a lifelong vocation for parents. May we ask for the intercessions of the Chinese Martyrs to persevere incessantly and lead their children to the Father’s house.