Beginning Ordinary Time

Every smile makes you a day younger.

Chinese proverb

"It is not fitting that the servant should be applauded in His Master's house." (Pope St. Pius X)

"...those who wage war on religion seem to show more energy than those who repel it." (Pope Leo XIII, "Inimica Vis", 1892 A.D.)

"Neglect of the elderly or their outright rejection are intolerable. Their presence in the family, or at least their closeness to the family in cases where limited living space or other reasons make this impossible, is of fundamental importance in creating a climate of mutual interaction and enriching communication between the different age-groups. It is therefore important to preserve, or to re-establish where it has been lost, a sort of 'covenant' between generations. In this way parents, in their later years, can receive from their children the acceptance and solidarity which they themselves gave to their children when they brought them into the world. This is required by obedience to the divine commandment to honour one's father and mother (cf. Ex 20:12; Lev 19:3). But there is more. The elderly are not only to be considered the object of our concern, closeness and service. They themselves have a valuable contribution to make to the Gospel of life. Thanks to the rich treasury of experiences they have acquired through the years, the elderly can and must be sources of wisdom and witnesses of hope and love." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)

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"For the LORD sets a father in honor over his children; a mother's authority he confirms over her sons." (Sirach 3:2)

"He who honors his father atones for sins; he stores up riches who reveres his mother." (Sirach 3:3-4)

"With your whole heart honor your father; your mother's birthpangs forget not. Remember, of these parents you were born; what can you give them for all they gave you?" (Sirach 7:27-28)

"If you have sons, chastise them; bend their necks from childhood." (Sirach 7:23)

"If you have daughters, keep them chaste, and be not indulgent to them." (Sirach 7:24)

"An unruly child is a disgrace to its father; if it be a daughter she brings him to poverty." (Sirach 22:3)

"He who loves his son chastises him often, that he may be his joy when he grows up." (Sirach 30:1)

"He who spoils his son will have wounds to bandage, and will quake inwardly at every outcry. A colt untamed turns out stubborn; a son left to himself grows up unruly. Pamper your child and he will be a terror for you, indulge him and he will bring you grief. Share not in his frivolity lest you share in his sorrow, when finally your teeth are clenched in remorse. Give him not his own way in his youth, and close not your eyes to his follies. Bend him to the yoke when he is young, thrash his sides while he is still small, Lest he become stubborn, disobey you, and leave you disconsolate. Discipline your son, make heavy his yoke, lest his folly humiliate you." (Sirach 30:7-13)