Pass It On
“What would be the most valuable item that I could pass on to you,” inquired the father of his children. As they hesitated to answer, he encouraged them to make suggestions. “Would giving each of you a million dollars be the thing that you would find to be the most valuable,” he suggested as they still seemed hesitant to provide an answer to his question. Finally one of his children offered, “Yes, lots of money would be the best gift for us. It would ensure that we could live without financial worries.” The other children concurred with this suggestion. Sufficient money that would enable them to meet their financial needs during their lifetime seemed to be the most valued legacy. The father pondered their inputs and suggestions for a few moments and then replied, “Well, I do not have the amount of money to meet the financial needs of just one of you much less than all of you,” the father announced to their disappointment. They wondered why he had asked the question in the first place.
“Each person must ask the basic question, “What is one’s legacy?” and face the answer to that question in his or her own way,” the father ventured. “Your mother and I asked ourselves the same question when each of you was born. “What can we provide each child that will stand the test of time and would be the highest value as each of you grew and faced life on your own? If we had the money to insure your financial welfare, you could misuse the money or spend it on unimportant things or simply lose it,” he continued. “We finally came to the conclusion that there were two things that would be valuable for you through your entire life.” The children straightened up in their chairs, peering intently at their father hoping to hear the answer each wanted to hear. He responded by advising that money could be lost, stolen, or frittered away. So money was not the most valuable thing they could receive. The items which no one could take away from each one of them and would last forever were the items that should be passed on to the children.
The two most valuable and lasting items are:1. A strong set of values and 2. A quality education; together these two extremely valuable gifts would sustain their children for their entire lives. The set of values would be provided by their Catholic faith and the example of the parents. The Catholic faith is directed to two things: (1) the love of God, and (2) directing man to the help God provides us as we follow his instructions in our journey towards union with him in heaven. What can be more important than eternal happiness! On the secular level, a quality education would enable the children to challenge the world and recover when difficulties entered their lives. Oh yes, they could discard the set of values and the Catholic faith and they could waste their educations. But the set of values and the education could always be used when they were needed and accepted for their true value. Once money is wasted or lost, it is difficult, if not impossible, to regain it and even if it is regained, it provides little lasting value.
As each of us contemplates that which we would like to pass on to others, such as family members, friends, and to the society at large, as Catholics should not we first concentrate on passing on the truths of the Catholic faith, the truths that guide us to eternal life with God –true happiness? What is more valuable and lasting than the truths of God as provided by Jesus Christ and his church – the Catholic Faith? Secondly, a quality education provides the training that enables a person to think his or her way through each obstacle in life.
What do you want to pass on to your loved ones and to society??? Remember that which you emphasize is passed on? Make certain that you emphasize the truly important and valuable items. Nothing is more valuable than the love of God. Follow the direction of Jesus when he instructed his disciples to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Pass it on!