Fr Paddy Byrne: Ignore the pessimism of others and stay positive
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RECENTLY, Pope Leo XIV, at Mass in Uruguay, delivered a magnificent reflection to parents whose children no longer practice the faith despite their best efforts: “When we wonder and ask, where our faith comes from, the name of a specific woman often comes to mind; a mother, a grandmother, a godmother, a religious sister or a catechist. We may not remember every word they said to us, but we do remember how they prayed, how they spoke, how they spoke of the Lord and with what conviction they lived out, what they taught us.
Today, I would like to thank all those women. Thank you for having believed and for having kept open a path to God in so many families. Some were able to do so, supported by a long-standing family tradition, others had to sustain that faith with greater effort, perhaps without always finding understanding or support within their own homes. I know that many of you carry a very specific sorrow; you taught your children to pray and, today, they no longer do so.
You used to attend Mass together and it has been years since they entered the church. You spoke to your grandchildren about God and now you do not know if those words left a mark. Sometimes you wonder if you did something wrong. Or if it was all future. Allow me to recall St Monica here, who knew that pain well. She prayed for years for a son who seemed to be drifting further and further from God. But she never stopped trusting in His grace. Therefore, do not consider what you have sown to be lost. The Lord Himself taught us that the seed can grow without the sower knowing how.
Mothers and grandmothers never tire of passing on the faith. Preach with your lives, as well as with your words. Insist on prayer, love and hope. Insist on them, in season and out of season. Do so with patience, without harshness or discouragement, even if your loved ones seem far from God, continue to place them before Him. Do not stop blessing them, accompanying them and simply reminding them of what they once received. There are doors that you cannot open, but God can.” There were once a bunch of tiny frogs, who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.
The race began … No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. They shouted: ‘Oh, way too difficult! They will never make it to the top’ and ‘Not a chance. The tower is too high.’ The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one, except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher … The crowd continued to yell: ‘It's too difficult. No one will make it.’ More tiny frogs got tired and gave up … but one continued higher and higher. This one wouldn't give up and he reached the top.
Everyone wanted to know how this one frog managed such a great feat.
His secret? This little frog was deaf.
The wisdom of this story is ignore the pessimism of others. It can take your dreams from you.
Stay positive.
