Admit it – we are in the spiritual battle of our time, with true Catholics being constantly publicly assaulted because of our beliefs regarding marriage, sexuality, the sanctity of human life in the womb, and family values. And the assaults aren’t just coming verbally. There were over 329 physical attacks on Catholic churches, such as arson and vandalism, from May in 2020 to May in 2023, as reported by CatholicVote.org.
Saint Pope John Paul II back in 1994 identified the spiritual war Christian families are in when he wrote his Letter to Families:
“Unfortunately, various programs backed by very powerful resources…aim at the breakdown of the family. At times it appears that concerted efforts are being made to present as “normal” and attractive, and even to glamorize, situations which are in fact “irregular”. Indeed, they contradict “the truth and love” which should inspire and guide relationships between men and women, thus causing tensions and divisions in families, with grave consequences particularly for children. The moral conscience becomes darkened; what is true, good, and beautiful is deformed; and freedom is replaced by what is actually enslavement.”
Examples of today’s moral decline and sexual debauchery demonstrate why authentically Christian parents and teachers have to work harder than ever to swim against society’s tide.
One example is how, at first gradually but currently on a massive growth spurt as if on steroids, our elementary schools, high schools, and colleges have become toxic – morally, intellectually, and politically. The anti-God gender ideology is being imposed in preschools through graduate schools, and the education system is now designed to turn both the hearts and minds of children away from God and to keep youngsters and young adults from using old-fashioned common sense and following moral truths. It was bad enough in the later part of the 20th Century when God was removed from entering schools by banning prayer in public schools. Now in the 21st Century, God is being overtly mocked in public schools, which have moved from originally being Christian-based institutions to then transforming to agnostic institutions to now being atheistic, as they indoctrinate what has become the most godless generation in our country’s history.
Another example of moral decline and sexual debauchery is how the belief of faithful Catholics that sex should be between a married man and woman (married to each other, of course) has been stepped on and squashed by the popular culture’s belief that sex should be between any two consenting adults. Wait – strike that! Today’s culture believes sex should be between any number of people and of any so-called gender they affirm.
There are even more outrageous beliefs that have surfaced in our 21st Century, such as a push toward accepting pederasty, also known as “man-boy love.” Now before you think I’m exaggerating and gaslighting about society moving toward accepting this form of pedophilia, remember that a dozen years ago we all would have thought it ridiculous that we’d ever have a flood of men “identifying” as women – and vice-versa – and demanding to use the opposite-sex restrooms, to join opposite-sex sports teams, and to be called by their so-called chosen pronouns. But that at-the-time ridiculous conjecture has become a current-time reality.
When you’re in a battle you can either wave the white flag and surrender, or stand up, speak up, and rise up with surrender not being an option. I want to challenge you – whether you are the parent of a child or a teacher of a classroom-full of children – to stand up, speak up, rise up, and not surrender. If we are to achieve the spiritual renewal of the Church and of America, good men and women must first get informed and get inspired, and then must act.
This blog – A Principal’s Principles for Parenting – is being written for the parents and teachers who are not content with being lax, lukewarm, and capitulating Catholics or Christians, but instead want to earnestly strive to stand firm against our corrupt culture and teach their kids to know, love, and serve God during the short course of one’s pilgrimage in this world. For those of you who won’t surrender to today’s corrupt culture and won’t let you children be drawn into our sick society, you have the chance for the best reward possibly – both you and your kids being taken up to heaven to be happy with God Himself for all eternity.
But it’s not going to be easy to stand firm and to receive the ultimate reward. For one, today’s adults need more training, more education, and more encouragement than ever before in how to positively act in front of and respond to their kids. Too many of today’s parents are being informed by watching tabloid-like headline news, are being moved by shallow, soul-less media, and are conceding to a harmful, politically-correct public education system. Thereby, most parents today don’t simply need positive parenting principles spelled out for them, but they need these principles waved in an intense fashion right in front of their faces.
Similarly, a growing number of Catholic school teachers today, who were taught themselves by secular professors in extremely liberal, godless universities, are not living active, faithful lives such as by attending church weekly, and have at best no more than an eighth-grade level education in church doctrine. Accordingly, many of these teachers also need to be flooded with positive, virtuous principles to live by, model to, and pass on to their Catholic school students.
During my 34 years as a Catholic school principal, on a daily basis with my teachers and a weekly basis with my school parents, I was afforded the opportunity to train, educate, and encourage them about positive, Christian-focused child-raising principles in written and spoken word through faculty meetings, teacher memos, a parent newsletter, and parent-gathering events. On a weekly basis, I reached over 1,000 people.
Notice that I didn’t say I “impacted” 1,000 or “swayed”1,000, as I came to realize over the years that many Catholic school parents and even some Catholic school teachers don’t fully embrace God’s truths, Gospel values, and the Church teachings about which I regularly wrote and spoke. But I did get a 1,000 people a week to listen to what I had to say and to read my writings. They say you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. But then again, can’t you add some salt to the horse’s food so it can’t help but drink? It ended up that many of my messages to parents and teachers were considered too salty – enough that I would eventually end up being chastised and punished for broadcasting them. (I’ll write about this in an upcoming post.)
In those meetings, memos, newsletters, and gathering events, I often commended my school parents and teachers for being counter-cultural by sending their children to or working in a faithful Catholic school. (I must put in the distinctive word “faithful” there so as to acknowledge that there are many Catholic schools that are CINO – Catholic In Name Only. I’ll discuss this reality in a future post.) The principles of the Catholic faith and of many Christian churches do not jell with society’s principles. I applaud those parents who spend money to send their kids to a counter-cultural school and those teachers who give up higher pay so to be able to teach in a counter-cultural school. Similarly, parents who choose to home-school their kids are being counter-cultural and deserve praise. It is getting so difficult to constantly swim against the tide, as these parents and teachers are doing, so they need support and encouragement as well as repeated counsel.
I felt honored and responsible during my principal-job years to provide this inspiration and advice. Now as an ex-principal, with no daily teacher memos and weekly parent newsletters to write, I still have that itch to encourage and counsel; thus, the idea to spend my time writing this blog instead of spending my time fishing, as many retired guys do in the South.
As Christians, we all have the responsibility to bring the love and mercy of Our heavenly Father to those we encounter each day. We are called to be instruments of God. It is a profound privilege that we can’t take lightly. If the Almighty is speaking to us through others, we must have the humility to listen to His voice through them. If God gives us the gift to be the instrument who is speaking to others, we must embrace this calling with faith and sincerity. I believe two gifts my Lord gave me were the aptitude of leadership and the ability to write. After reading a number of my blog posts, you can let me know if these were indeed gifts…or if God was just pulling my leg.
A PRINCIPAL'S PRINCIPLES FOR PARENTING 
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