Page 30 - Michael Journal — 2019 October

sanctuary, because a sanctuary refers to a safe place, at the baby, and realized that he was holding the cord-
like an oasis — not in the sense that we would want less phone in his hands. With his chubby little thumbs
to isolate ourselves from those around us, but rather, he was pressing the two numbers closest to the edges
that we need to try and create a home that is peaceful; of the phone over and over; 9 and 1 — 9-1-1! It was
a love-filled place where we can freely live our faith, the baby who had made the emergency call!
share that faith with our children and together as a The officer laughed but after he left I brought all
family, “prayerfully seek God’s will for us.” the children before our image of the Blessed Mother,
When our oldest son, Michael, was 5 years old we and we recited our morning prayers together. For me,
decided to consider homeschooling. This was in 1990, it had been God’s way to let me know that He really
when there was a lot going on in the schools — just like does want to be first in our lives. We had chosen not
today! I really had no clue what I was getting myself to include Him in the start of our day and He decided
into, because along with Michael, we also had Gaetan, that this was an “emergency”! I believe that God has
who was 4 years old, Eric, who was 2, and Marie, who a sense of humor, and that He had the baby call 9-1-1
was barely 6 months old. But we really felt in our hearts on that morning.
that it was the right choice — and looking back, we There are obviously many stories from our 22
praise God for His guidance through those years. years of homeschooling that I would
Some days were very love to share, but what I really wish to
hectic, with laundry, meals, focus on is what it is that truly enables
cleaning the house; all these us to pull through, and to survive, the
things still needed to be done. incredible challenges that we all face in
But we always began the day today’s world. Homeschooling is one
with morning prayers. We had of many means to rebuild Catholic cul-
a very simple but good prac- ture — but not everyone is called, or
tice. Right after breakfast, we even able, to undertake this huge com-
said 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, mitment. But there are two things that I
1 Glory Be and then read the see as extremely important, and which
life of the saint for that day. we are all able to do — and, in the spirit
We also had a beautiful book of Pope St. John Paul II’s New Evange-
on Virtue for children, and we lization, we are all called to do.
would read from that too. It all
took about 15 minutes — sim- The first of these two things is:
ple — but it helped us to focus STEADFASTNESS IN PRAYER!
our minds on the task before Pope St. John Paul II, who was
us; our school work. my hero while I was raising my family,
As the years progressed, once said, “If you really wish to follow
and with the births of Aimie, Christ, if you want your love for him to
Emilie and Matthew, there grow and last, then you must be faith-
were some mornings when ful to prayer. It is the key to the vitality
we would be running a lit- of your life in Christ. Without prayer,
tle behind in our schedule! your faith and love will die. If you are
Those were the mornings that constant in daily prayer and in the
I would try to “get ahead” by Sunday celebration of Mass, your love
“skipping” morning prayers “Pray the Rosary every day to for Jesus will increase. And your heart
— and those were the morn- obtain peace for the world.” will know deep joy and peace, such as
ings that we would never re- — Our Lady at Fatima the world could never give”.
ally “get ahead” at all. Those We cannot persevere — we will
would be the days when we could not find an impor- not survive, unless we develop a strong, regular
tant schoolbook or the pencils all seemed to mysteri- prayer life. If you are not already praying on a regular
ously disappear… basis — every day — then you need to begin NOW!
I have a story that I love to tell about one such Yves and I decided to attend daily Mass during
morning. Things seemed especially chaotic on that Lent not long after we were first married. Not only
day — then, to add to the chaos, there was a knock at did we discover that it was something that was very
the back door — it was a policeman! I thought, “Dear possible to do, but the spiritual benefits were amaz-
Lord, have they come to arrest me?” The policeman ing(!) and so we decided to continue the practice af-
said that there had been a call to 9-1-1 and he want- ter Easter. Our first child, Michael, was born that year,
ed to make sure that everything was alright. He was and as our family grew, and with our homeschooling,
therefore responding to an emergency call. I was a bit daily Mass became our priority, and a most important
confused by this, but then I happened to glance over part of our day. We even made it a part of our cur- u

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