Articles of the Month
What do you do when you don't get along with your parents?
|
Take time to spend with God and with His creation every day!
|
There are some single Catholics in the world that, for reasons known only to them, they have a hard time getting along with their parents. Perhaps, they may have disagreements about how to live their lives or about doing things around the house. Nevertheless, whatever the reasons may be, it sometimes happens that single Catholics have to live with this very difficult situation. What should the single Catholic do in these types of situations when they are faced with difficult parents or when they just can't seem to get along with them. Well, the truth is that the 4th commandment tells us very well what we should do at all times (even if it is difficult to do) and that is to "Honor your father and your mother".
You may be asking yourselves, "Well, my parents and I are always arguing about something. How can I honor them?" It may be hard to do but the best thing to do, in these types of situations, is to just walk away and not argue with your parents. No matter how argumentative some parents may be, the best thing to do is to just get away from the situation for a while and pray and ask Our Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit, Our Lord Jesus and Our Blessed Mother to help resolve the difficult situation for you. If you learn to resolve difficult situations in this way, you are deciding to rely on God, Our Lord Jesus and on Our Blessed Mother to help you. God will bless you for doing so and, when you pray for a solution, the Holy Spirit will help you to see the situation differently and may even help you find a way through the conflict. If you pray to God, to the Holy Spirit, to Our Lord Jesus and to Our Blessed Mother and the situation still doesn't get resolved, the best thing to do is to make an appointment to speak with a Catholic priest about your situation. Most of the time, a priest can give you advice on how you can live with the situation and on ways that you can resolve the situation peacefully with your parents. Whether some single people want to believe it or not, God gave them their parents to help guide them through life. But, when single people get older, they may not necessarily want to hear what their parents have to say but the fact is that most older people have very wise advice for the younger generation. Older people have a lot to offer, in the way of advice, because they have already been through many of life's struggles and know the best ways to live through these struggles. Many times, your parents may be telling you something that they feel is good for you. You should try to listen to them and not ignore them. Parents do love their children and want the best for them. Often times, it wouldn't hurt to become more humble and to take your parent's advice if it coincides with God's commandments and the teachings of the Catholic Church. (Sometimes, some parents may not give good advice. If this is the case, talk to a priest about it first to get a second opinion.) And, whatever you do, respond politely to your parent's questions and statements. Do not say to them, "Mind your own business! or Stay out of my life!" because that will only add fuel to the already hard situation. So, the next time, you face a difficult situation with your parents, don't respond in a negative way. If you and your parent's are not getting along, respond respectively, simply walk away and pray for help from the Almighty Father, the Holy Spirit, Our Lord Jesus and Our Blessed Mother. Then, perhaps, go to the nearby public library to read some books, go to the nearest Catholic Church to pray, talk to a priest or simply just close your door in your house. Whatever you do, just remind yourselves that you must honor your parents whether or not you agree with them or not. Do yourselves a favor and obey all of God's commandments. May God help all single Catholics who face this situation with their parents and may they all receive the help they need from God and the Holy Spirit. God bless. |
Life is good! I once saw that phrase on a T-shirt and it's the truth. There's so much to be grateful for and there is so much beauty in the world today, if only we would take the time to really appreciate it all. There's an old cliche that everyone has heard of which gives some pretty good advice and that is: "Stop to smell the roses." So many of us are so busy with life's work and frivolous things that we sometimes neglect to take the time to spend with and in nature. Maybe taking a hike on a well-trodden pathway or strolling and praying on the beach would do well to help us re-energize ourselves from life's concerns, problems and stress in order to continue on our path in this life
Would do you do to enjoy God's creation in your life? Do you take any time away from your work to spend time alone with God and nature? Most people will probably say "No" because just getting through life takes a lot of our time these days. For others, it may come in the form of watching cable news or their favorite TV programs for most of their waking hours or maybe it's late nights catching up with paperwork from a job. One thing is for sure and that is that we can never take back those hours of our lives that we spent doing frivolous things that really don't matter, in the greater scheme of life. It is better to spend time with God and in nature than to watch TV all day long on the weekends. It's much healthier and better for you in the long run. So, from now on, instead of plunking yourself in front of the television, take a walk among a flower garden or on the sandy shores of a beautiful beach with your Bible in hand. Sit down and read a few chapters of God's Word and soak it in. You'll be glad you did. If you live too far away from a garden or from a beach, take a chair outside in your own backyard and bring your Bible with you to read it there. You can perhaps drink a cup of tea and soak up all of that beautiful sunshine while your at it. Learn to enjoy your time alone with God each day, each week and each year because we can never bring those years back! May God bless you now and always. |
Copyright Vatican. These articles are from the Meditations of Pope Francis--July/August 2017