The greatest inheritance and the greatest gift

My children are fascinated when I turn cherry tomatoes into sun-dried mangos, or when I pull one out from behind their ears. My son thinks daddy can do it any time, so he often appears holding a tomato in his little hand, asking me to turn it into what he really likes. This is my fishy way of doing transubstantiation.

This got me thinking of what was the greatest gift I could give my children. I can hardly be a magic trick, even if they show so much enthusiasm when I do it. It could be the time spent with my children, which is also precious, and it is definitely more of a gif, because it requires giving not only something I have, but the giving of my time and attention. Helping them acquire habits and grow in human virtues is even more important, as it does not only last in their memories, but will help them for life. However, it is only faith in Christ that will help them to reach eternal happiness.

Faith in Christ as Holy Mother Church teaches it has been passed down to us from the first followers of Christ, and it has been defended sometimes with apologetics, other times with sword, but always with firm conviction. This is the best I can give to my children too. At the end of the day what matters is whether they are saved or not.

While teaching the doctrine is essential, faith can't be handed down as a magic trick, and cannot be acquired from a textbook, but it needs to be lived out every day. It is how you pray, work, interact with family and entertain yourself.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and I think this one captures it quite well.

In the meantime I continue turning tomatoes into mangos. It might come in handy to give them a vague idea of the real transubstantiation.