My Son, My Son

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Today the  number  of  parents shedding  tears  for their  children  is on the  rise.  It is  when  their  children start living an immoral life totally  disregarding   Jesus Christ and his   Gospel  that  the parents  realize the  gravity of the issue.  For any such parent who  has to   helplessly watch   their  children drifting away from Christian faith and  values, their remaining years   will be one of prayer, penance and reparation in the hope of    getting back their  prodigal  son or daughter. They  find consolation in the  life of  Monica, whose  tearful prayers that  lasted years,  brought back  her son Augustine. The Holy Spirit opened his heart to   open and read the Bible, which led to his conversion. 

Often we have   heard the  experience of parents  who  candidly admit their  fault in failing to  bring up  their  children in  faith.  In their twilight  years, they realize  with pain  that  had they cared  for their  children a little more,  their  future  would have been different.

We are presenting  here a letter written by such a mother  who gave it to  all her  children on her eightieth birthday. We are dedicating  this letter to all those  parents, who  like this mother, bear the pain of their children’s wayward life.

“Dear Children,

This is the  testament that  I give you on the occasion of  my  80th birthday.

There have been  many  shortcomings on my part while bringing you up. I did not  have true knowledge about  God, His commandments, or the  Word of God. So I couldn’t train  you in a proper way. Instead  I gave you  everything  material. May   God forgive me for  my lapses.  In reparation for my lapses and to  rectify the wrong  I committed, I am giving you, in my own handwriting, a set of  verses from the Holy Bible. I am  giving each one of you a  Rosary also. Everyday read at least  ten verses and meditate on  it.  You should teach your  children also to   do likewise. Try to  live   in accordance with the Divine Commandments.  I hope you will fulfill this  last  wish of your mother. Practice and  live in the devotion to the  Sacred  Heart of Jesus and  the Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary and never forget the  poor souls in  Purgatory.

With Love, Your Mother.”

With this letter was attached a  file containing  1228 Bible verses, all written in  her own  handwriting. She made her  80th birthday  fruitful by making it  a  file running into a hundred  or so  pages and  giving  it as  a  gift to  all her  children. After this  she quietly returned to the  enclosure of prayer, penance and  reparation, offering everything that  she  does  for the  conversion and sanctification of her  children.

It will be difficult to  find   parents who have at least once in their life thought that their own  fault has  led their  children to go astray.  Let us bring all  such  parents who  weep for their  children  to the  Sacred  Heart of  Jesus  and the Immaculate Heart of  the Blessed Virgin. Let me conclude with  a verse from the  thousand plus verses that  an old and frail  lady   wrote with her trembling  hands as penance for her mistake in not bringing up  her children in  faith. 

 ‘You should know that  whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins’ (Jas 5:20).

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