Would a visitor to our homes know we were Christian?

Would an archaeologist sometime in the future know we were Christian if they were to examine the artifacts we left behind? Would a visitor coming to our homes today know that we believed in Christ by what they would find? My guess is that we all have several television sets in our homes. What else? Probably there's a computer or two, cameras, telephones, radios and many CD and DVD collections. All these things are evidence of what we consider important in our lives. We spend many hours using these technologies, and time is life. We may not be aware of it, but our possessions have much to tell about what defines and drives our lives. So a reasonable question is to ask : Do our possessions and the way we spend our time show that we are people of faith?

You may be a coin or stamp collector. Do you have special works of art hanging on the walls of your house? You get the idea. But would there be any signs to show a visitor that you were Christian? Would we find Christian books or religious pictures displayed in your home? Are there any Christian calendars? Is there a crucifix, or pictures of our Blessed Mother, a photo of the pope or of any of the saints? Again you get the idea. Just recently I have seriously considered, on the advice of a friend, wearing a Brown Scapular and a religious medal such as a cross or the Miraculous Medal.

How can we make sure our homes have signs that we believe in Christ and that we are Christians. A simple way to begin this is to start building a small library of spiritual books. This need not be exhaustive or overwhelming. One could start with a copy of where it all begins: The Bible. We can then add the Catechism of the Catholic Church and for our teenage children a copy of YouCat: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. This book makes for the perfect Confirmation gift. In addition, we could consider some catechism books for children. Texts such as The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism Book. 1 and Book. 2; the First Communion Catechism is also worth considering.

First Communion Catechism covers a great deal about the faith in only 65 pages. It can be used in the child's First Communion year usually in grades 1 and 2. It emphasizes Jesus in the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession. There are discussion questions at the end of each of the 11 lessons. The book begins with prayers for everyday and ends with an explanation of the Holy Mass. Book 1 - The Baltimore questions and answers are divided into three parts: The Creed, The Commandments, and The Sacraments and Prayer. This is for grades 3, 4 and 5. Book. 2 - Has the same division and order as Book No. 1, but the lessons are more in-depth for the older student in grades 6 to 8.

You could also buy a subscription for your children to MagnifiKid and Magnificat Junior. It's for children between the ages of six and twelve. Subscribers receive the issues on a monthly basis. In each month’s packet, children will find a booklet of sixteen color pages for each Sunday, and also special issues for all major feast days: Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Ascension, Assumption and All Saints Day. These booklets are published by Magnificat and this too is a wonderful resource for parents to prepare and to better attend Sunday Mass; this, along with attending Mass on Sunday, receiving the sacraments and making time for prayer, are an important part of living the Christian life and giving our children a good faith example.

Of course there is so much more, but building a spiritual library begins like everything else with one step at a time. Today there are so many other sources, both in print and on-line, to explore, enrich and strengthen our faith. On the Internet we can learn much from the vatican website and so many many other Christian sites. There are even spiritual apps available for smart phones. The resources are numerous as long as there's a will to live and embrace the faith. I hope you do consider doing a home inventory of faith. I'm certain the spiritual exercise will yield many fruits for a future archaeologist or any visitor to find. But what's most important it will surely be a spiritual effort that will bring you and your family closer to Christ.