By Susan Ciancio
TV, radio, and action movies illustrate the fact that superheroes have special powers, can fly, are incredibly strong, or can even read minds.
But did you know that pro-life superheroes also have special powers? While there are many amazing people in the pro-life sector today, including our own Judie Brown, we want to highlight some important pro-life saints and explain how you can help your child become a saint by living as a pro-life superhero.
Unlike the Marvel superheroes, saint-like superheroes have the potential to do even more good, as they help direct us to an eternity in heaven.
What have some of the saints been able to do? It is said that, among other things, Padre Pio could bilocate, meaning that he could be in two places at once. Many people, even on different continents, claim to have seen him at the same time. St. John Vianney could read hearts and minds. St. Francis Xavier is reported to have brought a child back from the dead. And St. Gerard and St. Joseph of Cupertino could levitate.
These are amazing gifts! But we all have gifts we can use to guide us toward heaven and that help us lead others to God.
Just like these saints, we can all work to create a culture where every person is respected and cherished and where people come to know God and choose to spend all of eternity with Him.
Below are five ways you can help make your kids faithful pro-life superheroes so that someday they too can become saints.
1. Read them stories of saints
Giving children holy role models to emulate will not only teach them how to act in difficult situations, but it will give them the moral courage they need to stand up when faced with adversity. Find good books about saints and include lesson booklets from CLSP in your daily routine.
2. Teach empathy
Kids need to understand that there’s a whole world filled with people who are different than they are. But they need to see that we are all the same in one important way: We are all children of God, and therefore we all have value. No one person is more special or important than another, and all should be treated with respect.
3. Encourage good works
Scripture says that faith without works is dead. If we claim to have faith, we must live that faith. That means doing good things for others by taking care of the sick and elderly, serving the poor, befriending a lonely peer, praying for the vulnerable, and showing our love in any way possible. This is something all kids can do, no matter their age.
4. Build family time
Family is the foundation of society, and family time should be held sacred in our houses. That means we ditch the phones and dedicate time each day to talk, to have fun and play games, to read together, and to talk about the faith.
5. Explain that attaining heaven is a choice
Most people don’t really think about getting to heaven like that, but it’s true. Heaven is a choice. We choose to do good or to do evil. We choose to embrace or reject God. We choose to love others or love only our own self. We choose whether we spend time with God in Mass, receive the sacraments, pray in Adoration, or spend time mindlessly watching TV or scrolling on our phones. Our choices determine where we will spend eternity.
If we truly want to live with God forever in heaven, then we must live like it.
In Evangelium Vitae, St. John Paul II wrote, “Closely connected with the formation of conscience is the work of education, which helps individuals to be ever more human, leads them ever more fully to the truth, instills in them growing respect for life, and trains them in right interpersonal relationships.”
At the Culture of Life Studies Program, this is what we strive to do every day. And it’s a charge we must take seriously as parents, as leading our children to God is one of the most important things we can do.