"Summertime, and the livin' is easy!" Most of us are familiar with this wonderful Gershwin song. These are the days we yearn for when winter gets long. We can go on picnics, work on our flower beds and in the garden, go swimming, fishing, camping and much more. If we're a teacher, student or work for a school we may have more free time. Who wouldn't enjoy that? Meals can be more casual. We can spend time relaxing on our lawn, on our porch or on the deck.  Neighbors come by for an occasional cookout. It's just a more relaxed season for many of us. It's good for us to enjoy it!

Many of us look forward to a much deserved vacation as well. As Knights of Columbus we might be able to take children or grandchildren along with us from time to time. We might look forward to visiting family members and friends who live out of town and even far away. We might go camping or on a fishing trip.  We may even go away almost every weekend.  The winter routine so easily and naturally melts away.

Many of our hometowns have special festivals and events too. Most Churches also have summer Festivals. Of course many of us have weddings to attend as well. Although the Season can be more relaxed, it can get busy as well. It's easy to get out of our schedule and routine. Sometimes on the weekends we're not at home and aren't quite as familiar with Church locations and
Mass schedules.

As brother Knights we know that the Eucharist is the center of all we do and who we are. When the weather is nicer though, it can be easy to find things to do outside we can sometimes put God on the back burner. We might begin by missing a single Mass. Of course we know it's not right to break the Third Commandment. Then we might find it inconvenient or embarrassing to go to Reconciliation before we can return to receiving the Eucharist. Other voices take over and we find that we're really not listening to God like we did when we were attending Church regularly. Things just don't fit into place. Although our lives are full of summer activities there can be emptiness as well. Of course our presence is missed by our Church friends as well. And the Church is in need of our support all year around. God certainly doesn't take a vacation for us.  We can be grateful for all God has given us and be sure to spend the time it takes for him to be number one in our lives.

Our kids usually don't attend school in the Summer. Not only do they miss the guidance and support of their teachers, but we often slack off as parents as well. If we don't attend Church with them they also miss hearing the word of God.  Other voices speak quite loudly ... television, advertising, video games, the Internet, friends and bigger kids.  They can easily come to accept the values they hear spoken around them if they're not exposed to God's values. We'd give our kids anything. We might go out of our way to make sure they have all the summer recreation equipment they need. We can spend endless hours driving them around and sitting on bleachers watching them play ball. We can drive them to swimming lessons, soccer and much more. Out of love we invest all we can in the precious treasure that is our children.

When we had our children Baptized we promised to bring them to Church on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. In summer, the proof is in the pudding. Do we make nice weather, fishing, camping and other outdoor activities more important than God? How do we explain to them that it is alright for us to break the Third Commandment during the Summer? Many children feel strongly they are committing a Mortal Sin when they don't attend Church. I always assure them that the Mortal Sin is not theirs. Still, they feel guilt. It's the responsibility of parents to set a great example for them to follow.  It may be harder to do during the Summertime, but that's when it's even more important!

What to do? That's simple! Just accept this gentle reminder to do what you've intended to do in the first place. Be sure that things of God are very much part of your summer. When you see a beautiful sunset or truly enjoy the gift of nature, give God the credit ... and make sure your kids hear you. Make plans in advance when you'll be out of town. Follow this link to obtain Mass times and directions to Catholic Churches all over the country: www.masstimes.org. They're also available by calling: 1-410-676-6000. If you need to go to Confession before receiving Communion again, be sure to do so. Confessions times can be found at the same Web Site.

Jesus says. "Let the children come to me and do not hold them back. It is to just such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs!" It's our job to bring them to Jesus. I hope you'll be faithful to Church attendance this summer. What better gift could you give your children and grandchildren? Ball games, camping and fishing are fun ... but they aren't nearly as important as Mass attendance when it comes to getting to Heaven. Isn't that our goal ... to get our children, grandchildren, husband, wife and those we love to Heaven? If you know someone who might need a gentle reminder, feel free to use the automatic "Referral Form" below.

What makes the garden grow? It takes sunshine, water, fertilizer, weeding and a bit of love and luck. What makes kids grow? Love, that's for sure. We make sure they have good foods and eat a balanced diet.  They need exercise. They need responsibility too. We need to listen to them and they need to listen to us. They also need rules and guidelines and a framework within which to live their lives.  God provided that for us and for them before we were ever born. How fortunate we are to have a God who loves us so much.  We certainly wouldn't withhold love and food from our kids.  How natural then, to make sure they have every opportunity to be exposed to God, the Church and God's great love for them.  Then they'll really grow ... on the outside and on the inside, too!

It's that simple! I was lucky to grow up in a family where our number one priority was our Faith. The only excuse to be used to miss Church was if we'd thrown up in the last five minutes. There was never an argument. Church is what our family did. We looked forward to vacation time and planned well ahead and truly looked forward to visiting new Churches. We even did a bit of scouting for air conditioned Churches from time to time. If we keep current too, we feel much better about ourselves and the example we set for our children.

If we're honest with ourselves we'll have to admit that all we have received and continue to receive merits a whole lot more than spending one hour with God each week. So, start with that.  Revisit those meal prayers too. And how about bedtime and morning time prayers? When we stay close to God
things just seem to go better. And when God seems far away we can ask ourselves the question, "Who moved?"

May the richest of God's blessings come your way this Summer. May you find God's work and God's word in the beauty of nature and in each new day. If your Parish has a Festival this summer, why not take the whole family and get involved? May we take the messages we hear in Church to heart and continue to build the holy family God calls us to build!