My phone dings and I see this text from my friend:
"The house is a mess, the kids are in rare form, I didn't sleep good last night so I'm exhausted, and our priest is coming for dinner!!!"
My first thought is, "Sounds to me like things are right on track!" Of course I don't respond to her with that, but text back something to talk her off the ledge and help her out.
It isn't always this way, but many times extending hospitality to a priest brings out the "interesting" in life. Don't let that scare you, though, because having a priest over for dinner can foster many good things for both your family and the priest.
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To Introduce Your Children to Religious
Religion is a big part of your homeschool, right? What better way to enhance your religious studies than by introducing your kids to priests and religious?
Sure they encounter priests at church, and maybe you might run into a Brother or Sister at some point, but bringing a Religious into your home for dinner allows for a deeper relationship to develop.
There is so much to be learned from a good, holy priest. By fostering a relationship with him, you're allowing your kids to get to know him on a much more informal basis.
This can make the relationship much less intimidating so that your children feel that they can talk to the priest easily. Confession, something that intimidates a lot of people, will become easier when your children (and you) are more comfortable around priests.
Could You Pass me a Roll?
Sometimes this relationship building can become a bit too comfortable.
Our pastor at the time was coming for dinner and we wanted to present a more formal front. We had the china out, a nice tablecloth, even candles.
During dinner, my husband, at the head of the long table, asked my daughter (who had to be at least 13 at the time and was at the other end of the table) to pass him a roll.
Not thinking, she picked one up and threw it to him about 6 feet down the length of the table. After we all picked our jaws up and had a good laugh, we knew that any idea of propriety our priest had about us was gone.
Help Priests Be Comfortable with Homeschooling Families
Helping a priest get to know more about homeschooling can definitely be a benefit. There are many priests who have misconceptions about homeschoolers. This is unfortunate and can make things tense at times.
Having him get to know your family and why you homeschool can be very helpful for you and others in the parish. Over time, he can become an important part of your tribe.
A priest who is a friend to homeschoolers will often allow homeschooling groups to use the parish property for events. He might preside at special Masses or devotions for homeschooling groups. There might even be occasions when homeschooling families can help him with a parish project.
So much good can be gained by priests and homeschooling families becoming friends. Take the time to befriend a priest. You'll be enriching his life as much as he enriches yours.
Foster Vocations
We all know that there is a shortage of vocations. By getting to know priests and religious, you're helping to demystify who they are and what they do.
Fostering more vocations means helping your children to understand what it is a priest or religious does all day. It means allowing them to more freely explore the calling that God might have placed on their heart.
Not only them, but it will help you to be more comfortable with the idea! Talking to a priest or religious friend that you have will help you answer any questions you might have about your child's religious vocation.
Everyone Benefits From Having a Priest Over for Dinner
You see? It really isn't that scary. Things will not be perfect and that's okay. In fact, that lack of perfection will help everyone feel more comfortable and have a better time.
Becoming friends with a priest (and what better way to start that process than by having one over for dinner??) will make your family more comfortable with him and him more comfortable with your homeschooling family. It might just also foster a vocation or two from among your kids! Win-win-win across the board!
Showing the priest who you really are, and not a facade, is much better in the long run. And let's face it, with kids, it's pretty impossible to keep that facade up for long!
I'm sure most priests get together and tell some pretty good stories about the dinners they get invited to. I'm happy to know that our family has provided some good fodder for these discussions. Has yours? Please share your favorite "priest over for dinner" story in the comments.