You Are God's Herald for Your Child

In a time of year when we hear of God's heavenly heralds, Linda Kracht invites parents to consider how they can herald the Good News to their children.

Parents have many sacred duties regarding their children which is discussed in my soon-to-be-released book (2023) for parents, Daughters and Sons Forever. The second sacred duty (of a list of sixteen) is to be our children’s first herald. 'Tis the season to talk about heralds.

Today, most of you are well aware of the fact that God has a multitude of heavenly heralds. They are messengers who announce great tidings of joy.

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12)

This announcement was prefaced with the assurance: "Do not be afraid." Obviously, their presence must have been frightening yet glorious. I imagine it was kind of like the grand finale of a Fourth of July fireworks show plus! Many of you have probably heard that St. Michael the Archangel is nothing short of enormous whenever he appears, so I personally imagine the shepherds had a vision of enormous angels flying around, ecstatically producing flashing lights and echoing song that filled the whole sky. It surely would have been frightening and awesome to behold. That scene described power and awe.

When you hear the word herald, what comes to mind? Do you think of the officials who pronounce things written by kings or queens or presidents or CEOs? Yes, heralds are carrying messages from VIPs, but let’s think about heralds in the context of being very important messengers for God. These messengers have delivered dozens of messages recorded in the Old and New Testaments. The most famous heralds who might naturally come to mind for us include Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. Their most profound messages were delivered to Mary (the Annunciation) and to shepherds (Christmas) regarding the birth of Jesus.

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The Gospels teach us that these announcements often involve great fanfare and a multitude of angels. Imagine the sights and sounds in the field that Christmas night so many eons ago. The angels were simply bursting with joy at the great announcement. And so it must have been a bit intimidating for the shepherds in the fields until they realized that the news was from God and was indeed good.

Parents also have so much Good News to announce to their children about God, heaven, divine love and mercy, the Bible timeline, the birth of Jesus, the purpose of His Church, and much, much more. Like the angels, parents are called to be their children’s first and principal Herald of the Gospel. We are called to re-tell the Bible to our children. We are called to teach our children to pray. We are called to explain the Faith boldly. We are called to explain God, Faith, Love, Forgiveness, Mercy, from a personal perspective. We are called to teach a myriad of God’s moral lessons at a time when many people reject this Good News.

Christmas provides us with the time to reflect, discuss and explain our Savior’s birth, including the story that led up to His birth. Who is Jesus? That is the primary question to explain to our children. If not us, then who?

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Like the angels, parents are called to be their children’s first and principal Herald of the Gospel. #catholicmom

Too many parents assume that the job of being God’s herald belongs to someone else who is more holy, more majestic, more ecclesiastical, or ordained. Parents were anointed as their children’s first herald the moment they were conceived. This past year I taught the second-grade faith formation class at my parish, and I was disappointed that so few of the children knew key Bible stories, the Ten Commandments, or even basic prayers such as the Our Father and Hail Mary. We have to take up the yoke and become our children’s first heralds. If not you, then who?

Joy to the world, the Lord is come. May you and I announce this good news to our children and grandchildren with great fanfare and joy throughout the year! Blessings to you.

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