First, I would argue that our first teacher is our conscience, not our parents. No matter how good or bad our parents are, we are born with a conscience.

Second, I love the OT. One of my favorite books is Ecclesiastes. If you read chapter 3, you’ll see my train of thought.

Mark

My mother also gave generously of her time and talents, not just to the church, but also to family and friends. We literally had an open door policy – our back door was always unlocked. Our kitchen and dining area was located near the back door and when my mother prepared our meal, especially our Sunday meal, we nearly always had a guest who would be passing by, who my mother would invite to stay for dinner.

A few friends and family who are still alive, sometimes would surprise me by relating something my mother shared or did. And so, we will be known by our actions.

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Blessings
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Thou hast given me so much. Give me one more thing – A Grateful Heart. – George Herbert

The first part of the title of your reflection is, of course, the hard part of teaching morality. It reminds me of the conclusion of yesterday’s Gospel reading: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Much easier said than done.

Going to extremes, either acting totally selfish or totally generous, as the experiment showed, will obviously affect those present. I will pretty much assume that most of are an amalgamation of a lot of different emotions and, at times, will either be selfish or generous, depending on the situation. I’m guessing that this is the action that most children will observe and I would call it living in an imperfect world.

I guess my point is, if you are being discreet, as your title and the Gospel states, about your prayer, alms giving and fasting, how can you be setting an example for your child to follow? They won’t know your doing the “generous” part of living.

Mark