The first reading today has Joshua giving a farewell speech as the leader of the people of Israel.  He states very clearly “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord.”  He makes a declaration of faith in the name of his family.  Today a household may look different, but nonetheless the expectation of a declaration of faith remains the same.  Both husband and wife are called to help their children decide where they will stand in the faith and decide who they will serve God or the world.   God provides many miracles and signs along the path of life so those that are within the family can be reassured and make a definitive decision to follow God.  There is ample evidence of the presence of God not only in the miracles but also in how God protects his children in dangerous situations. There are near-death experiences that may reaffirm the faith of many, who know there had to be some sort of divine intervention.  God makes it easy so many can believe in him, there just need to be awareness with the eyes of faith of all the work God does.  However, it is difficult for parents to get their children to give their lives to God. But they can’t stop trying.  They are responsible for the salvation of their family.   Joshua led the family of Israel through the conquest and the promised land and gave them some sort of stability.  Joshua was a sort of a father to them, a head of their family.  In the same way, parents need to lead their children to conquer sin, to accept the Lord, to settle in the promised land of the church, and give them the stability of eternal life.  In this journey of life, where children need to decide where they will spend eternity, the parents cannot forsake their responsibility but continue to raise their children in the faith even when they think they are not listening, learning, or understanding anything about the faith.  Even when they are grown children, and they have fallen away from the church, parents are called to pray for them with the hope they will come back to their home. Jesus knew some would not believe at all, but what a difference does it make when parents are persistent, persevering on the faith, and don’t give up on their children.  The problem right now is parents sometimes do not agree with each other when it comes to the practice of faith.  Notice, I mentioned parents, as the head of the household. Each in their proper station. Each giving an example.  What happens is that in some families there is a power struggle.  Many husbands use the passage of Ephesians to claim authority and say that the wife is subordinate.  Everybody knows where the real authority lies in a family…God.  Instead of having these futile power struggles, both husband and wife are called to build up their domestic church, to focus on building the faith of their children. Believing in Jesus should not be a shock to anyone in the family.  Parents need to model for their children their faith. Yes, it mentions in Ephesians the husband is head of the family, but it also mentions for husbands to love your wives, as Christ love the church.  This passage is more about the relationship between spouses and the church and how spouses can live their love within the church. Both parents need to agree on something: the salvation of their children is more important than who has more power in their relationship. They need to work together, complementing each other.  There are many children who do not want to practice anymore their faith, it is the responsibility of the parents to promote, to present the church as the bride of Christ without spot, wrinkle, or blemish, and holy.  This is done by them by believing and being involved in their church and becoming role models for their children in how they live out their faith. If they fulfill their responsibilities, then they will lead their children to have life in the Spirit and directly to Jesus for he has the words of eternal life.  Instead of fighting to see who has more control and authority, it is best for parents to model their faith for salvation of their children.  Pray for parents, they have one of the most difficult jobs in the world, because they are called day by day to lead their family closer to the life of heaven. Pray for parents so that they cannot lose not even one of their members to the world, but that together they may serve the Lord until the end.