To hear this letter read by Ever, click here:

Do you ever worry that your family culture is getting stuck within the thin, materialistic culture that surrounds us, and is consequently growing kids without depth or the ability to focus on anything other than what to consume next? We do!

Instant gratification, materialism, scientism, the distractions of social media… Our kids are under constant bombardment from forces that try to strip their ability to learn, to grow in virtue, and to ponder the true meaning of life.

No wonder so many young people leave the faith. Especially if they see it as a set of moralistic dos and don’ts (which, by the way, is exactly what the culture wants them to believe)! But there’s a solution—a tool hiding in plain sight, right in your home.

In the fourth week of each month, we turn our focus to Level 4—Family Culture—of your Trinity House. The doorway, of course, is your family table, where you have the daily opportunity to push back on the “isms,” and use the liturgical calendar to build a far richer family culture, one that is based on the history and traditions of people around the world.

Take today’s feast of the apostle St. Bartholomew, for example. One tradition says he brought the Gospel to India, which makes his life and martyrdom a built-in springboard for a world-and faith-expanding conversation at the dinner table. Especially if you can squeeze in a piece of naan or a sprinkle of curry somewhere!

When our family hosted an Indian priest friend for tea recently, our kids were held spellbound by his stories. Growing up in a faith-filled family of 11 kids, he slept on the floor beneath his grandmother’s bed. At 6 each morning, she would tap him with her cane, and the two of them would set off through the rice fields to daily Mass in their village.

In just a couple of hours with this priest, the Indian Catholic experience came to life in our dining room. The joys, challenges, sounds, smells, and history of the Catholic Church in India became characters around the table. That’s the kind of story we can recall together tonight, as we celebrate the faith of St. Bartholomew.

Another of our favorite cultures comes back to us whenever we do Taco Tuesday. This little tradition has been the portal for us to talk about Mexico and its history, practice a little Spanish, have conversations about Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Juan Diego, and the Mexican martyrs, all while filling our bellies in a way that helps us celebrate them and remember.

Far more than just a place to be physically nourished, our family table offers a daily portal into the life of an ancient and universal Church, and a vast platform on which to build a rich family culture. With an invitation to the Holy Spirit, a glance at the Church calendar, and a few minutes of planning, our families can flourish with the help of countless saints, whose lives, around the world and throughout the ages, have been drenched in virtue and meaning.

Multiply this kind of kitchen catechesis out by 18 years, and our children—Lord-willing—will cherish a love of Jesus Christ deep down in their marrow, a living faith in God and His Church that can never be reduced to a list of dos and don’ts!

St. Bartholomew, pray for us!