Holy Father, may I never make light
of the faith given me by parents
and pious men and women in the church.
Help me to respect their commitment
to doing your will in every way,
in spite of — or because of — their faults.
Keep me from judgments, for I, too,
err and fail in many ways,
which my children and descendants will see.
May they judge me by my good intentions,
and my desire, like those before me,
to walk in the light, as Jesus did.
Remove from me the critical spirit,
the caustic jokes, demeaning humor —
In me breathe thanks for earnest faith.
Amen.