The One Thing: Passing Faith Onto Children

by Matthew Kelly

I sat there last night holding my son Walter longer than usual, and, in the midst of my thoughts and prayers, I was filled with questions. They were questions about passing faith onto Will my son grow to appreciate the Catholic faith the way I do? Will he attend church joyfully? Will he go through a rebellious stage? Will he reject the faith of his parents and leave the Catholic Church? Will he be attracted to another religion? Will the secularism of today's culture turn him away from organized religion altogether? -Excerpt from The One Thing In this deeply personal bestseller, Matthew Kelly reflects on the challenges of passing faith onto children. Written just ten-months after the birth of his first child, he writes about his own faith, why religion has played such a powerful role throughout history, why so many people are leaving the Catholic Church today, and the hopes he has for his son when it comes to the spiritual life. Kelly writes, Religion is the primary humanizing force in a person, in a society, in history. In my own experience, this is particularly true of the Catholic form of Christianity. Catholicism makes me a-better-version-of-myself. It makes me more human. But ultimately his reflection centers on a single question, If I could teach my son one thing that would ensure his appreciation of Catholicism, what would it be? As always Kelly's ideas are engaging and challenging, but writing for the first time as a father it is clear that he is growing in new and fascinating ways.

Genres: Faith, Religion, Catholic, Christian, Nonfiction, Parenting

64 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2011

About the author

Matthew Kelly is a best-selling author, speaker, thought leader, entrepreneur, consultant, spiritual leader, and innovator.

He has dedicated his life to helping people and organizations become the-best-version-of-themselves. Born in Sydney, Australia, he began speaking and writing in his late teens while he was attending business school. Since that time, 5 million people have attended his seminars and presentations in more than 50 countries.

Today, Kelly is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, and business consultant. His books have been published in more than 30 languages, have appeared on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller lists, and have sold more than 50 million copies.

In his early-twenties he developed "the-best-version-of-yourself" concept and has been sharing it in every arena of life for more than twenty-five years. It is quoted by presidents and celebrities, athletes and their coaches, business leaders and innovators, though perhaps it is never more powerfully quoted than when a mother or father asks a child, "Will that help you become the-best-version-of-yourself?"

Kelly's personal interests include golf, music, art, literature, investing, spirituality, and spending time with his wife, Meggie, and their children Walter, Isabel, Harry, Ralph, and Simon.

Reviews

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very basic and focused on one main point-how to pass faith on to children. Beautiful pictures offer a personal look at a great author.

[Deborah Harbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Michelle Demarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 minute read...well worth my time.

[Dede · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me realize adding a few things to my life can make me a better Catholic and a better parent. very inspiring and inspirational. I read it while I made dinner. have reflected on it since then.

[Matt Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

a short book with a simple, but powerful, message.

[Adam Gutschenritter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting thoughts on why we pass our faith onto children, but not the insightful advice I was hoping for.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

No one that charges 14 bucks for a 60 page book - half of the pages of which are pictures of the author's baby - IMO has the right to get upset about secular materialism. Especially when the very few things that are said in it are either wrong (like that animals can't experience compassion, or that Catholics are the only ones that believe Jesus is present in the Eucharist) or utterly vapid (the best way to teach faith is to be present in your children's lives). But this is a book written by someone who, at the time, had _one_ _ten month old_. Having children with which one has actually had moral conundra isn't a necessity, but it doesn't hurt, and because of that I shouldn't have been surprised if there wasn't any real wisdom in this.

What a waste.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is the one thing we need to teach our kids to ensure that they will hold on to and value their catholic faith?
This is the question Matthew Kelly ponders late one night as he holds his firstborn child. His answer is one of wisdom, for sure!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't call this a book, it's just one essay that you can read on a few minutes. But I appreciated its main point and will be thinking about it!

[Kim Moline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is why.

[Emerson John Tiu Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice short book of Matthew Kelley wish for his son... how he plans to pass on his Catholic Faith

[David Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, very short but very thought-provoking.
Well worth the read if you have kids.
Highly recommend

[Trish Stukbauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy and insightful read.