Today is the third and final part of our series The Anxious Generation: Jesus has been calling us to respond better to difficulties our children have because of the phone-based life.

There’s a famous saying from 1907: “If the priest is a saint… the people will be fervent; if the priest is fervent, the people will be pious; if the priest is pious, the people will at least be decent.  But if the priest is only decent, the people will be godless” (Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard, The Soul of the Apostolate, 40-41).  Does that make sense?  Leaders can’t produce more than they themselves have.  To lead our children to a place of health means we have to be in great health.  Let’s now apply this to ourselves [Change ‘the priest’ to ‘Fr. Justin’ and ‘the people’ to ‘St. Anthony’s’].  Go ahead and laugh!  I want all of you to become saints, so I have to be a saint.  I used to be overwhelmed by this, but Jesus’ power has given me hope and confidence, and so I will improve with His grace.

Let’s now try this: “If the children are addicted to their phones [and devices], it’s because the parents [and grandparents] use their phones poorly [meaning they use their phones sometimes for sinful things: pornography, wasting time which should be used for God and others]; if the children use their phones poorly, it’s because the parents use their phones in a neutral way [for good things but also frivolous things]; if the children use their phones in a neutral way, it’s because the parents use their phones well [only for good things, never in excess]; if the children use their phones well, it’s because the parents use their phones perfectly [to glorify God through prayer and encourage others through communication].”  How are we feeling?  I want to acknowledge how hard it is to be a parent, and that discouragement doesn’t come from God.  The Holy Spirit is motivating us to improve.  When I see this, I’m challenged to use my phone perfectly.  The last two Sundays were about the mental health crisis of the phone-based life and what we can do for our children, today’s solutions are focused on us adults.

Jesus today gives the Parable of the Dishonest Manager.  There is a master and his manager.  The manager wastes the master’s wealth, and the master then plans on firing him.  In response, the manager cheats and lies: He falsifies the agreements he made for his master so that those who owe the master will do the manager a favour in return.  Amazingly, the text says that, when the master found out about being cheated, “His master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly” (Lk 16:8).  Acting shrewdly means using the means to achieve the end.  The steward is in a desperate situation and acts decisively.  Jesus adds, “For the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light” (16:8).  Jesus is not praising dishonesty.  He’s simply marvelling at the fact that sinful people do all they can to achieve sinful goals while His followers are half-hearted when it comes to pursuing the kingdom!  I was surprised when Dr. Haidt mentioned that, in Silicon Valley, many tech executives send their children to the Waldorf school (The Anxious Generation, 250), where tuition for kindergarten is $32,000 USD annually, because the school introduces computer technology in Gr. 7 .  Tech executives are the ones who know best the dangers of technology for children and so act decisively.  Did you know that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and many other technology innovators limited screens for their own children and had technology curfews?  

Our Lord continues, “I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes” (16:9).  ‘Dishonest wealth’ simply means earthly goods, like money and technology.  We need to use them, but they can seduce us, so we must make them allies, not enemies.  The great Catholic speaker Jeff Cavins has given talks about his struggles with pornography.  But, one thing he did was, before smartphones, whenever he was travelling and in a hotel, he would go out of his way to tell the concierge that he was a Catholic speaker because, once they knew that, he would be embarrassed to pay for pornography in his room.  He was removing the opportunity for evil in a decisive way.

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much” (16:10).  Here are some simple changes that will impact our parish family.  Feel free to choose any.  1) Delete social media and game apps; leave your phone outside the bedroom as a rule; download accountability software like Covenant Eyes or Freedom.  Again, anyone interested can read this book in the next 12 months and then we can take collective action together next year.  2) I would encourage all adults to go through the entire Discipleship Pathway, which is how our spiritual ministries are structured: We encounter Jesus, make Him the center of our lives, imitate Him, serve others, and grow in knowledge.  Our children will participate if we’re ahead of them.  This goes for grandparents and those of us without children here.  Grandparents, please be aware: If we’re wasting time online, that will spiritually affect our youth, because, as the body of Christ, we’re connected.  3) I really want to increase Confession times in the new year.  Years ago, a mother suggested once-a-month family Confessions, so I’d like to move towards this.  We’ll be looking for another priest to help because many of you don’t want to go to me.  By the way, whenever families go for Confession, normally the father should go first, because he’s the spiritual head, and then the mother, and then the children; generally, the children shouldn’t go first unless there’s a good reason.

This is our parish family photo from August 1, 2025:

Imagine if we all used our devices better, grew spiritually, went to Confession more.  It would become normal for the next generation to do the same!  Well, it starts with whom?  It starts with me, Deacon, the grandparents, and the parents.