St. Junipero Serra: Relationships and Choosing Good- Weekday Homily Video

As Fr. Boby preached about yesterday…relationships matter. In many ways, our lives are shaped by the relationships we cultivate—with God, with spouses, children, parents, friends…and even with the things we use every day.

In fact, I'd like to talk about a relationship that almost every one of us has.

One with this little…but powerful device. A marvel that helps us communicate, learn, work, pray, stay connected, and, my favorite, not get lost!

Yet many of us spend hours each day fixed on a screen. Whether we realize it or not, we’ve formed a relationship with our phones.

Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with smartphones. They can be wonderful instruments for good. We can read Scripture, pray the Rosary, encourage someone who is hurting, or stay connected with family or friends who live far away.

But they can also consume our attention. Let me ask you: have you ever been sitting in the same room with your spouse, children, or grandchildren while everyone is looking at a different screen? In those moments, we’re more connected to the world than to the people sitting beside us.

But the phone isn't the problem in itself…for we have free will. The question is: What is this relationship doing to my relationship with my family and friends? Is it helping me seek good, or quietly drawing me away from the people God has entrusted to my care?

Seek Good and Not Evil

That question brings us to the prophet Amos, who says, "Seek good and not evil, that you may live... Hate evil and love good."

The people of Israel thought that because they gathered for worship and offered sacrifices, that everything was fine. But their daily lives told a different story.

They neglected justice, ignored the vulnerable, and failed to love one another as God desired. So the Lord says those startling words: "I hate your festivals... Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

God wasn't rejecting worship. But He was rejecting a worship that never reached their homes, marketplaces, or the relationships of their everyday lives.

The Eucharist we celebrate today should make us more patient…whether with your husband or wife, more attentive to children and grandchildren, and parents… more forgiving of one another, and more present to those we love.

If our relationship with Christ is real, it will strengthen every other relationship He has given us.

The Love of God

Today, we also remember St. Junípero Serra…who left behind the comfort of home and family in Spain, not because those relationships didn't matter, but because his relationship with Jesus Christ came first.

That love of God compelled him to cross an ocean so that others might come to know the Gospel. St. Junipero’s life reminds us that every healthy relationship begins with Christ and then overflows into love for others.

Perhaps one of the simplest ways to "seek good" this week is to put the phone down for a while, look into the eyes of your loved ones, and really listen to them, giving them your full attention.

St. Junípero reminds us that when our relationship with Christ comes first, every other relationship is transformed. Then, as Amos tells us, justice begins to "roll down like waters," first in our homes, then in our communities, and finally in our world…when we choose God and to do the good!

• Today’s Readings
  
  
• Father Boby’s inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center today. You can watch the entire Mass on the Family Rosary Video streams channel on YouTube.
  
  
• Join the Rosary (11:30 am ET) and Mass (Noon ET) livestreams on the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page, Monday – Friday. Invite your friends and family to pray with you as well.