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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
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We have all been blessed in many ways from the families that raised us and contributed to the people we have become now. One thing that is so dear to me apart from my family of origin, is the new family I joined forty years ago and that is the Congregation of Holy Cross. It is family that has nurtured my relationship with God. Don’t get me wrong we share our difficult moments and crises at times, but the Congregation of Holy Cross has been and still continues to be a place where I have experienced a relationship of trust, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, encouragement, support, strength and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity. I am sure you can all give similar testimonies to different new families you belong to.
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Every family has an unofficial courtroom. It is usually the kitchen. Someone asks, "Who finished the ice cream?" Immediately, four people become constitutional lawyers. One argues there was hardly any left. Another insists the container was already suspiciously light. A third claims not to like that flavor, although witnesses have seen otherwise. The final person says, "Why are we always blaming people in this family?" which is generally understood as a confession. Prophet Micah stages a courtroom too, but he calls unusual witnesses: the mountains and the age-old foundations of the earth. They have no opinions to protect and no grudges to settle. They simply stood there the whole time, watching.
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A doctor once told a patient, "You need to stop smoking, avoid alcohol, eat plain food, go to bed early, and stay away from too much excitement." The man asked, "Will that make me live longer?" The doctor said, "I'm not sure, but it will certainly feel longer." Most of us would gladly accept the miracle King Hezekiah received in the first reading: fifteen extra years. Although, knowing us, we would probably have a few questions first. "Lord, are those fifteen healthy years? Will my knees still work? And does Medicare know about this?"
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One time a priest was preaching. So, he told the Christians. Lift your burdens to the Lord. One man picked up his wife. One woman picked up her husband while another mother brought her children to the altar plus the husband! The gospel today states, “come to me who labor and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” As families we may have several things that we feel without the hand of God we cannot succeed. Even probably we may have stories to tell of how Jesus stood with us when everything seemed breaking. When the marriage was under certain trial, we came to the Lord! In Sickness. In times of heavy disagreements and we said, let us pray over it. We said let us go for mass. We asked someone to pray with us, and we emerged victorious.
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Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Bonaventure, a brilliant theologian, Franciscan, bishop, and Doctor of the Church. He is remembered as the "Seraphic Doctor." I had to look up that first part! The term “seraphic” refers to the seraphim, the highest order of angels, symbolizing a pure and burning love for God. And, this is combined with the term “doctor,” which is a title given to saints recognized for their eminent learning and contribution to theology.
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It is possible that most of us in our families have had to deal with defiant people or defiant behavior. We have had people dear to us retorting, “Did I ask you to give birth to me?” or a son shouting back at his parents, “No.” Maybe you've experienced someone responding, "If you helped me, that was your choice; did I force you?” These phrases reflect a pattern of non-compliance, hostility, and refusal to cooperate with authority in whatever form it takes. These kinds of reactions and responses can indeed be heartbreaking for the recipient. Believing What You See In the Gospel today, Jesus had been healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and casting out demons in towns like Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Despite these undeniable displays of divine power and God’s loving kindness, the residents refused to repent or accept him as the Messiah.
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