Thank you for joining me again this week. Last Thursday we reflected on the second charism of the congregation, Unity, rooted in the Holy Trinity and mirrored for us in the Holy Family. We reflected on the love of God that is the reason for all to live in unity – and the grace to make it possible! Today, we'll continue our reflection of this charism putting our focus on the Holy Family ... and our own families as well.
I grew up in a wonderful home – but it was not a perfect family! In my lifetime, I have never seen a perfect family! Like just about all families there has been our share of addiction, mental illness, etc., in our family tree ... Still, I was loved, unconditionally, by my parents, while they also instilled in me their gift of faith. Through them I began to know God! Not a perfect family but a HOLY FAMILY.
I knew from an early age that my father always had his Rosary in his pocket. By that time, I knew the Hail Mary which my mother prayed with me since infancy. It was like eating or breathing to see pictures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as our models who invited us to grow to be like them and to love like them.
We weren’t weird nor seen as fanatics! We were a normal American Catholic family then. It seems as though an awareness of what makes for a spirit of unity in the home, through transmitting and living our faith, has ebbed in recent decades. Now is time to hold up the Holy Family who can help heal today’s imperfect families through God’s love!
Next Thursday, we'll finish up this charism by thinking about what it means to be "conformed to Christ." Please join me. God bless you and your families.