Living The Life

COL 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 
bearing with one another and forgiving one another, 
if one has a grievance against another; 
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love, 
that is the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, 
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, 

as in all wisdom, you teach and admonish one another, 

singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs 

with gratitude in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, 

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Family, like it or not, we all have one.  It was God's intention to populate the world with them.  I believe that the idea behind them was that each of us would have a small group of people that we could always rely on to be there for us and show us the love that we needed to feel fully and totally human.  For many years this concept seemed to be working very well.  The idea is sound as is the principles behind it.  Today, in our modern world, we seem to place less importance on the family and the results are easy to see in our homes.  For example, when I was growing up in the sixties and seventies, when dinner time came around we were expected to be there and we gathered around the dinner table and shared our meal together.  It was not consumed in front of the television.  Eating and watching television was, at that time, in my family, mutually exclusive activities. We sat around the table and as we ate we shared our day, we told stories, we laughed.  When we were done, mom or dad would excuse us from the table so we could go back to being kids again. This is just one example of how the family unit is to support its members.   There are others. We all did chores to keep the family happy, mine was taking out the garbage every day.  My sisters set the table and did small chores to help mom out.  I mowed the grass when my father asked me to do it, although he had a thing for grass mowing and he really did prefer to do it himself. 

I can imagine the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph all working together in the family home. Joseph teaching Jesus all he could about the woodworking business and Mary helping Jesus with his lessons. They are the prototype for what a family is to be.  Most families today would have to work some to rise to their level. 

I don't have a family of my own anymore.  My two sisters and one brother, for some reason, do not want me to be a part of their life and so I have stepped away from them so as to allow them to be happy without considering me. I still love them and I pray for them all of the time and my heart is saddened because I do not know what I have done to turn them against me.  Even though I share my wife's extended family and they are all good and friendly people, it is not the same as having a group of people that you know so intimately because you grew up with them. I miss that connection. 

So, if up today you have not realized how fortunate you are to have a person or group of people that you can call family, think of them today.  Sure, there can be no more annoying people on this earth, but come what may, you know you love them.  On this feast of the Holy Family, think about your extended family and if you can, reach out to them and let them know how warmly you love them.  If this is not possible, then you need to pray for their well-being and prosperity.  Because like it or not we all have a family that was given to us by God and one way or another, we have to love them for who they are.   God bless you on this feast day and I look forward to welcoming you to a new year tomorrow. 

Do you know someone in Purgatory?  Not sure?  Then pray for them anyway.  If they are in Purgatory the prayers will help them and if not they will go to some other poor soul who needs it.  No prayer is ever wasted when it is directed to help the poor souls.  Besides, as they are today, someday you might also be! 

According to tradition, St. Gertrude the Great was told by Our Lord that the following prayer, each time she piously recited it, would release 1,000 souls (or a vast number) from their suffering in purgatory:

“Eternal Father,
I offer You the most precious blood
of thy Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today,
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal Church,
for those in my own home,
and in my family. Amen.”