The Love of Families

The love of a family is a gift from God. He made us in his image that we might love and be loved and then he organized us in families that we might have way to learn to love and be loved. It is love that is shared with us by God that brings family together. That same love binds together families who keep a covenant with God because God’s love sustains and nurtures our love for each other. When we die, we go forth with the love of our families as the wings that carry us from this world into God’s presence and, finally, it is that same love made perfect by our transcendence that brings families together again in His Heavenly Kingdom.

I recently read a sermon by St. Augustine on St. Martha. After I read through it the first time, nothing in particular jumped out at me but I felt a very slight sense of unease about some aspect of the reading but I could not discern the sourece of my discomfort. Experience has recently taught me that if something makes me uncomforable, I best not ignore it. In my world, spiritual growth from being challenged. So I read the sermon again and then again for the third time. Finally the source of my unease jumped out at me.

Here is what St. Augustine wrote that caused my discomfort: “Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says: Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me.”

And there it was. The challenge to step out myself and look an aspect of my life that I have not much thought about: hospitality. Martha was a gracious and grateful hostess but her guest was the most important invididual in history. While Jesus has never knocked at my door, many other people have done so in the past. What kind of host was I? Would Benedict feel that we have lived up the spirit of the rule by welcoming visitors? The answer, I fear, would be no. So now it is up to me to rise to the challenge to be a welcoming, gracious and generous host and not just when it is convenient for me. Can I learn to see the face of God in all who call at my door?

Pray that we can all learn to welcome the least of our brothers as if they were Son of God.

Peace be with you.

Mary Magdalene - The Perserverance of Love

Think for a moment of the image of Mary Magdalene lingering behind at the empty tomb of the risen Christ after the disciples had left in bewilderment and dismay. Her faith obligated her to stay and her perseverance was rewarded by Lord who came into her presence and reassured her that the promise of the resurrection was true. She was the first witness of the proof of God’s fulfillment of this covenant man: If we believe in what we cannot see, we shall never die but will live forever.

Are there other women living today who can call to mind the faith of Mary? What would that faith look like? I think of my own wife who continued to have faith that God would empower my younger son to overcome huge physical obstacles that defined his early years. Long after I had despaired of every being able to understand his speech or to be able to see him to be comfortable doing anything physical, she continued to fight for him, pray for him, encourage him, support him and to demand that the the rest of us to join her efforts to encourage him. Now he speaks with delightful eloquence, humor, and startling insight and always with a precise articulateness that is a true gift from God.

When the day came he wanted to become a fireman, this young man who struggled so hard to just be able to crawl and walk without pain as a child became a fireman. While I have been so proud of him it was not until today as I reflected on the reading that I gained a new understanding of my wife’s role in my son’s life. She, like many others, reminds us that the gospel proclaims a living word that is as vital today as it was 2 thousand years ago. At this very moment she is continuing to live that example as Brian struggles with a new set of challenges to overcome. Tonight I will offer an extra prayer of thanks to Mary Magdalene for blessing us with her example and for my wife’s willingness to bring the gospel to life for her family. Pray for her and for Brian with me.

Peace be with you.