“I kneel before the Father from Whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name; and I pray.” —EPH 3:14-16

 

Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II.  He would often use a phrase made famous by the late Father Patrick Peyton: “The family that prays together, stays together!” In the Holy Father’s homily from St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1995, Pope St John Paul II spoke to American Catholics saying, “There are two immediate things which the Catholic families of America can do to strengthen home-life. The first is prayer: both personal and family prayer. Prayer raises our minds and hearts to God to thank him for his blessings, to ask him for his help. It brings the saving power of Jesus Christ into the decisions and actions of everyday life. One prayer in particular I recommend to families, the Rosary. And especially the Joyful Mysteries, which help us to meditate on the Holy Family of Nazareth. The second suggestion I make to families is to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn about the faith and to answer the questions that come up, especially the moral questions which confront everyone today.” Two other quotes regarding the family from this beloved Saint of the 20th Century are: (1) “The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish.” and (2) “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” Pope St. John Paul’s insights are as true today as when he first shared them. I believe that the Holy Father would be especially pleased with today’s First Reading from St Paul to the Ephesians. This is possibly the greatest family prayer ever. It teaches us that, when we pray for our family and others, we should first of all pray for “gifts in keeping with the riches of His glory” (Eph 3:16). Family life is humanly impossible. We must admit this and pray for God’s grace to flow in us, that we may share in His supernatural gifts. The demands of family life are overwhelming. The immorality of our society and Godless culture bring about a slavery to sin. Satan, and the oppressive forces of hatred and evil want to destroy our family in body, mind, and spirit daily.  The only way we will survive is by asking for and receiving inward strength “through the working of His Spirit” (Eph 3:16). We need not only Divine Gifts and inward strength, but we need God Himself to reside in our family (Eph 3:17). We bring this about by inviting Jesus into our hearts through faith (Eph 3:17). With God actually living in our family, love can now be the root and foundation of our family life (Eph 3:17), for God is Love (1 Jn 4:16). Because “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pt 4:8) and “never fails” (1 Cor 13:8).  In Saturday’s First Reading we will hear that, “our families will be holy families, built up in love” (Eph 4:16). This may seem impossible to you, but God’s “power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20). Let us all start praying the family prayer in Ephesians 3:16-17. Keep praying and obeying. Your family will be so transformed that, when you have a family reunion in heaven, not one family member will be missing.

Lord God, from You every family in Heaven and on earth takes its name. Father, You are love and life. Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman, and through the Holy Spirit, the fountain of divine charity, grant that every family on earth may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love. Grant that Your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world. Grant that the young may find in the family solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love. Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass. Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family. We ask this of You, Who is life, truth and love with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Prayer of Pope Saint John Paul II for families)

 

May God’s Grace and Blessings Always be with you and yours!!  Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us!!

Yours in Christ,

Deacon Bob

St. Clare of Assisi

Houston, TX