Yesterday was Father's Day and it was also the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. What a beautiful day to celebrate two amazing things. The Holy Trinity is the epitome of the family and how a Father loves His Son so much that that the Holy Spirit pours forth from that love. This image is beautiful because it reminds us of the love that your earthly father should have for you. A father should love his children so much that that love should be evident to all.
I am not saying that sometimes your father may fail and I am not saying there are not imperfect fathers, some worse than others, but whether your father loved you as they ought or not, you will always have a Father who loves you in Heaven. Who gave up His Only Son for you! As the Gospel reading reminded us yesterday, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life..." (John 3:16-18). As a father you should strive to love as our Heavenly Father loves.
Whether you are a Great-Grandfather, Grandfather, Father, whether your baby is in the womb or grown and has children of their own. Whether you have had a relationship with your child or not. Whether you were brave and gave them up for the sake of them having a better life or whether you tried to raise them, but didn't do it well. Whether you had children of your own or choose to be the father of many children through the Priesthood. No matter how you have a role as a Father, you have made a difference in the world. You brought into the world an irreplaceable gift. You raised in the world an irreplaceable person. You challenged a person to love and live in the world. You offered them faith in their Heavenly Father and gave them a desire to know and love Him more. You have done so many countless things for your children that you do not even realize.
Today I am thankful for my earthly Father who has loved me, guided me, taught me, encouraged me, toughened me up, brought me up in the faith, provided for me, and so many countless other things. Everything that my Dad has done for me I am so thankful for. I am also thankful for my Heavenly Father who ordained for all eternity that I would get to have my Dad as my Dad. My Heavenly Father who has loved me and guided me in the faith, who has put within me a flame to know and love him more. With my earthly Daddy and my Heavenly Father I have and will always feel loved!
Today I look forward to the future, when my wonderful Husband will be a father. Today I look forward to the day when my children will get to call him Daddy and my Father and Father-in-Law Grandpa. Today I look forward to the day when my children will have the opportunity to love their Heavenly Father and know without a shadow of a doubt that they will always have a Father.
Whether you did yesterday or not, take the time today to thank your Dad, your Heavenly Father, and all the Priests who have impacted your life!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Visiting the Family
First, let me start off by saying I am sorry I did not post on Friday! I had absolutely every intention of posting and then by the time I was able to after I finished cleaning up and packing, we had to leave for the airport. And then I tried to get this post up Monday and yesterday, but it just didn't happen!!
Anyhow, as I mentioned the reason that I didn't post on Friday or Monday or yesterday was because we flew home (well I guess our old home) in order to attend my younger brother's Confirmation! Of course, we also got to visit with family and as an added bonus, we were able to spend Mother's Day with our Moms! And then my parents came out to pick up my sister from College and visit from Monday until today!
Let me start off talking about the most important part of the trip. We had the privilege to witness my younger brother make a promise before God and the Church that he would live the Catholic Life, no matter the consequence - whether that is loss of friends, persecution, etc. I am so incredibly proud of my brother and who he has become and his witness to the faith. He has and continues to be an inspiration to me and T.J.! The actual Confirmation Mass was beautiful and the homily really got to the heart of the matter. The Priest reminded us that once you are Confirmed you don't stop going to Church, you don't hide in your room and stop practicing the faith. You go out and shout the Good News to all. My brother took the name Benedict as his Confirmation Saint. How incredibly beautiful to see how St. Benedict has made his way into my brother's life. St. Benedict, pray for him!
So, we had the honor of visiting family. Family is very important to me and despite the fact that for right now at least we live away from them, I try to spend quality time with them when I am around them and to make an effort to spend quality time with them on the phone or on Skype or through whatever method I can. While I don't always talk with my grandparents and cousins, I try to stay connected with my parents and siblings, both my biological and in-laws, as much as possible. Therefore, I am so glad when I get to spend time with them when we travel home or when they travel here. I won't lie, sometimes visiting home is more stressful than relaxing and that is because we have to or want to visit with everyone in the family. I really don't like that part. I love the fact that I have in-laws and a larger family now, but it is so difficult to be home for a short weekend and spend any quality time with anyone it seems. But we do try!
We also really valued getting to spend Mother's Day with our Mom's. The past four years we have missed Mother's Day due to finishing the school year, so it was quite a treat to honor the women who said yes to life and gave us the ability to be a part of this world and teach us how to be adults. We are so thankful for their love and encouragement in our lives.
I truly appreciate the time I get to have with my family. I encourage you to remember to hold your family close, both physically and mentally. Whether you get to see them on a regular basis or not, be close to your family. Teach each other to be holier. Strive to be a domestic church. Never stop running towards God, and always remember that when you are married your family will only function the way it is supposed to if you and your spouse are working together and that relationship is constantly being built up. And if you haven't talked to someone in your family in a while, give them a call or if you are close enough, stop in and say hi. You don't need to see every person in your family all the time or talk to them every week. If you go a few days without talking to your parents or your immediate family, that is okay - what matters is that you have a genuine relationship with them! But never forget to have a daily relationship with your spouse, they are the most important family you will ever have!
May you and your family be richly blessed!
P.S. I just finished reading Consuming the Word by Scott Hahn on the airplane. It is an absolutely wonderful book that articulately describes the Word, the Eucharist, the Mass, and Scripture. If you are looking for a good read, I highly recommend!
Anyhow, as I mentioned the reason that I didn't post on Friday or Monday or yesterday was because we flew home (well I guess our old home) in order to attend my younger brother's Confirmation! Of course, we also got to visit with family and as an added bonus, we were able to spend Mother's Day with our Moms! And then my parents came out to pick up my sister from College and visit from Monday until today!
Let me start off talking about the most important part of the trip. We had the privilege to witness my younger brother make a promise before God and the Church that he would live the Catholic Life, no matter the consequence - whether that is loss of friends, persecution, etc. I am so incredibly proud of my brother and who he has become and his witness to the faith. He has and continues to be an inspiration to me and T.J.! The actual Confirmation Mass was beautiful and the homily really got to the heart of the matter. The Priest reminded us that once you are Confirmed you don't stop going to Church, you don't hide in your room and stop practicing the faith. You go out and shout the Good News to all. My brother took the name Benedict as his Confirmation Saint. How incredibly beautiful to see how St. Benedict has made his way into my brother's life. St. Benedict, pray for him!
So, we had the honor of visiting family. Family is very important to me and despite the fact that for right now at least we live away from them, I try to spend quality time with them when I am around them and to make an effort to spend quality time with them on the phone or on Skype or through whatever method I can. While I don't always talk with my grandparents and cousins, I try to stay connected with my parents and siblings, both my biological and in-laws, as much as possible. Therefore, I am so glad when I get to spend time with them when we travel home or when they travel here. I won't lie, sometimes visiting home is more stressful than relaxing and that is because we have to or want to visit with everyone in the family. I really don't like that part. I love the fact that I have in-laws and a larger family now, but it is so difficult to be home for a short weekend and spend any quality time with anyone it seems. But we do try!
We also really valued getting to spend Mother's Day with our Mom's. The past four years we have missed Mother's Day due to finishing the school year, so it was quite a treat to honor the women who said yes to life and gave us the ability to be a part of this world and teach us how to be adults. We are so thankful for their love and encouragement in our lives.
I truly appreciate the time I get to have with my family. I encourage you to remember to hold your family close, both physically and mentally. Whether you get to see them on a regular basis or not, be close to your family. Teach each other to be holier. Strive to be a domestic church. Never stop running towards God, and always remember that when you are married your family will only function the way it is supposed to if you and your spouse are working together and that relationship is constantly being built up. And if you haven't talked to someone in your family in a while, give them a call or if you are close enough, stop in and say hi. You don't need to see every person in your family all the time or talk to them every week. If you go a few days without talking to your parents or your immediate family, that is okay - what matters is that you have a genuine relationship with them! But never forget to have a daily relationship with your spouse, they are the most important family you will ever have!
May you and your family be richly blessed!
P.S. I just finished reading Consuming the Word by Scott Hahn on the airplane. It is an absolutely wonderful book that articulately describes the Word, the Eucharist, the Mass, and Scripture. If you are looking for a good read, I highly recommend!
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