One of the really great things
about being a deacon is that we can be married and have a family. Wanda
and I have been a family for 46 years. Over the years our family
grew into sons and daughters and grandchildren and in-laws. It also grew to include several cats and
a wonderful little beagle named Kate.
When
I was ordained a deacon my family grew again to include the members of our
parish, and all those with whom I minister in psychiatric hospitals, in spiritual
direction, and in support groups. I have been blessed to know and live the
meaning of family.
On
December 29th we will be celebrating the Holy Family. We look at the
family of Jesus and Mary and Joseph and see the ideal of what every family
should strive to be: a relationship based on mutual love, respect and trust.
And today, in the third millennium, we recognize that there are many
types of families. There is the nuclear family, and the extended family; the
work family, and the parish family; and many variations of each. Wherever there
is a human relationship built on love, there is a family. And whenever that
love is unconditional, there is a holy family.
Throughout
his preaching Jesus calls us to love and forgive each other as God loves and
forgives is – unconditionally without any strings. He calls us to never close
the door of our heart to another person, even when another’s heart has been
closed to us. Jesus calls us to be a holy family to one another. We are all
called to be holy families, despite the drama and dysfunction we sometimes find
ourselves mired in; despite the mistakes we inevitably make; despite the hurts
and scars we bear and sometimes inflict. We don’t have to be perfect. We just
can never give up, never stop loving, never stop reaching out.
On
this upcoming feast of the Holy Family, in this season of Christmas, let us
examine the relationships, the families that we are, or once were, part of. Let
us reopen any locked doors in our hearts and take the first step to reach out
across the house, across the miles, across the years, even beyond the grave to
heal any relationships that have been broken.
With
the grace of our loving God in our hearts, we can be that holy family we are
called to be.
……………………………………………………………………………………..
Readers
of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on
Amazon.com:
Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday
Life
Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for
Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry
