Joy in the Family Family Day 2018 Sunday, September 23 The purpose of Family Day is to promote and strengthen all families and the parish family. The Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - gives us the strength and graces to know that our family is sacred, especially in the details of our ordinary lives. We are the Body of Christ, the Family of God, but it is often difficult to understand the giftedness and importance of family life without guidance in how to experience and grow in the grace and beauty that God makes available in each family. The enclosed sheets are aids to assist your parish in planning for Family Day: Introduction to Joy in the Family * Liturgical Helps for Family Day Celebration/Suggestion for Prayers of the Faithful Family Blessing* Family Help Handouts/Bulletin Inserts* * These handouts can be copied or downloaded from our website and distributed to parishioners via the parish bulletin and school newsletter, in classrooms and at organizational meetings. Let us know what you are planning! (504) 861-6247 with your plans for Family Day or to learn more about how to enrich your Family Day celebration!
Joy in the Family Family Day: September 23, 2018 Pope Francis calls us to live out the joy of the gospel, particularly in the real context of family. However, every family experiences deep suffering to some degree, and the stress of earthly demands. Some have tragically lost a loved one, some have lost a job, some are on the verge of divorce, and many, if not all, are struggling to parent their children and live in communion with their spouses. Regardless of the type or degree of suffering and responsibilities, each has its own capacity to bring about and manifest true joy in the world. There are many moments of joy and happiness that families experience, but we rarely hold them up as focal points and witnesses of what is at the heart of human life, especially Christian life, nor do we often give guidance as to how to cultivate that joy as foundational for daily living. This year s Family Day Packet points us toward the call to embrace joy in the family. It is our hope to give families the encouragement to embrace joy in the midst of the difficulties and responsibilities they all face. In it you ll find liturgy suggestions and homily points for Mass on Sunday, September 23, as well as a bulletin insert with a reflection and practical helps for families.
Homily Suggestions and Intercessions for Family Day, Sunday, September 23, 2018 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 let us put the just one to the test, that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Parents are constantly tested. They are tested by the ever changing demands of their kids and their spouses, as well as the thousands of factors that define their stability and yet refuse to remain stable. In this reading we see that in order to endure and thrive during these times of testing, gentleness and patience are necessary. A lack of gentleness can lead to misunderstandings, anger, discouragement, and harm to those who depend most on our compassion. So how can we cultivate gentleness? We must have patience. When we are patient with the things that test us, we are less likely to fall into self-preservation and strike out against those who seem to demand more of us than we can justly give. However, it usually feels impossible that we could have more patience than we currently do (just like with physical strength or endurance). But, God promises that He can handle all of our trials and that He will give us the ability to do so through Him: I can do all things in him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). We usually get caught thinking that this means God will do the heavy lifting for us, and the trial won t be so hard. However, God didn t promise to take away suffering, but to give us the strength we need to remain joyful and compassionate in the midst of it. Our prayer, then, should reflect a trust in God to give us a level of strength and patience that we may not be able to picture but that we know He is capable of providing. So, instead of God changing our circumstances all of the time, we give Him permission to change us. The Catechism points out that marriage helps to overcome self-absorption, egoism, pursuit of one s own pleasure, and to open oneself to the other, to mutual aid and to self-giving (CCC 1609). It is in these times of testing that we may simply say to God, Lord, give me the patience in this moment to love as I ought, and that my thoughts and actions may be gentle and not cause me to turn from you. Amen. Psalm 54:3-4, 5, 6, 8 The Lord upholds my life Sometimes we can easily feel alone in the struggle of being a parent and spouse and forget that God is always in our midst. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that He is present and desires to fulfill our deepest longings, especially in regards to our spouse and children. Let us make the
psalmist s prayer our own and cry out to God, trusting that He wants to answer this prayer before we even offer it, and as an act of faith, recall that it truly is the Lord who upholds my life in the midst of the complications and sufferings that only He fully understands. Once we begin to escape the downward spiral of lonely victimhood, we can experience the deep joy of the gift of our marriage and family. Second Reading: James 3:16 4:3 You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions Married people and parents usually find it almost impossible to find time for daily prayer. If we re able to be honest with ourselves, this is usually because prayer is extremely difficult. We have so many earthly responsibilities, needs, and concerns, and prayer (and God, Himself) seems so spiritual, so disconnected from the reality of those things, and therefore disconnected from us. One of the reasons for this disconnect and lack of desire to pray is that, ultimately, we want God to free us from the demands and disappointments that are ever present in our lives, and, deep down, we want to be freed from the restraints to follow our passions wherever they might lead us. So, the mere fact that we know God won t answer those prayers often keeps us from coming to Him at all, and if we do, it s not a very fruitful experience. A helpful first step can be to just pray for the grace of gratitude, first and most importantly for our spouses and children, and then for all the comforts and pleasures we are provided on a daily basis. We know we should be grateful for these things, but we can get so caught up in the pain and what we re lacking in our daily lives that we become blind to the awesome treasures we are given every day. This is a natural tendency, but God can help us with this! Once gratitude begins to grow, the things we ask for and the way we approach the giver will change and be a much more peaceful, fruitful experience. Gospel: Mark 9:30-37 Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me. Receiving our children is more than just bringing them into the world and our homes. If we are honest with ourselves, there are many times when we fail to truly receive our children. Receiving a child is continuing to entering into life with them through each stage and being able to love them through the struggle of each of those stages. Parenting requires perseverance in prayer and patience through humility, otherwise, instead of having the grace to focus our energy on our children s well-being and recognizing the gift that they are, we will fall into selfpreservation and discouragement in the face of our unmet expectations of them and their demands on us. God created us in such a way that we only find our fulfillment, our joy, in the total gift of ourselves to another, which is what parenthood provides the perfect opportunity to do. And, not only are we created to enjoy happiness through this, God promises to meet us in that self-giving relationship through a very real encounter with His Son, Jesus: Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me. Let us depend upon His help and His very presence that we may truly receive our children today and every day of their lives.
Prayers of Intercession: 1. For all families, that they may allow Christ to become the center of the home, so that husbands, wives, and children may be transformed in His love. 2. For all parents, that they may be led by the Holy Spirit to be given the grace to overcome times of trial by resisting with patience and love. 3. For all married couples, that they may be united in the experience God s providence and mercy. 4. For all families who are suffering because of brokenness or loss, that they may receive the comfort, strength, and healing promised by Christ.
Family Blessing We bless your name, O Lord, for sending your own incarnate Son to become part of a family, so that, as he lived within its sufferings and its joys, he would be present and provide newness of life to all families. We ask you, Lord, to protect and watch over these families, so that in the strength of your grace and in the depth of your mercy their members may enjoy prosperity, possess the priceless gift of your peace, and as the Church alive in the home, bear witness in this world to your glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen [adapted from the Book of Blessings]
Celebrating Family Day as a Parish Family At Sunday Mass: o Homily focused on family (suggestions included in packet) o Prayers of the Faithful (suggestions included in packet) o Blessing of Families at the end (example included in packet) o Have families involved in liturgical ministry together (lectors, servers, gift bearers, ushers) o Announcements specifically about marriage and family programming available at the parish (include those for enriching families and those to provide healing for broken families). o Highlight landmark marriage anniversaries at all Masses. With a parish event between or after Masses on Sunday: o Food: Picnic, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, chili cook-off o Activities: games for kids, bounce houses, family competitions (relay races, etc.) for prizes, Bingo, karaoke, horseback riding, raffles, Face painting, crafts o Booths for marriage and family ministries, programs in the parish for those who are interested. Helpful materials: o Articles in the parish bulletin and on the website focused on marriage and family either the week before or the week after. o Utilize bulletin insert (included) not only in the bulletin, but in online resources and with other forms of communication such as in the folders of Catholic school and PSR students. Please let us know what parish plans for Family Day 2018 by emailing mfl@arch-no.org or by calling (504) 861-6243. Additionally, remember to share photos of your events in your parish bulletin, on your website and through social media. If you share your photos on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, use #NOLACatholicFamilyDay18 to share the good news!