Feast of the Holy
Family
Cycle B
December 31, 2017
Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville 4:00pm and 8:00am
Saint
Matthew Parish, Baltimore 11:00am
For Families
Today I
am thinking about families.
I’ve
got some simple recommendations, maybe nothing new. Obviously, Christmas and today’s celebration
in honor of the Holy Family got me going in this direction.
I have
grouped my ideas around one word; let’s call it an acronym. The acronym is the word RELATE – R – E – L – A
– T – E.
And the
letters stand for action words: Respect, Express, Listen, Apologize, Thank, and
Eat – we’ve got to get eating in there!
So, RELATE!
R = Respect
As I
said, the R stands for Respect.
The
idea is to accept one another as we are.
This means that we appreciate mom for the good chocolate chip cookies
that she baked or affirm a middle schooler for his computer skills.
Respect
means that we are sensitive to parents who feel stressed with their jobs or teens
who feel the need to push back on some stuff.
And it means that we do our share of responsibilities around the house,
like cleaning the bathroom or the kitchen.
E = Express
So,
Respect, and then the first E in the word Relate stands for Express.
Here
the word doesn’t mean an express line at the supermarket, but rather, expressing
ourselves to other family members. So, we express our ideas or feelings about
things – maybe about our country’s immigration policies, about something that
happened at school, whatever it is.
We do
this because it lets others in the family know who we are and it creates the
opportunity for closer relationships.
And we do it because we may be enriched by hearing what others have to
say about what we have said.
L = Listen
And that flows right into the next letter: L which stands
for Listen.
Listen to one another.
Really try to take in not just the words, but the passion or excitement
or disappointment that is underneath the words.
It could be your father, your daughter, your brother or
your grandmother. Just give your
attention to them when they are speaking and, by all means, don’t interrupt
them.
A = Apologize
So, Listen, and then the A in the word Relate stands for
Apologize.
This is not rocket science but it may not be not easy. When children have back-talked their parents,
or when a parent makes a sarcastic remark about somebody forgetting to get milk
at the store, we need to apologize.
The funny thing here is that when I say I’m sorry, it
doesn’t diminish me or make me less as a person. It actually makes me a bigger and nobler person.
T = Thank
So, Apologize, and then the T stands for Thank.
Here I am thinking of the importance of thanking God. The idea is to thank God together as a
family, whether there are two or five of us or whatever.
Even though there may be different religious traditions in
the same household, we can still offer a simple prayer or word of thanks for
someone or something. Often it is good
to do this right before having dinner and that takes me to the last letter of
our word.
E = Eat
This second E stands for Eat.
There are a number of studies that demonstrate the value of
families eating dinner together. In
fact, the incidence of certain issues – like teens getting into drinking and
drugs – is significantly less in families that eat dinner together three or
more times a week.
Now this means no texting or TV. Instead, it means that we are using the meal
as a way to be together and value one another, yes, a way to Relate to one
another.
Conclusion
So, RELATE: Respect, Express, Listen, Apologize, Thank, and
Eat.
They are my recommendations. Now, in case you find anything worthwhile
here, you can find a link to this and my other Sunday homilies on my Wednesday Inbox Inspirations.
If you’re not receiving that in your email every Wednesday
morning, the email address for getting it is under my name on the front of the
bulletin – fathermikeinbox@gmail.com.
And, by the way, all of this is free!
