Families are being pulled in many different directions these days. It seems as though there is not much time to spend together with each other as a family. Couple that with the fact that family values just do not exist any more in main stream media outlets like television and movies, it has become incredibly difficult to make families a priority.
Our culture, our very society is being torn apart and at the heart of the dismantling of our society is an attack on families. Lent provides an awesome opportunity to renew the family. In renewing and rebuilding the family, we will renew and rebuild the Church, and society.
Allow me to digress for a moment...Many people think that the story of Noah’s Ark in the bible is all about saving the animals from the destruction of humanity. What is the story of Noah’s Ark really about? It’s about God calling on the family to renew and rebuild the earth—Noah, his wife, and their sons.
We are in need of a renewal. Our society needs to be rebuilt and renewed. Who is God going to call on this time? The same people that he used in the story of Noah—the family.
Take time this Lent to look seriously at your family. Do you truly make family a priority? Do you spend time with your children and spouse without the distractions of the television, internet, or any other electronic device? Do you talk to your children or spouse? I mean really talk to them—not just asking what’s for dinner or what they did at school, but how they feel, what they struggle with, what brings them joy?
Being a father of five, I understand how difficult it is to carve time out of our busy schedules to make family a priority. But I also understand how important families are. The Church also understands the importance of family. Blessed John Paul II said “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live”. If the family continues to deteriorate and move down the path that it is currently on, then the nation and world will deteriorate and continue down that same path.
So, what can you do? The first thing is to rearrange priorities if necessary. Here’s how I try to arrange my priorities (I’m not always successful, but I try):
1. My relationship with God
2. My relationship with my spouse
3. My relationship with my children
4. Everything else.
Like I said, this is not easy. But it is necessary. Christ didn't come into the world to make it easy. He never said that carrying the crosses we are to bear would be easy. But he does give us the wisdom, understanding, and courage to do what he calls us to do. The Holy Spirit will guide any family that opens their hearts to the will of the Father.
Lent is a time for renewal of the family. Pray with your children. Pray with your spouse. And be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your families to bring about that renewal that is necessary in our society. We, as families, are called to do today what Noah and his family did centuries ago.