Our lives begin truly with the birth
of a child. They seem to completely
change our perspective on life and ground us in reality. We start to see our service to them as a
needed and wanted sacrifice. It is here
that we find that rare gift of unconditional love that only time can caress and
measure. We teach our children to
present themselves in the greatest light and by coming to Him in worship and
following in his path; they become what they were meant to be, by His choice
and their given talents.
The road we travel and the road we
seek for others is a road than can diverge into so many directions. It can take us off the beaten path to a
wonderful, spiritual place or it can take us away from ourselves and away from our
destiny. During our lifetime, we make
choices and hopefully, the right ones.
We learn from our mistakes and wish only the best for our children. But life is seldom a straight line, often seen
as crooked and wavering as time makes of it.
We can only guide them and hope that they come to the realization that
through God anything is possible.
His light is a beacon by which we measure our successes and failures. He waits for us as we awaited the arrival of our firstborn, in empathy and understanding that we are human and as such, are fallible and subject to the environment we choose to exist in. Blessed Pope John Paul II once said, “The family, more than any other human reality, is the place in which the person is loved for himself and in which he learns to live the sincere gift of self”.
By a seemingly endless practice of devotion and love, to God and to one another, we come closer to the design He has in store for us as followers and children of Christ. We depend on that love to remove doubt and uncertainty in times of trial and triumph. The answers we seek are there; if we are only brave enough to look through ourselves. It brings to mind those famous last words, “Do as I say and not as I do”. And surprisingly, this is often the answer to many an argument we have with our kids.
Though self-reflection, through prayer and supplication, through love and through life we come together. We are part of a much bigger picture, a part of a much larger family. The universe is so vast but wonderfully contains only one Holy Family. Let us follow the flame that burns so brightly to guide our way. We come through the circle of life and back to where we all began, tracing our eternal beginnings and our existence…through the everlasting candlelight.
May God keep our families together and bring us closer to the Holy Family. Celebrate our children and their time with us. May He, mother Mary and father Joseph, be always at our side and may His peace be with you, always.