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Week 3: Family - Who's in charge anyway?!Sometimes we want to be the “boss” and sometimes we need to be “led.” Just as children look to their parents for direction and guidance – we, as parents, need to look to the church for guidance and direction. We all have authority figures in our life. We may not always agree with that authority, but should understand that the person in authority only wants what is best for us -no matter how young or old we are!
1. Reflection
Parents: Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 29:2 - "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."
Children: Colossians 3:20 - "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
NEXT STRONG EVENT: Wednesday, May 22 at 6:45 p.m., Sports Field (Rain will cancel the event.)
Enjoy friendly conversations and exciting games with other parish families!
2. Note from Father Roberts
Earlier this month I had the chance to celebrate a nuptial Mass at Sacred Heart in Indianapolis. The building is an absolute gem with soaring arches, more than life-sized statues everywhere and stained glass windows in mint condition. The bride that day was beautiful, the groom handsome, knights were serving the Mass and many guests were present.
The second reading introduced an apparent blemish into an otherwise immaculate ceremony. When the reader began the reading with the words, "be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ," I braced myself for what was coming next. "Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord." As I surveyed the congregation, it was impossible not to notice the grimaces, uneasy shifting in pews and sarcastic glances exchanged. These externals manifested what was going through the minds of some of those present, "It is because of this kind of thing that I only go to Mass for holidays, weddings and funerals."
Then I rose to proclaim the Gospel in which Jesus condemns divorce. "Even better," I said to myself, "now the women and the divorced people in the congregation feel alienated."
I decided to address their concerns directly. "Many of us here feel as if the second reading and Gospel at today's Mass are relics from a backward age. In point of fact, these two readings give witness to how Christianity changed the world for the better." From there, I went on to explain that in Jesus' time a man's arbitrary power over his wife, which included the right to divorce her for almost any reason, reduced women to little more than slaves of their husbands. When Saint Paul held Christ's sacrificial love for the Church up as the model for the love of a husband for a wife, he did so in order to raise up the status of women, not lower it.
In the pre-Christian Greco-Roman world a man in his early thirties typically married a girl in her early teens. This age disparity made sense for a vision of marriage wherein the wife was basically a servant who bore legal heirs for her husband. Christians, however, preferred that married couples were more or less the same age because they saw both parties as partners called to image Christ's relationship with the Church through mutual submission. Far from being backward when it came to the status of women, early Christianity was revolutionary.
Sometimes when God and even others speak to us we hear what they say but fail to understand what they mean. If we have chip on our shoulder we can even interpret what is said in a way that is exactly the opposite of the intent of the speaker! This week of STRONG encourages us to reflect on authority in the family, which is all about learning to listen, first to God, then to each other.
5. Inspirational Stories3. Family Activity
A quick discussion: What is my role in life? What does that look like on a daily basis? Who are the rightful authorities in my life?
4. Songs for downloading
Lead Me - Sanctus Real, Download it
I want to be just like you - Philips, Craig & Dean, Download it
Selecting to download will redirect you to an iTunes preview page for the artist and album the song is from. You can select to purchase the song or entire album for your family.
A Parent's Love Poem
I gave you life, but cannot live it for you.
I can teach you things, but I cannot make you learn.
I can give you directions, but I cannot be there to lead you.
I can allow you freedom, but I cannot account for it.
I can take you to church, but I cannot make you believe.
I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot always decide for you.
I can buy you beautiful clothes, but I cannot make you beautiful inside.
I can offer you advice, but I cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you respect, but I cannot force you to show honor.
I can advise you about friends, but cannot choose them for you.
I can advise you about sex, but I cannot make you pure.
I can tell you the facts of life, but I can’t build your reputation.
I can tell you about drinking, but I can’t say “no” for you.
I can warn you about drugs, but I can’t prevent you from using them.
I can tell you about lofty goals, but I can’t achieve them for you.
I can teach you about kindness, but I can’t force you to be gracious.
I can warn you about sins, but I cannot make you moral.
I can love you as a child, but I cannot place you in God’s family.
I can pray for you, but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can teach you about Jesus, but I cannot make Jesus your Lord.
I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life.
I can love you with unconditional love all of my life ... and I will!
Inspirational Video - The story behind the song, "Lead Me." Watch on YouTube