MARFAM WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER 15 OCTOBER 2025
With FAMILIES ON MISSION as MARFAM’s October theme it is clear that mission and missionary work or missionary discipleship are an outgoing call, even a duty, to spread the mission. With the focus for the year of OUR WORLD A FAMILY OF FAMILIES there is also clearly an inward looking aspect. Pope Francis reminded us often that everything is connected, which should ideally begin with a secure foundation.
Pope Leo, picking up the baton in his message for Mission Sunday invites every parish to participate in Mission Sunday celebrations in his meaningful MESSAGE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEwDtbZxt4c
To me that translates into every parishioner i.e. every family member, being called to reach out to support the mission which is to love and care for the poor, those with whom Jesus identified himself most strongly. “Faith and love cannot be separated.”
There is an important focus on missionaries – men and women – who have given up everything to spend their whole lives ministering specifically to the poor. But who are the poor? Not everyone is called to sell everything he has, give the money to the poor and follow Jesus in that way. Many of us experience a degree of poverty at some time in our lives In Dilexi Te 9 Pope Leo writes, “ In fact, there are many forms of poverty: the poverty of those who lack material means of subsistence, the poverty of those who are socially marginalized and lack the means to give voice to their dignity and abilities, moral and spiritual poverty, cultural poverty, the poverty of those who find themselves in a condition of personal or social weakness or fragility, the poverty of those who have no rights, no space, no freedom. He follows up with “Some economic rules have proved effective for growth, but not for integral human development. Wealth has increased, but together with inequality, with the result that ‘new forms of poverty are emerging.’ DT13
Where is the aspect of FAMILY ON MISSION? There are “the poor” who may be individuals, but most often the poor have families too, e.g. mothers with children or maybe abandoned and pregnant. There are alienated lonely men, homeless people, the sick and disabled and young people possibly away from their families but still dependent on them. And naturally there are high numbers of unemployed unable to make a living for themselves. There are also many families with influential members who can play a bigger role in poverty alleviation.
Then there is the important call to all families rich and poor, happy or struggling in their relationships, but all still able to reach out to others, as family to family or to individuals or groups and communities, near and far. Very important is doing so on a human level, face to face, hand to hand, to those who are poor in the many different ways including sick – mental or physical, dying, bereaved. Pope Francis issued the challenge of looking them in the eye, but no doubt seeing eye to eye smacks a little of recognition of equality. .
At this very moment, with the recent developments in Israel-Gaza in mind, definitely the Palestinians in Gaza who are destitute, starving and homeless are extremely poor. At the same time all those who have lost family members in an ultimately fruitless war, Palestinians, Israelis, Jews, Muslims and Christians, soldiers, fighters and hostages killed too, all are physically and psychologically traumatized, too broken in spirit to be able to offer compassionate love and therefore poor themselves.
Not long ago in these MARFAM weekly reflections I shared a story of a Pax Christi International Parenting peace-building initiative. A Jewish and a Palestinian father were both mourning the loss of a daughter killed by “the enemy.” Poverty is extremely multi-faceted and the response called for is human, spiritual, financial, but for us too, to respond as Catholic followers of Jesus. Poverty must be recognized within members of the human family and the whole family of creation as loving the poor includes them all. Accepting type love is the way, not guilt, scoring points and seeking recognition, earning brownie points, or lobbying for a particular cause by doing good.
Am I more willing to care for and support a Palestinian or a Christian family? Am I willing to share from my resources, with a family member or a stranger, a migrant, a criminal, a dirty street beggar , or a delinquent drug-addicted youth? Is it OK or good enough to choose one’s victim? A handout so often doesn’t include a hand. Poverty alleviation can be abstract, can be poor in spirit, or open to the poor and useless in someone’s eyes.
Families suffer through poverty, but can and should also be a powerful resource, looking from the inside out. At the end of his address to the RAISING HOPE LAUDATO SI 10th anniversary conference on 1 October, Pope Leo asked the participants what God would ultimately ask of them, whether they have cared for the creation he gave us, for the benefit of future generations. How have we taken care of our brothers and sisters? He encouraged world leaders to listen to the cry of the earth, to care for all, for families, the poor and migrants.
The Season of Creation is over, COP 30 is on the horizon. LAUDATO Si’s 2 main messages are for us to listen to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. Are they not also intimately connected, making it possible for us as families to build our own relationships through synodal communication? Let us search our hearts, share our thoughts and feelings and grow gradually in our own capacity to love and trust. St Francis discovered the way of love by embracing a leper and spent the rest of his life with the poor and the earth, responding to their cries with love and joy. TR FAMILY WEEKLY 15 OCTOBER. 2025
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
October 15. Jesus’ condemnation. There is a story about a farmer who wanted to give his farm animals a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs as a reward. The hen was quite happy to provide the eggs, but the poor pig sure wasn’t. “You give from excess,” he said, “I give from substance.” Giving to God and the Church demands wisdom, balance and discernment. Wisdom is knowing what is what. Some modern-day churches that demand that their members tithe to them, so as to be in God’s good books may be manipulating people’s commitment for their own benefit and show only little care for the practical needs of their own flock.
Reflect, share, act. Scripture: Woe to you, Pharisees, lawyers also. Luke 11:42-46 Pope Francis: The worship of the ancient golden calf (Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. EG 55 For new models of progress to arise there is a need to change models of global development. This will entail a responsible reflection on the meaning of the economy and its goals with an eye to correcting its malfunctions and misapplications. LS 194. JUBILEE. The need for peace challenges us all, and demands that concrete steps be taken. May diplomacy be tireless in its commitment to seek, with courage and creativity, every opportunity to undertake negotiations aimed at a lasting peace. SNC 8, Act and Pray for the needs of families and our calling to become true missionary disciples. “Missionaries of Hope Among all Peoples”.
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