MARFAM FAMILY WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER. 2025   

MARFAM’s last publication for 2024 was a booklet for Advent and Christmas, FAMILY IN CREATION, HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. it contained the CHILDREN’S PEACE PILGRIMAGE reflections, also a focus in 2023, and in the context of the Israeli-Hamas war, which has carried on for another whole year, but hopefully with a ceasefire almost a reality.  As we go into the 2025 Jubilee year  HOPE has become a focal theme of the Church’s public vision. As a matter of interest our 2005 Advent booklet was named WHERE ARE YOU GOING PILGRIM FRIEND?  The poem from that booklet was recently republished here. But Hope has been a “virtue,” one of three theological virtues in the Church since St Paul and probably even earlier as the Jews were waiting “in hope” for a Messiah. One may think they were sitting and waiting patiently for God to save them,  but in reality, life was the same as in 2025,  when we have to consider ourselves guilty of the devastation in creation largely due to our human activity in the last few hundred years.   The Old Testament story is a cycle of sin, prophetic voices, repentance and salvation which repeated itself over and over. They fought wars, attacked and were attacked, burned and pillaged cities as other did to them and were taken into exile.   Their faith and their hope rested on their God.  Does that still apply today?   

Today the Jewish people and every other people should take to heart the messages of the prophets of today, reading the signs of the times once again.  Pope Francis is possibly the most vocal of today’s prophets and there are others, although most world leaders of today cannot be considered true prophets calling for justice and repentance. Sin and evil are found in our human interactions and our relationship with God, but very much so in our relationship with God’s creation, as evidenced in the effects of climate change.

When major wars break out they capture the news for a time, show horrific images of human destruction as in Ukraine and Gaza. These reports saturated our western-focused media but more people have died in other less well publicized wars in Africa, Asia and central and south America. Nothing  has captured the news as much in the last week as the apocalyptic images of the Los Angeles wildfires. Is it because this is the home of Hollywood, the world’s film capital.  With his usual sharp insight Zapiro’s cartoon posted this week declares, “We should have made more movies about climate change.”  We should have, been taking it much more seriously.   Who is responsible and how is climate change to blame? Many explanations note contributing factors, but these fires are not essentially man-made. The wind – God’s creation, St Francis’ “Brother Wind” is a primary cause at present. Wind, with Brother Fire and Sister Water, the three elements of nature, are battling it out. Did this happen in St Francis’ day in their small-scale wars and in the Old Testament as the Israelites formed themselves into a nation under God?.

In my MARFAM reflections on the Canticle of the Creatures where St Francis praises God for the elements I have been asking myself does this still ring true.  

“Praised be you my lord, through Brother Wind and through the air, cloudy and serene and every kind of weather, through whom you give sustenance to your creatures.    Be praised through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste, ……through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong”.

Are these magnificent elements corrupted and damaged by our human activity and should we plead guilty and ask for forgiveness for the harm to creation?   Floods, fire, and wind storms are more and more common today. On a global level it is hard to accept personal blame. But fire is certainly a hazard not taken seriously enough as we well know in our own country. Loss of life and burn injuries cause tremendous suffering, not to mention the psychological and emotional suffering of total loss of homes and belongings and the sense of hopelessness at financial losses. Multiply our mostly smaller losses by hundreds of thousands and one gets an idea what is happening in Los Angeles.    

What can our response be, as eco-friendly families?  Care for others in need, as well as heightened responsibility for our own wellbeing   Pope Francis in the Jubilee 2025 document includes a section on Signs of Hope.  He notes where hope exists and good things are happening and secondly the need for us to create Signs of Hope by our awareness of needs and our mitigating actions.  Laudato Si his 2015 encyclical covers the same ground.  The Laudato Si Movement is celebrating its 10th anniversary too.  Its focus is specifically Catholic and it has some hundreds of associates and thousands of members of different kinds and levels of commitment to the goals. We, a small SA LS Chapter with a small number of animators and members of the Laudato Si Action Platform have much work to do on all levels, in all places, work,  school and home.  Is it our task to restore the beauty of creation, of water, fire and wind?  Let those be our Signs of Hope, whatever actions we choose. MARFAM’S 2025 FAMILY JUBILEE YEAR PLANNER – OUR WORLD A FAMILY OF FAMILIES can be a helpful resource for families, groups and parishes for reflection, faith sharing and action for creation in becoming ECO-FRIENDLY FAMILIES. There the themes are integrated. To download the calendar and supporting documents go to https://marfam.org.za/2025-family-year-planner/  TR  FAMILY WEEKLY

     

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY. JANUARY 15   

15 January.  Why do mothers-in-law have such a bad reputation?   The group of women decided that talking it through with daughters-in-law would be a good start in resolving some of this negative attitude.  “Maybe we are to blame, or maybe it is the young ones who want greater independence and feel threatened. Most likely both sides are responsible in a way. Let’s give it a try this year for a start.”  

Reflect, share.  Scripture:   Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever and immediately they told him of her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up and the fever left her and she served them. Mark 1:29-39.

Pope Francis.  The larger family includes in-laws and all the relatives of the couple. One particularly delicate aspect of love is learning not to view these as competitors, threats or intruders. AL198   JUBILEE During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope.  The elderly, who frequently feel lonely and abandoned, also deserve signs of hope. Esteem for the treasure that they are, their life experiences, their accumulated wisdom and the contribution that they can still make, is incumbent on the Christian community and civil society, which are called to cooperate in strengthening the covenant between generations. Jubilee 2025. 14. Pray: for openness to building loving relationships in the Church and the world.   Choose appropriate action.