MARFAM WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER 8 OCTOBER 2025
The 2025 SEASON OF CREATION with its theme PEACE WITH CREATION has been a busy and challenging time for those of us involved with Laudato Si in particular. For me, personally, a highlight was musical, being part of the combined choirs from Johannesburg and Cape Town in performing Mendelssohn’s ELIJAH. This Old Testament prophet was dealing with a climate situation 3000 years ago. His story, in the 1st book of Kings, uses own personal journey with God in the context of drought, fire, flood, false prophets, repentance and conversion of the Jewish people. Can’t it be said that history repeats itself? From the often magnificent 2 hours of music the short piece that still sticks in my head is, “the infant children ask for bread, and there is no one, no one breaketh it to feed them.” (I Kings 17:7) Climate related poverty is certainly as old as the hills and although we have learned so much and should have the means to eliminate poverty, it still exists today. As in the Biblical story the human refusal to listen and follow God’s way is equally relevant today. However in our secular era, the God dimension is hardly mentioned in public.
For the Christian churches that commemorate the Season of Creation it was a special time. Did we do enough to promote the interreligious focus around the world? At the Raising Hope Conference in Rome, organized by the Laudato Si Movement, there were speakers from other faiths too. Valuable conference session reports can be watched on YouTube. It is wonderful that Pope Leo’s October prayer message is also calling for collaboration between different faith traditions for peace and fraternity. See the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JNhQzzisOQ
In our world today, and even in our communities closer to home this interreligious collaboration can be an important way forward towards Peace with Creation. On 7 October, the feastday of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Jewish people commemorated the brutal attack by Hamas two years ago that killed many, took hostages and led to an equally brutal war. The so-called Gaza war has very dramatic religious aspects that are felt all over the world and seen in pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic protests. But is it really about religion or about politics, land and power that wars are fought? Nevertheless, interreligious dialogue is becoming an important resource which was already promoted very strongly by Pope Francis.
Family life is a common experience for all peoples of every religion, although it can differ quite widely. Families do have members of different religions, which can cause division, but the positive ideals and the experiences of intimacy, conflict management and resolution, learning about generosity and honesty, communication and life skills, which should be taught and lived there, are valuable tools for building peace and harmony. It is well known that this is not always the reality, but families can and should still remain a positive way toward a harmonious society, which is a social, religious and spiritual goal too.
However there are many simple ways for all people to collaborate with one another for “the common good” and protection of the environment in the area of climate change.
Becoming eco-friendly families is helpful for family growth in ecological awareness and also in family spirituality. Praying with the synodal dialogue approach, listening and sharing our experience of wonder and awe in moments of grandeur and of joy, also in the tiniest of creatures, open us to God. Activities like saving electricity and water, recycling, planting trees and food gardens, caring for the poor and migrants, i.e. all the activities in Caring for Creation are good for the family and for the earth. Focusing on building bridges with other religions and maybe striving to overcome some of our prejudices towards them can be an added interest during this Mission month.
There’s another song going around in my head. “When will we ever learn, when will they ever learn, tra la!” Is it a sad irony that the current warring factions, in Europe and the Middle East at least, are descendants of the prophet Elijah and his God. After their experiences of the fire, drought and the rushing waters his followers rejoiced and sang aloud, “Lord our Creator, how excellent Thy name is in all the nations.” Proclaiming that is also our Mission this October. With Mary we can pray the Rosary for peace, in our homes, prayer and action groups and churches, while we add with hope and joy, “Laudato Si’” – Praise God. TR 8 October 2025
MARFAM Current publications on Becoming Eco-Friendly Families, climate change and also the booklet AN HOUR OF PRAYER – THE ROSARY FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE are available from us. Email [email protected]
OCTOBER FAMILY THEME : FAMILIES ON MISSION.
Every family of any kind, human, plant or animal has a role to play to sustain our world, as a family of families. As the human family, we have the power to deliberately choose our sense of mission. During 2025 we accept our mission to journey as Pilgrims of Hope. We cannot afford selfish greed, or hurtful violence, but are called to adopt God’s mission of love, love of creation, all its creatures and the poor. St Francis, the patron saint of ecology is our inspiration on our mission. Pope Francis: The family is an agent of pastoral activity through the explicit proclamation of the Gospel, their witness, solidarity with the poor, openness to diversity of people, protection of creation, moral and material solidarity with other families and commitment to the common good. AL 290 Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to life and happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. We cannot fail to consider the effects on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and a throwaway culture. LS 43. Jubilee. May the witness of believers be for our world a leaven of authentic hope, a harbinger of new heavens and a new earth (cf. 2 Pet 3:13), where men and women will dwell in justice and harmony, in joyful expectation of the fulfilment of the Lord’s promises. SNC 24
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 8 OCTOBER
October 8. Mrs Paulson had been part of a group contributing to a soup kitchen for some time for people coming to their parish once a week. Sometimes their children helped out too. Prudence suggested, “Why don’t we go together to visit St Therese, our twin parish, to see how they are able to cater for the many people that come to them. Maybe we can learn and contribute something there as a family.“ George commented, “I wonder if we did that the children there would believe that God was giving them their daily bread.”
Reflect, share, act. Scripture: ”When you pray say, “Our Father, give us today our daily bread.” Luke 11:1-4. Pope Francis. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful so we are called to be merciful to each other. MV9, Someone in the past advanced, that, namely, the prayer of request is a weak form of faith, whereas the most genuine prayer is pure praise, that which seeks God without the weight of a request. No, this isn’t true. The prayer of request is genuine, is spontaneous, it’s an act of faith in God who is the Father, who is good, who is Almighty. It’s an act of faith within me, who am little, a sinner, needy. And, therefore, a prayer to ask for something is very noble. God is the Father who has immense compassion for us and wants His children to speak to Him without fear, directly, calling Him “Father. JUBILEE Let us listen once more to the words of the Apostle: “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39). Saint Augustine observes: “Whatever our state of life, we cannot live without these three dispositions of the soul, namely, to believe, to hope and to love”. [1] SNC3, Act and Pray for the needs of families and our calling to become true missionary disciples.
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