September 6. FIX FAMILIES FIRST. (From BECOMING ECO-FRIENDLY FAMILIES. booklet available from the MARFAM shop.)

“Home is where the heart lies,” a common and comforting saying.  Home speaks of families and ideally a place where all members can feel “at home.”  That may be everyone’s wish but certainly not always the reality.  There are many challenges, due often to the hectic pace of life, financial needs to earn a living, many stresses and strains in the relationships of all types for families and dealing with environmental awareness. However, it is not helpful to go out and try to fix the world’s problems and neglect those in our own home.

Family life is sexual. While this is a source of joy it is also often the cause of problems. In marriage vows a couple commits to faithfulness in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health until death. That applies to all of family life too.  Not all families have major problems, physical or mental, but over time there are often issues that need fixing. Good and open communication within a family, a place for God in the home,  a support system in the church and society,  identifying problems and getting help when needed are ways to begin to fix family problems. This includes physical as well as mental and psychological issues. Medical science is producing amazing results in fighting disease and increasing human lifespans. Mental health is a great concern in our time. Suicide of young and older people is a sign that everything is not going well.  

Fixing families also applies in animals and plants. Reproduction as the most basic aspect of life in all of creation is common to every species. That is according to God’s design in creation and ongoing evolution. This happens naturally and gradually over time but is also manipulated by us humans. We are manipulating our own species but also do so in non-human species so as to improve crop yields and promote specific desirable qualities. This has been practiced throughout history with tremendous benefits for survival, but today there is a growing awareness of the risks of  manipulating species and possibly leading to new diseases and epidemics.     

Reflect, share, act. Scripture:   Jesus said, “ No one puts new wine into old wineskins, if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and be spilled and the skins will be destroyed.  But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins”   Luke 5:33-39.  Pope Francis: The welfare of the family is decisive for the future of the world and the Church.AL38. Parishes, movements, schools and Church institutions can support families to grow. Couples meetings, retreats, expert talks, marriage counselling, social services dealing with addiction, infidelity, domestic violence, spiritual growth, courses for parents, mentor couples and families can offer support and formation. Pastoral care for families has to go out to where people are. AL 229-230.  Challenges to families include lack of support from social structures, individualism, misdirected freedom, fear of commitment and loneliness                                                              

Eco-tip and prayer.  God of love, may the Church and its families grow in awareness of the need to support all the families of creation.