September 10.  Skills building is a common activity in secular life but possibly not taken seriously enough in our spiritual and relational lives.  What skills are needed for a successful marriage and happy family?   Communication in marriage is particularly necessary. Listening and talking, sharing feelings, decision-making as a personal and mutual practical skill, but also deciding to trust, to love, to be responsive and other-centred. Like every other living family unit in nature, the human family too is called upon to develop and grow, as it has to deal with all the current issues such as environmental awareness and climate change.    

Scripture: Jesus said, “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation upon rock and when a flood arose the stream broke against that house and could not shake it. He who does not do this is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.   Luke 6:43-49.    Pope Francis: Trained lay leaders and professionals, especially those with practical experience, help keep pastoral initiatives grounded in the real situations and concrete concerns of families. LS41   Greater investment needs to be made in research aimed at understanding more fully the functioning of ecosystems and analysing modifications of the environment.

ECO-TIP AND PRAYER: Conduct a “carbon footprint” exercise together to discover how we rate on our care for the earth (google for examples) and make adjustments in lifestyle where needed. Pray for commitment to change. End with Glory be to the Father……….