Women of Faith:
My reflection today intends to share with you more
of what we heard at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia already several
weeks ago. The excerpt below is taken from a Family Life Today reflection and is
a somewhat obvious (while not spoken about with enough frequency) summary of
some of the problems we are facing as a country today. I conclude with some of
the solutions and suggestions that were proposed to those of us in attendance at
the WMOF in the hope that each of you will reflect and take the time to act and
move forward with a renewed sense of purpose in your Christian faith.‘TITLED: “A NEW LEGACY”
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Joshua 1:8
As a people, we are healthier but not happier. We are drenched in knowledge but parched for wisdom. Materially we are wealthy, but we suffer a profound poverty of the soul. The longer I live, the more I see that our nation needs a spiritual reformation in its inner spirit.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the state of the family. The biblical values that built our great nation--once passed on from each generation to the next as a national treasure--are being questioned and dismissed. As a result, never before have we seen such deterioration in our homes:
Never before have so many children grown up in broken homes.
Never before has the definition of marriage been altered to allow for two people of the same sex.
Never before has the marriage covenant been viewed with such contempt by a generation of young people.
Never before have parents been ridiculed for seeking to raise children with biblical values.
Never before have so many Christians laughed, shrugged their shoulders or did nothing about adultery, divorce and sin.
Never before has materialism been so flagrantly embraced over relationships.”
Never before has the family been in such need of a new legacy.
The pivotal national issue today is not crime; neither is it welfare, health care, education, politics, the economy, the media or the environment. The pivotal issue today is the spiritual and moral condition of individual men and women, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and families.
Nations are never changed until people are changed. The true hope for genuine change in the heart lies only in the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. Through Him, lives can be rebuilt. Through Him, families can be reformed.” (Excerpt from Moments with You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
I
read a biblical reflection the other day that talked about a great battle
within the early Church. One that was being lost, because just like now the
Christians were divided against themselves – more worried about who was right
and who was wrong then about building up a unified kingdom for God.
WHERE
have all the Christians gone? WHERE AM I in forming a legacy for Christ – in my
home, in my church, in my community and most importantly amongst those of you I
call my friends and family?
I pulled three key thoughts from my WMOF notes:
The
first is this: We no longer talk about the effects of sin or evil - hell. We
don’t even talk about the earthly consequences of our selfish searches for
happiness which run rough shod over others feelings, which are creating
divisions in relationships and ultimately that are the result of the fall of
others because our failure to lead by the truth influences and teaches others to
believe that we deserve happiness and if “everyone else is doing it” it must be
right. This in turn perpetuates the sin and evil doing.
As
a Christian I need to remember that it is not only my goal to get to heaven,
but it should also be my goal to HELP OTHERS get to heaven—most importantly
starting with my own family.
From another
reflection: “Jesus is not the cause of,
but the answer to, all of our problems. The cause comes from the values of the
world, from the evil one, and from our own weaknesses.
"The modern Christian family is often
tempted to be discouraged and is distressed at the growth of its difficulties;
it is an eminent form of love to give it back its reasons for confidence in
itself, in the riches that it possesses by nature and grace, and in the mission
that God has entrusted to it. Yes, indeed, the families of today must be called
back to their original position [the foundation of society, the domestic
church]. They must follow Christ. It is through the cross that the family can
attain the fullness of being and the perfection of its love." USCCB Daily Reflections
Secondly:
We fail to continue to search for a greater understanding of the truth. We
think we know it all because we have our own “personal” relationship with Jesus
Christ. We hold back when we are asked to share our Christianity and are
intimidated and made to feel like we are judging someone when we offer a
suggestion for change or improvement of a moral lifestyle—even though God says
we are to do exactly that: “All scripture is
inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and
for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good
work.” 2Tim 3:16-17
And
thirdly: Being good, living as a Christian isn’t enough. We need to boldly proclaim the Truth. We need to respect the
Church and we need to form a unity between all Christians.
“In conclusion,
just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one
righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the
disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience
of the one the many will be made righteous. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that,
as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 5: 17-21
Heavenly Father: Please help me to be a
better listener and a better example. I pray also that I will be unafraid so
that when you place it on my heart to do so I will be ready to boldly proclaim
the truth and to stand up for you. Because where sin increased, grace
overflowed all the more. Amen.
Seek Him, Hear Him, Live for Him and
Proclaim Him to all,
Blessings,
Charlotte
