Parish Life - Family Life Committee

This week, as we continue surveying the pastoral landscape, we focus on our Family Life Committee.  This committee is concerned with the formation of a sense of family in all parish functions and activities, but it has its own particular focuses as well.  As you look through the pamphlet for this particular committee, you will notice things that would be a part of any parish family life committee, and then there are things that are particular to our parish either because of a particular focus or need.

Hospitality is something that too many of us overlook when it comes to our life of faith.  And yet, if someone came to your home, would you not welcome them in?  I so often hear from people, “I came to church to pray! I shouldn’t have to say ‘hi’ to people too!”  or, “People should know why they’re coming to church. They shouldn’t have to be held by the hand and welcomed in!”  Both of these attitudes betray a lack of understanding about who we are called to be as church.  They also betray a lack of understanding about the human person.

So, you will see in all our family life activities an effort to connect: we connect with one another; we connect with those preparing for marriage and who are married; we connect with our homebound; we connect with our college students; we even connect with our deceased who absolutely depend on our attention and charity when they find themselves in need of further cleansing (purgatory) before entering into the fullness of God’s presence.

As I said in my homily last week: we are a family – God’s family.  And so, let us step up our game in becoming a family that speaks of God’s presence by our real and active love for one another; a love which is fruitful, and a love which draws others into our family – the family of God.

Next week we will celebrate Catechetical Sunday and discuss what catechesis and evangelization looks like in our parish family.