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From the Pastor&
BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
-GANDHI
Remember those "good old days" when families had more leisure time at home? I don't! I remember my Dad working seven days a week in a flour mill -- one week: day, the next week: evenings, and the third week: the midnight shift. My mother washed clothes for eight men (her husband and her sons) on a wringer washer. Diapers were cloth and had to be washed, bleached and hung on a line. Shirts were cotton -- one per person per day, and they had to be ironed. In order to stretch one paycheck in the house, she had to do a lot of baking, gardening and canning. Those days were hardly ideal for large families.
Today is our annual Respect Life Sunday. Respect really begins in the home; not in some program. Parents and spouses are important teacher about the sanctity of life. Parents nurture and instill healthy values in their children. I think that advances are being made in marriages and families. We are more aware of the damage done by alcohol, emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Openness about these subjects allows victims of abuse to get help. We recognize that homes are not always safe and warm places, and that if we want our home to be healthy, it takes a lot of work to change unhealthy and crazy behavior.
If we want a healthy and respectful society, each one of us needs to really work on how we speak and act with those we love . We can chose how we treat one another. Being tired and stressed out are red flags if we are taking it out on our spouse, kids, friends.
As a priest I get two types of mail: complaints and compliments. Like you, I prefer getting the latter. I recently received a long letter from a parishioner in another parish that I served. She began by saying, "Allow me to appreciate you." That touched me, it was a moment of grace. Imagine that happened in families everyday! Challenge yourself to give one word of appreciation to each member of your household everyday. It gives another a positive boost of energy. And if you are looking for things to appreciate, you'll have less time to find things to criticize.
Choose your friends carefully. Didn't our parents teach us that when we were growing up? Your children will watch them and you. Friends are a gift in our lives. If most of your family live out-of-state, it is important to have friends around that can share in your joys and sorrows. We need healthy friends in our lives. Once you find a good friend, it is extremely important to invest time in the friendship. Respecting friendships can help us respect the beauty of human beings.
And we need to pray. Pray each day to your God, your Higher Power. As we stay connected with God, we are more likely to have less fear. What is the right thing to do? What is God's will? Some things are beyond our power to change, but we can always choose how we treat one another. All of us who are adults in this faith community are mentors/teachers for our young. Let's live as people who choose life, by choosing to be respectful. --Father Bill Murtaugh
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