The reading for today, Friday, October 23rd, is from Ephesians 4: 1-6 and, it brings to mind the talk from Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers on day one of our conference.
Deacon Harold was talking about marriage, and particularly the incredible stresses put on the family during the Covid pandemic. People are worried about jobs, their kids’ schooling and so much more. And in addition to the stress of the pandemic, people are stressed and angry about politics and the state of our country.
With all this worry and stress, there has been a rise in abuse, addiction, pornography, depression and suicide.
How are we to cope and respond?
Paul give us an answer in Ephesians 4: 1-6
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
Deacon Harold says we are to look to the Holy Family as a model of sacramental family love.
Does the Holy Family have anything to say to us? After all, we are talking about St. Joseph, our Blessed Mother, and God Himself. How can we, mere mortals, relate to that?
Watch this clip from the conference to see what Deacon Harold had to say.
The Holy Family was not spared the hardships of the reality of family life. “Marriage is hard, but if you cooperate with the grace of God, He will get you through the difficulties.” The Holy Family got through their hardships because of their “unconditional trust in God’s love and mercy. And that is exactly what we need to do to get through this difficult time.”
Deacon Harold was not able to bring his books to the conference. You can find all of his books on the bottom of his home page or call Divine Treasures Catholic Books and Gifts in Des Moines. 515-255-5230.