So, I feel really stupid now for not realizing this was a repeat homily, but I hope you at least had an entertaining time reading my ridiculous recounting of Fr. Baker's repeat homily.
Anyway, the first reading yesterday, from Joshua, did get me thinking about family and the importance of family in the Catholic Church.
Joshua doesn't say, "Everybody choose a God. I, of course, choose the real God." He says, "As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord."
I actually grew up with that phrase from Joshua implanted firmly in my head, because my grandmother actually has it embroidered in a frame on her dining room wall.
It's not just a personal promise to Christ. It's a promise of a family commitment to Christ.
A lot of people have told me over the years, "Oh, you're just Catholic because your parents are."
In part, of course, that's true. My parents raised me Catholic, so it's not exactly like I just stumbled across it and decided it was awesome on my own. My mom is actually a convert, as are a lot of my family members, but I'm not. I inherited Catholicism.
There are reasons I remain Catholic other than my family, but what bothers me most is not the assumption that I am completely blind about my faith; it is the insinuation that family ties are not an important part of religion.
See, the thing is, Catholicism is all about family.
God didn't just tell individual people, "I love you. Follow me." He chose Abraham, and told him that his descendants, his family, would be a chosen people. Already, in accepting this tradition of faith, we are accepting a family tradition.
Then, Jesus came, and He told us about the Trinity. God is a family in and of Himself. He is Father and Son and Spirit of Love between the two. He could have chosen any names to tell us in order to describe the relationship of the Divine Persons. He chose, though, to describe Himself as a family.
And, don't forget that Christ could have come as a warrior on horseback, but instead, He chose to become part of The Holy Family.
Then, Christ establishes His Church, which is His bride. St. Paul tells us that Christ's relationship with the Church should be the model for all marriages, and thus for all families.
God calls us His children. Christ calls Himself our Brother.
Throughout the Bible, religion is described in terms of family.
So, in the Catholic Church, we become one family, one house.
We worship together in one house, praying as a family, and we eat together, as a family would eat meals together.
Of course, people abandon their families. Some members of the Church leave, and we let them leave, following Christ's example in yesterday's Gospel and in His story of the prodigal son.
Also, new people join families. Not everyone is born into the family. We have converts, and we welcome new members of our family just as Christ said that those who believed in Him were His brothers and mother.
As a family, we teach our children family traditions, and we celebrate milestones in life together.
The Catholic Church has passed down Tradition and Truth throughout the ages, as a family passes down heirlooms. Only by joining with Christ as His Bride and Body, becoming part of God's family and accepting His Love, The Spirit, has the Church been able to maintain the Truth this long.
The model of the faithful Catholic family does not prevent true understanding of the Faith - it enhances it. The true Catholic family models Christ's love for the Church, so that children can come to understand the true meaning of Christ's love at an early age.
So, when a Protestant tells you that you should find your own faith and ignore what your family has taught you, remind them that Christianity is about following the way of God, the perfect family, and that being part of a Christian family is the surest way to learn how to imitate God's love.
I'm praying for you!
:)
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