Spiritual Reflection - We Are Family
As the official Year of the Family comes to an end on 26 June we are reminded by Pope Francis that in fact, “The family is an adventure, a beautiful adventure!”
For better or for worse, our experience of family has shaped each of us, providing us with a lens upon the world in which we live. At times our lens is crystal clear providing us a solid vision through which our experience of family has allowed us to flourish. At other times this lens is obscured providing a fragmented world view when our experience of family has fallen short. The ‘adventure’ that Pope Francis refers to includes both the highs and the lows and is reflected through the Paschal Mystery - the anticipation, uncertainty, agonising anxiety and depths of utter despair through to the triumphant rising and endless hope.
Many of our most transformative experiences of family shape who we are, often not during the highs and lows but rather through the ‘ordinary’ daily rituals that we live out. The fast paced nature of family life can cause a level of immunity that prevents us from being present to the sacramentality of the ‘ordinary’.
Family routines create hidden sacramental moments with the perfect example hidden in plain sight - the humble family meal. No matter what the cuisine or time of the day, it’s in the gathering that we experience what it means to be ‘blessed, broken and shared’.
Research tells us that when children enjoy regular meals with their family they do better at school, display less anti-social behaviours, are more successful in their relationships with peers and the list goes on.
In the classic Australian movie, ‘The Castle' there is a humbling and powerful resonance in the family meal scenes. The gratitude shown by the father, Daryl Kerrigan along with the children towards their mother Sal’s cooking is still referenced today:
Daryl: “Darl, what do you call this?”
Sal: “Sponge cake”
Daryl: “What’s that on top?”
Sal: “Icing sugar”
Daryl: “Boys why would you go out to dinner when this keeps turning up, night after night?”
This iconic Australian film reminds us through this humble family meal scene that gathering around the table is an opportunity to be blessed by one another’s presence, a time to break open conversation through the breaking of bread as well as share with one another how we are feeling, what matters most and sometimes to make peace when family life is complex.
When we stop and take note of all sacramental moments, we can understand that it is in the everyday that God is fully revealed. Let us all appreciate and be present as we experience the ‘adventure’ in all sacramental and Eucharistic moments.
How do you show your appreciation to members of your family and be present to experience the adventure?
“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Mother Teresa