40 Days of Seeking Him 2011 ~ Day 17

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7 We are now fully entrenched in Lent with Easter still many days away.
As I’ve tried to gain a better control over some things in my life (like runaway paper piles!), I have been ruminating upon some of the last homilies from Ordinary Time.
One that I found in my quest to banish extra paper was from earlier this month (March 6th.)  The very first note I made was ‘God speaks to us through providence or coincident, often in conversations with different people.’ 
I have often shared with the boys that when I say God can speak to me, it is not in the way I might speak with them.  Instead, it could be something just laid upon my heart or a phrase that jumps out at me from Scripture or even through the words of others.  I’ve always thought that when a similar message is being disseminated from multiple conversations, then that is a message I NEED to head.
There have been some conversations and readings lately that have me considering the direction our family has been going and how we should be going.  I’m still reflecting on those words, so I’m not quite ready to share it quite yet.  Instead, I will share what else was from the same set of homily notes with a few of my thoughts intertwined.  **I’ll be expanding upon some of these throughout the week.**
Our pastor emphasized that a stable structure needs a solid foundation.  In our lives, that is both our biological/adoptive family and our church family.  Even with a strong family life, there are key points he shared to help strengthen that foundation. 
1. We must never take loved ones for granted!  That just squanders time that we might have spent with them.  Father shared about how the annulment cases he has seen in his career fall into one of 15 patterns that lead to a breakdown.  Many of them started by the couple taking each other for granted.  (And, jokingly he said that Alaskan Catholics have a 16th reason…they don’t agree on living in Alaska!)
2. The family that prays together stays together.  As a Catholic family, this should be beyond attending Mass together or saying a blessing before meals.  There is the opportunity to say the Rosary together, attend Stations of the Cross together, and engage in prayers of petition and thanksgiving together.  
3.  We should have an individual quest for holiness.  As individuals, we should be reflecting upon whether we are growing closer to God and into the image of Christ.  Lent, of course, is the perfect time to make this assessment and set goals.
4. We need the ability to find humor where we can. Life can get depressing, especially if we take ourselves too seriously.  Thankfully, there is divine humor in our world if we only open up our eyes to see it.
5. Presence is very important.  We can not be an absentee family and expect to thrive.  We need a time of calm at home with each other.  Also, We are called to be AT church as members of our church family. 
Finally, we need to look at the big and important picture in our lives.  As Christians, that means striving to be like Christ and growing in holiness so we might one day be together with all the saints in heaven glorifying God.