Have you heard the slogan, “The family who prays together, stays together”? This maxim was made popular by the Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, CSC,
who was also known as “the Rosary priest,” because he encouraged
families to pray the Rosary. What Father Peyton advocated for the family
and for world peace resonates with the theme of the current Synod on
the Family: “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in
the contemporary world.”
Some
of the media are doing their best to make the Synod on the Family seem
full of controversy, separating out bishops and cardinals and labeling
them as on opposite sides of various debates, and focusing just on
points they see as controversial. But if one reads the full reports from
the Synod (and I am reading only the English reports in full, with a
limited scanning of Italian reports), the Synod is clearly covering the
lights and shadows of family life today very broadly. I’ve been
impressed by the many inspiring and honest insights on the beauty and
gift that families are to society and to the Church.
Large
international meetings have their disadvantages and no matter what
methodology is chosen, it won’t be perfect. But, as in any international
meeting with a large number of participants, the diversity and
plurality of focus, opinions, cultures, and points of view offer the
possibility of a very rich reflection that can really make a difference
to the Church, society, and especially families today. The importance of
a synod like this is to do just that—to provide the Pope with
theological and pastoral reflection. It’s not a decision-making body but
a consultative one, making recommendations to Pope Francis for various
emphases and courses of action in renewing family life and providing
greater pastoral care of the family.
To
understand the family today, we too need to enter – like Charles de
Foucauld – into the mystery of the family of Nazareth, into its quiet
daily life, not unlike that of most families, with their problems and
their simple joys, a life marked by serene patience amid adversity,
respect for others, a humility which is freeing and which flowers in
service, a life of fraternity rooted in the sense that we are all
members of one body.
And
in his Prayer for the Synod (provided as a special download for you
below), Pope Francis reminds us that the Holy Family is our hope, our
inspiration, and our help to growing in our family life. As Sr. Marianne
Lorraine shares below, the Pope encourages us to pray the Rosary
because it can be extraordinarily healing—for the world but also for our
individual families.
If
your family is burdened or needs healing, the first recourse should be
to pray to the Holy Family. For the intention of the Synod, and for
healing of families throughout the world, we can pray the Rosary during
this month, especially meditating how the Holy Family lived through the
joys, crises, and tragedies of their family life.
May God bless you and your family, Sr. Marie Paul Curley, FSP
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