FAMILY - Our deepest experience

 © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Pope Francis prays before an icon of the Holy Family at the prayer vigil ahead of the opening of the Synod on Families

As the first week of my sabbatical nears its conclusion, I am very much mindful of my parish family back home.
This is particularly true because here in Rome, I am in the midst of the meeting of bishops called a synod; with its topic being "The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World." How could I not be thinking of my Holy Family and the families that make up our parish community?

The gathering has been divided into three mini-synods, focusing on different themes as they relate to families: the challenges of families, the vocation of families and the mission of families.  Each week begins with public statements by the bishops followed by smaller language based discussion groups.  In addition to the bishops,  17 married couples and 17 individuals are attending and are invited to speak.  

Pope Francis has called for this synod as an opportunity for dialogue.  It is not clear in what form the final results of the synod will be presented and to whom it will be addressed, (the pope himself, families or to the world in general.) What is clear, however, is that the church is gathered here in Rome to dedicate its thoughts and prayers to the most basic unit of our world, the family.  This is because, as the Holy Father said in his weekly audience.

Families know well the feeling of dignity conferred by being sons and daughters and not slaves, nor strangers, not just a number on an identity card.

These thoughts are not new to me, but the opportunity to be here in Rome during this historic focus on the family, confirms for me where my focus as priest and pastor must be.

As I have previously shared, the topic of my first few weeks here is preaching. Our seminars thus far have not been on the nuts and bolts of preaching style or even scripture scholarship.  We have spent a great deal of time reflecting on the philosophy of preaching.  Why preach?  What is the purpose of the homily itself? Our discussions have brought us to a reflection on personal encounter.  The purpose of preaching is an encounter with the living Christ.  It begins, first and foremost with the preacher himself.  What is my experience with the living Christ?  For it is from my experience, that I am called to preach.

In the course of our discussion we have reflected on the following statement from the 2013 document of the United States Catholic Bishops, "Preaching the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Homily."

Only when the homilist, in a spirit of faith and love is conscious of his own deepest experience and those of his people can he preach persuasively to them."

What is my deepest experience?  I am still reflecting on that, but I know that answer comes within the context of my family.  Not simply my parents and siblings but beyond them as well.  I spent a great deal of time with my great aunt, Helen, in my earliest years.  What I know about love and what I know I need from love, I know through her.  When I preach therefore, it must come from the joys, sorrows and love that I have experienced in my family.  For it is from that experience that I most know Christ and, moreover, from that experience that I can speak from the heart to the common experience of others.

This synod, my sabbatical, the parish whom I serve, and my deepest experience of faith are rooted in family.  Let us be united then in the prayer of the synod and the intercession of the Holy Family.