Holy Family
December 2006
There was once a young man who had nothing, so God gave him ten apples. God gave him three apples for food. the man ate the first three apples. God gave him another three apples to trade for shelter from the sun and rain. So he traded the second three apples for shelter from the sun and rain. And God gave home three apples to trade for clothing to cover his body. This he did.
God gave him a tenth apple so he would have something to give back to God in gratitude for the other nine.
We hear and read every day about the crisis in family life. The expectation seems to be that any given family will break up.
Today on the feast of the Holy Family, we should take a look at the other side of the coin. We must give thanks for the many great families we have. We must give thanks for the continued love and stability, which so often exists, even within, so called, broken families.
I should be grateful for what I have, not bemoan what I have lost.
When there is family breakdown there is generally great hurt also.
Where there is great hurt there must be great forgiveness. Beg the Lord to remove the hurt and then I can forgive.
Above all I remember to return to God the tenth apple of gratitude.