Good morning. If we build our marriages on a solid foundation they will last. Rains may fall, floods will come, and the winds may blow, but if our marriage is set upon a solid foundation it will withstand anything and everything. If these and other words of assurance remain at the center of our lives, Jesus assures us in today’s Gospel that all the fury of the secular storms about us will not impact our marriage and family.
Yes, even as we read these words there are those who make efforts at destroying the foundation of marriage and family life. Efforts in the media at normalizing disordered sexual behavior, the government’s current attempt to take away our religious freedom through the HHS Mandate, and ongoing attempts to introduce same-sex “marriage” all undermine marriage and family life as God intended it to be. Healthy family life and the traditions which go with it are the foundation of this society. We recall the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II that “A nation goes the way that the family goes.” Jesus reminds us that if we keep Him at the center of our marriage it will be like building our marital house on rock, it will serve as a solid foundation. “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.”
It is in the family where skills for daily living and character are formed. As parents we need to recognize this and teach our children to make choices grounded in Gospel values so that they may weather the secular storms that await them. Family traditions play a vital role in enriching our experience of family and they work toward drawing us closer together. Family traditions serve to withstand the disruptive forces of a secular society and offer a firm foundation for instilling the values and skills needed for our children to make the right choices in the face of those things which attempt to undermine the family. The life and writings of our saint for today, Saint Irenaeus offers us much insight into the importance of religious tradition. Traditions do draw families closer and it is in the traditions and practices of our faith that our children establish a foundation for living happy and productive lives. Although the winds of secularism that sweep today’s world stand ready to destroy family life, our faith and our family traditions serve as a foundation toward withstanding the storms. Tradition! Make a great day!
Today we recall the good life, gifts, and work of Saint Ireneaus of Lyons.
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