“Francis, Francis, go and repair my House, which you can see is falling into ruins.”  On this Feastday of St. Francis we remember the beginnings of conversion in the life of Francis when he heard a voice calling to him as he prayed in front of the cross in the little church of San Damiano which was at the time falling into ruins.  Francis first took this message from the voice calling to him to be a mandate to actually rebuild the decaying church of San Damiano.  He later understood his mission of rebuilding the church as being on a larger and more universal scale, encompassing the entire Church of his time.

On this Feastday of St. Francis, Pope Francis is presiding over the opening of the Synod on the Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization.  It is appropriate that they are beginning this Synod on the Feast of St. Francis because the “domestic church” is in need of repair.  The family is meant to be a “domestic church” where prayer is offered, faith is learned and lived and God’s presence is real and abiding.  In many of our families today, the concept of a “domestic church” is unknown and unheard of.  The family seldom, if ever, prays together or studies the faith together.  There are few icons or images of faith in the home that can remind the family members of their faith.  It is hoped that this Synod will shine a light on the situations and challenges of families today and provide some real concrete suggestions for renewal in the family.

I am so grateful for my family and for the ways in which I was able to encounter God in our family home.  God was certainly a permanent resident there.  It was a great gift to receive from my parents as we were taught the art of life and living in the light of faith.  May this gift and grace find a place in more families today and may there truly be a renewal within the “domestic church”.

“Gracious Father, bless all families in your love and help them to a greater awareness of your presence in their family homes.  May our homes be a place of worship and prayer and a true school of humanity, faith and prayer.  Renew our desire to live in the oneness of your love.”