THE FAMILY ZONE
Equipping the Domestic Church/ISSUE 183 / 5.10.26
Love for God Requires Action
Today's Gospel from John reminds us of an important facet of our relationship with Jesus: our love requires action. In two parts of the Gospel it states that if we have love for God we must keep God's commandments. The commandments teach us how to live out our relationship with God and with others. The first four focus on our duties to God and the remaining 6 teach us how we must interact with, and love others. The great commandments do the same. As we teach our children to love God, who loves them beyond measure, we must also teach them that God, like we as parents, has expectations for their behavior. This is called living in Right Relationship, and when we follow the commandments we live in a way that reflects God's Kingdom..his love, justice, and holiness, in all we do!
Lady Pica, A Supportive and Loving Mother
We don't often hear about St. Francis' mother but her name was Pica Bernardone and she was a French noblewoman, who left France to marry her husband Pietro and live in Assisi, Italy. Pica was often positioned between her husband and son as they clashed in the way they would live their lives and view the world. She was a devout Catholic who always engaged in acts of kindness toward the poor, inspiring Francis in his own faith. The most memorable story of Lady Pica happened when her husband became enraged that Francis sold a horse and cloth belonging to his father, in order to repair the Church of San Damiano. Pietro was so angry he locked Francis in the basement. When Pietro traveled out of town, Lady Pica released her son. Pica followed Francis after the death of her husband, and committed her life to the works of the Third Order of St. Francis.
Love and Respect for the Sacrifice of All Moms
Mother's Day in the United States was founded by a woman named Anna Jarvis who had a deep love for her mother, Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis. Anna Maria gave birth to 13 children, with only four of them surviving to adulthood. Before her death, she asked her daughter to find a way to memorialize the invisible work of all mothers. Anna, who was not a mother herself, began a campaign to honor mothers. Her goal was for everyone to truly SEE the women that bore many sacrifices for the lives of their children. Mother's Day was not begun as a greeting card holiday, but instead as a simple day to express gratitude and appreciation. So today, in honor of Anna Jarvis' campaign, we pray for all mothers, and all who serve as mother figures. Parenting is a deeply beautiful and amazingly challenging vocation. Moms: We see you, we are grateful to you, and we honor you, today and always.
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Placement of a Statue of Mary
Does your church have a statue of Mary? It is not required, but most churches do. Pay attention as to whether it is positioned to the left or right of the altar. If you find it to the left of the altar, that is the most common place to find a statue of Mary. This is the due to the fact Jesus would be looking outward from the altar and Mary would be placed at the right hand of her son. Interestingly, if a statue of the Sacred Heart is present in your church, it is likely that you will find that statue to the left of the altar with Mary located to the right. That is because Mary would take a less prominent position than her son. It's something interesting to note, and it encourages you to take a closer look at the way your church honors and reminds the faithful of the Blessed Mother both inside and outside of the Church building!
Thursday, May 14 is the Feast of the Ascension, A Holy Day of Obligation
In all dioceses in our state, we observe the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday, May 14. This marks 40 days since Easter Sunday and the moment Christ, in front of disciples, ascended to heaven (you can read about this in Acts 1:9-11). The Ascension reminds each of us that heaven is also promised to us and Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us in His Father's house. Please check your parish bulletin/website for the Holy Day Mass times!
Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
Editor: Leslie Barkin leslie.barkin@dor.org
Email: oec@dor.org
Website: oec.dor.org
Location: Diocese of Rochester, Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-328-3210