by Roger Carr-Jones
Like many others I will be participating in this great event at some distance (having no ticket!), but I, like the rest of our diocesan family, will remain close to all the participants, especially the Holy Father, Cardinal Vincent and Bishop Nicholas, through prayer. We can all contribute to this gathering by simply devoting a short time each day to praying for and with them. When we find time for prayer, we are then able to find the time for everything else we need to do, in order to reveal to others, the centrality of the family in God’s plan for humanity and for the Common Good. This great gathering in Dublin is the opportunity to preach about the reality of 'the Good News of the Family' to the world.
The World Meeting of Families is one way in which the Church, and therefore by extension you and me, can counter the false definitions of marriage and family that are now being expounded by secular commentators and other voices which lack wisdom and a love for humanity. One of the consequences of the attempts at redefining of the nature of marriage and the family is the desecration of human society. These attitudes are being constructed on a bedrock of nonsense and falsehoods, which we need to expose and confront.
So, please pray for the World Meeting of Families: that the fruits of this gathering will show that one of the great beauties of our faith is that being Catholic is always a family matter: one image of the church is that it is the family of God. This is a heart-warming reminder that we are all part of God’s household and so firmly anchored in a clear God-given understanding of the nature and role of the family in society.
