Lenten Reflection: Family Conversion/Relationship Conversion.

 Lent can be a good time to reflect on the people who mean the most to us and the  relationships  we hold most dear.  It  can be jarring to realize that our time together as a family might amount to no more than a few minutes  a  day.  Our  lives  are  independent  as  we  scatter  in  different     directions each day for work, school or childcare.

 This  season  of  reflection  and  renewal  might  be  an  appropriate  time  to pray  about  our  family  lives  and  how  we  can  be  more thoughtful  and prayerful  about  Lent  as  a  family.  Perhaps  we  could hold  a  family    meeting  over  dinner  or  some  other  relaxed  place.  We  could  discuss Lent and the symbols of the season. We might want to talk about how our  faith  life  is  not  a  journey  we  make  alone,  but one  we  are  in  as  a community, as a family. 

One  Lenten  family  practice  might  include  a  daily  act  of  love  for  our family. Can we look around and see some small thing that needs to be done to make our lives together better? Is there laundry to sort or dishes to be washed?  Is there a floor that needs sweeping or a room that needs dusting?  Just  one  effort  by  each  of  us  each  day  can  make  a  dramatic difference  in  sharing  the  workload  in  the  family.  The  grace  we  are reaching  for  goes  beyond  getting  the  garbage  taken out,  for  example.  We  know  it  is  a  grace  when  the  experience  of  taking  the  garbage  out feels  like  an  act  of  love,  an  act  of  solidarity  as a  family.  Perhaps  the simplest way to prepare for this grace is to pray: 

  “Dear Lord, may this simple, ordinary sacrifice of my time               

  for the sake of those I love, draw us closer together as                 

  a family whose hearts you are drawing to yourself 

  in the togetherness of our family love.” 

One  of  the  real  graces  of  Lent  has  to  do  with  forgiveness  and    reconciliation  –  mercy  and  healing.  This  is  never  simply  a  matter  between Jesus and me.  It always has something to do with my family and  with  my  relationships  –  how  we  are  with  each  other.  What  in  us needs  mercy  and  healing?  What  patterns  that  we  have  need  our          reflections and common family choices and actions this Lent?

 (onlineministries.creighton.edu)