English
EspañolGod is present in every family´s daily life. Feel that closeness. Listen to his inspiration. See the light that illuminates each concrete situation.
Text
“The Lord’s presence dwells in real and concrete families, with all their daily troubles and struggles, joys and hopes. Living in a family makes it hard for us to feign or lie; we cannot hide behind a mask. If that authenticity is inspired by love, then the Lord reigns there, with his joy and his peace. The spirituality of family love is made up of thousands of small but real gestures. In that variety of gifts and encounters which deepen communion, God has his dwelling place. This mutual concern “brings together the human and the divine”, for it is filled with the love of God. In the end, marital spirituality is a spirituality of the bond, in which divine love dwells.” (The Joy of Love, n.315)
Commentary
Throughout the day, God is close to the family´s life, to the life of each of its members. He is close to the children while they are studying or playing sports, He is close to the father while he is in the office or helping with the chores at home, He is close to the family while the sick grandfather is under treatment, is close to the son-in-law who is out of work, close to the mother when she cooks or put the children to sleep.
Here is a case I have experienced. It seems small, as does every ordinary thing, however it hides the Spirit´s inspiration. Milagros and Gustavo have four children, the two oldest at university, which complicates the family´s lunch and dinner schedules. One day Gustavo arrived home earlier than usual and noticed that Milagros went out to greet her younger children when they came home from school. He accompanied them to lunch while asking them to tell him how their day had gone. A little later, another of her children arrived from university. Milagros also joined him for lunch as she chatted about his day. Finally, the oldest son arrived, and Milagros repeated what she had done with the others: she accompanied him to lunch and talked with him.
At the end of the day, Gustavo made the following comment to Milagros: “I noticed that you went to greet each of the children, kept them company, and talk to them. That is what you spent your afternoon doing.” Milagros replied: “Yes, spending time with them while they eat and talking to each one seems like a small thing, but that is not true. Every time I welcome my children home and keep them company and talk, I am telling them without words, “I care about you, I love you.” “I have not wasted my time this afternoon; I spent it wisely because the love for our children and love in our family is made up of these small gestures that make the affection between us grow,” she added.
