Catholicism is a faith of remarkable depth.
From our knowledge of and love for Jesus, innumerable teachings emerge all directing us to eternal life with God. This world is temporary, the Church teaches us, and the one beyond is worth setting our sights and lives on. Scripture from Genesis all the way to the great wedding feast in Revelation emphasizes over and over the nature of human life as an image of God. Not only is each individual made in His image, but the family as well. Just as the love between the Father and the Son begets the Holy Spirit, so too from the love of husband and wife comes a child. The family is made to reflect the love and life-giving nature 
of God not only spiritually, but physically as well; and because families serve as the most basic unit of society – necessarily its foundation – and if a culture’s foundations are under attack by the culture itself, then we the people are both perpetrator and victim in a downward spiral. We are in desperate need of a pick-me-up and a set-me-straight.
Enter Papa Francesco.
The timing of Pope Francis’s visit is significant: Just a couple of months ago same sex marriage was legalized nationwide, while at the same time the horrors of abortion and Planned Parenthood’s agenda are currently being revealed one undercover video after the other. The pope’s coming is a gift in itself, but consider the whole focus of his visit: The World Meeting of Families. I can’t help but hope the whole event will educate and encourage American Catholics. No, it won’t be a week that magically transforms us, country and all, but it will underscore the inestimable value and Truth of the family as a divine institution.
Most of Catholics will be at home during this momentous occasion, but we can still participate despite the distance. I was thrilled to find ample resources and activities through the World Meeting of Families website as well as a site devoted to Pope Francis’ schedule during his time in the States. There is an official icon for the WMOF (see right) that depicts Jesus as a child surrounded by Mary, St. Joseph, and Sts. Anne and Joachim, his grandparents. Jesus extends his small right hand in a blessing, which is positioned at the very center of the image. The icon is available for order or you could print a small copy for the fridge or bulletin board.
Additionally, the official prayer for families (right) could easily be added to dinnertime or bedtime. A more weighty resource is a document called “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive,” that details 10 aspects of Catholic family living from what we were created to be, the love necessary for our homes, to the light we should bring to others. Gems, both of them.
The Catholic Church is the original Church, instituted by Christ and kept alive through the Holy Spirit. We are protected by Him who rules over all armies of angels. We are loved into being by Him who created all things. With this confidence, we should press on in faith, determined to preserve the sanctity in each of our domestic churches. This visit from Pope Francis to the United States should encourage us. We live in a broken world, but we can reflect the beauty and wholeness of Christ as hope.
original edition published in The Catholic Connection
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