Have you ever wanted a different family? I did. To be exact it was in 2012.
It was in the summer of grade nine when coming home meant coming home to a brother that would always argue and annoy me, and to parents that would not stop fighting. My family had many things to endure, and stress overcame my parents. Home was a stressful environment, and I wanted out. In fact, I wanted a whole different family. At that time, I wasn’t strong in the faith, but I kept asking God, “if you really love me and my family, then why are you putting us through all this suffering?”. The answer came a few years later.
Have you ever regretted saying something? I have. To be exact it was in 2012. I regret saying that I wanted a different family.
Throughout the years as time passed, my family understood how low we dipped. As cliché as it sounds, life really is a roller coaster ride. Now, from that low point we have been growing, and a beautiful reminder of this growth was quite recently. It was a Saturday, and my mom was off work for the first time in a while. It became a habit of mine to go to Mass everyday, and for the first time I invited my family. This was the first time we went out to a Mass as a family that wasn’t on a Sunday, and to put the cherry on top, all the members of my family went to confession after a long time of ignorance toward the beautiful sacrament of Reconciliation. Seeing my family partake in the celebration of the Eucharist outside of the regular hour on Sunday made me realize how blessed I am to have a family that loves me so much that they will constantly go out of their comfort zone in order to support me, and grow in their faith. With constant prayer, I came to realize the Lord’s plan for me [was to be] with my family. I am called to be a source of unity for my family, especially in times of trouble. To relate back to my question to God; I found the answer. My family endured the suffering so that through it we could become stronger, and we did.
I learned that despite being annoyed by my brother I am called to love him because he is a gift to me. I learned that despite having a mother that is constantly working, I am called to understand her hard work because she is a gift to me. I learned that despite having a father that is easy to anger I am called to be patient with him because he is a gift to me. In all, I learned that I must be a source of unity for my family. I challenge myself to turn my family into saints, and I challenge you to do so as well.
The lesson here is this: despite sufferings, hardships and tribulations in your family, [they will always support you and your journey to bringing all those you love closer to the Lord and into the Kingdom of Heaven].
“He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” Acts 10:2
Lord, we offer up our families for they are the first gifts we received from You. May we continue to be sources of unity for our families, and strive to bring them closer to heaven. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Gerwin Legaspi – South 3 Chapter head | CFC-Y Pacific Region
