Deacon Tom Anthony

A REFLECTION ON THE FAMILY

The Christmas Season is not only designed for us to celebrate the birth of our Savior but to also celebrate everything about us that makes us Christians. We are reminded through the Solemnities of Saint Stephen the Martyr and The Holy Innocents that we too will face persecution for our beliefs; there will be times of trial and sadness but through our faith we will be able to overcome these. The Solemnity of John the Apostle and Evangelist encourages us to always keep the Love of God in our hearts, mind, and soul while spreading the Good News to all those who we encounter. Our faith experience has been further molded by the Solemnity of the Holy Family where the virtues of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Christ are raised up and put on display so that we may all join ourselves to them in our family relationships and values. From here we continue on through the Octave of Christmas in joy, love, and happiness.

As human beings, we tend to formulate expectations of what we are going to encounter in the future. Repeatedly, we find ourselves replaying upcoming scenerios through our minds attempting to create a perfect vision that we can be satisfied with. Unfortunately, these notions are rarely fulfilled the way we wanted them to be and we are then left with disappointment and anxiety. Our challenge is not do look to the future this way but remain in the present comforted with the fact that God is with us. Whatever we encounter can be overcome with complete trust in God. Whatever changes we experience, be it good or bad, can be for the better.

I went into this Christmas Season with a complete design and expectation of what it was going to be. I had charted my course and had my checklist. It was approached as one would be doing a project. I analyzed all of my tasks and plans. Each day was going to have its obligations and duties. The object was to finish each to the satisfaction level that I expected to reach. There wasn't a lot of spirituality to this approach. Everything was planned out as if it was a job. Early on, I learned that this just wasn't meant to be.

Two days before Christmas everything spiraled out of control. I never expected to be confronted with what I was facing. I was brought from the highest elation to a very low point within minutes. I find myself in crisis. What happened isn't as important as the spiritual lesson I learned. Jesus tells us in Matthew not to worry about tomorrow but to focus on the present. In both circumstances God will take care of us. No amount of planning and no amount of preparation can shield us from a world that is orientated away from God. There will always be trials and circumstances that will challenge us. We just need to accept these and be confident that God ultimately protect us if we surrender everything to him. The situation I now faced was definitely one of these things and I finally surrendered it over to him.

When I surrendered to God it all came into balance. A sort of peace settled over me and I then accepted that I had a situation which I could not handle alone. This did not happen instantaneously but it came gradually with prayer and meditation. Slowly, things fell into place. The anxiety left and there was a numbness which replaced it. It was a good feeling. I was being comforted. With that, I was then prepared to enjoy time with my family and friends. This was time that I did not have before. I watched my children laugh and enjoy their time together. I felt proud to be their father and was proud to be a husband. I reflected on the Holy Family and saw their relationship in context with my family. Their was beauty in the exercise. I felt happy, thankful, and relieved. The situation was still before me but it was now put into perspective with all that was good in my life. My children were healthy, my friends were around me, and God was on my side. What more could I ask for?

I had to drive a friend to Gloucester early one morning this week. I looked at the stars with a new appreciation and asked myself: when was the last time I gazed into a beautiful night sky by the ocean and thanked God for everything? When was the last time I recognized the amazing beauty in his creation. What I saw days earlier as a crisis I now saw as a gift. The situation would be resolved but, in the meantime, I was just given an opportunity to appreciate all of God's gifts to me this wonderful season.

All of us should enjoy this Christmas Season to the fullest. Thank God for everything that is good and accept everything that is bad with the confidence that He will help us overcome it. He will never abandon us.

Deacon Tom