Page 171 - accompagnement_spirituel_archdiocese_de_montreal

HOMÉLIES

This Mother's Day it's a time to thank God for our mother and to embrace our mother. Maybe
it's a time to think about our family and the family. And through this pandemic, as families we
are getting together in our own home, "the nucleus family" as we say. As such all over the earth
what was at stake? I would say, what was left? What is left all over the earth? In each home, an
individual and a family. And God. God we can turn to Him wherever we are, however lonely we
are, however isolated we are. We can turn to Him in whatever it the situation, whatever is the
situation of our family, of society. Everyone on this earth, at any time, can turn to God.

And in this pandemic maybe we rediscovered that. And as we are in confinement maybe we
rediscovered in a new way our family how important it is in our life, but also for the whole of
society. Society many things are important. But family is a cell of society. No family, no society.

And in the Church maybe we rediscovered the family. This classic expression, the sole expression,
the family as a domestic church. Maybe in this time we think often in terms of this world that we
live in. We think often of individuals and we have many laws and many things and many people
or institutions who take care of the individual. But somehow the family we don't always think
about the family. And maybe one of the fruits of the pandemic, one of the good things that could
come out of this pandemic is the rediscovery of the family as a domestic church, for the whole
Church, and as the cell of society. In that sense maybe the pandemic is an occasion to rediscover
the sense of the Sunday. The sense of Sunday as a day for the Lord, Sunday as a day for the
family! A day for the family. Sunday as a day for rest. Sunday as a day for the family. And maybe
somehow, we don't know Sunday has become or is like a day like any other day. We live in a time
frame of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Maybe we really need to reconsider that. Maybe we need
to reconsider that actually it's not an option, it's a necessity to rediscover the seventh day. The day
of rest. And to make out of it a day for the family. A day when everyone of the family can meet
together. Everyone in the family is there. It cannot be only something a decision that a family
takes on itself without the others because we only to do it together. Sunday can become a day
of the family only if we do it together. Only if society Sunday becomes a day for the family. We
are between this Sunday, this day of the family and the day of the fatherhood that we will have in
June, maybe between the two we can consider the Sunday as a day for the family. As a day, when
we believe, as a day for the Lord, as a day of the Lord. And even as we live in this world, this earth,
as a day for the earth because the earth also needs to breath. Happy Mother's Day!

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Recueil de textes de Mgr Lépine du temps de confinement 171