Our
Home is the Heart of God
Sonia
and Jaime Bernardo, SFO
Chairs,
National Family Commission
We
begin our journey home from the time before our birth, when we are created by
God. He wants us to get to know Him
better, so that we can share in all His beautiful gifts, and that when we
finally get home, we can live with Him eternally in perfect peace and happiness.
But right now we are not in a hurry to reach home - His heart. We want to take our own sweet time because we derive pleasure
from the worldly things that litter and obstruct our path.
We choose the long, windy road, taking the slowest mode of
transportation, and carrying with us all the material possessions we accumulate
along the way. We make several
stops to linger and delight in the temporal things, to amass more worthless
things, knowing they are just obstacles to our final destination.
Our
selfishness makes Him sad. His
heart is aching because of our ingratitude.
And yet He is very patient with us.
When are going to mend our ways? Let
us abandon all the unnecessary baggage, the useless trappings that hinder us.
Let us get on our efficient transportation and get back to the highway
that will take us straight to Him. Let
us do it now while we have time.
At
the beginning of this third millennium, let us get back on track, and start a
new pilgrimage home. This time, let us keep our focus on the portal which is
Jesus, and on our home, the heart of God. Forget all the mundane materials, and
resist all enticements that will keep us from reaching our goal.
Concentrate, instead, on prayer, which is the key to the portal of the
home.
On this pilgrimage, let us not leave our family behind.
We always like to take them with us wherever we go, be it on a short trip
to a nearby park, or for a long vacation to a distant place.
We travel together, because we want us all to experience the fun of the
trip, to learn to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.
So why not take the whole family home - our children, parents, brothers,
and sisters.
Questions for
Discussion:
1.
How would you prepare for this pilgrimage?
2.
How could you avoid the obstacles on the road?