So many of us want to create a holy environment at home and introduce our families to living the faith in everyday life, not just at church on Sundays. It’s a beautiful desire but one that might seem a bit daunting. Fr. John Girotti, Vicar for Canonical Services and Associate Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Green Bay, joined The Inner Life® to share simple ways that we might begin to invite God into our family life.
“First and foremost—we have to invite [holiness] in. It’s something which we have to be intentional about, it’s not just an automatic. It could be—of course, this is a beginning—to put a crucifix in a prominent place, to have a Bible that we read and open and get the dust off of it and actually live the Word of God, having holy things that are in the home that are religious pictures, saints, etc. Now, this goes much deeper than this but you have to set the table,” explained Fr. Girotti.
In addition to filling your home with holy things, one must remove the unholy objects. “Posters or movies or magazines or books or aspects of the internet that are perhaps pornographic or places that are not pure—we have to make sure that the physical things inside the home foster holiness.”
“Of course,” continued Fr. Girotti, “most important is the individuals and the people and what we do as families to gather together and to invite the Lord to be part of our lives. So it’s a systemic, intentional choice of inviting God inside.”
The more our families grow, the busier we become. And although we might not be able to have a family dinner together every night, it’s very important that we follow God’s commandment to keep the Lord’s Day holy. Being intentional about prayer together, Mass and a meal as a family, and time for rest and recreation will speak volumes to your kids about the importance of Faith and family time. This isn’t simply a quaint idea, says Fr. Girotti, “It’s possible—it involves a choice.”
Praying together can start with a meal prayer and expand from there. “Have intentions—have the children go around the table and say what they’re praying for, or just say what you’re thankful for. To kind of build off of that meal prayer which is, at least at home, something that we should be doing and that most of us do, and then it can grow from that into an intentional family prayer time.”
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