La Sagrada Familia - The Holy Family

We arrived in Barcelona late Wednesday night.  The main reason to finish this Journey in Barcelona is to visit the Basilica of the Holy Family.  A church whose construction is completely financed by alms given for its construction,  as a communal form of penance and offering.  Construction was begun in March of 1882, and is planned to be complete by 2034, with major construction ending next year.  It's really neat to see a modern cathedral nearing completion after over 100 years of work.

I came here to pray for my family, and the families that I minister to, work with or otherwise interact with.  That they may all become holy families reflecting the love and creativity of God.  I had the chance to visit the church yesterday.  It is definitely a unique structure, looking more like a mountain than a cathedral.  The basilica covers an entire city block and has many towers that reach up to over 500 feet tall.  The main spire is dedicated to Christ, the light of the world, with other spires to the Blessed Mother, the 4 evangelists etc.  We arrived on a Thursday morning and the surrounding blocks were packed with people who had all come to see the church.  The architect who designed the church made the north facade tell the story of Christ's nativity and the south side His crucifixion.  The entire building is like a 3 dimensional icon of the scriptures in stone, with pieces here and there to lead one into meditation on scripture and the life of Christ.

Families are places where God's grace can be poured out into the world.  Like it or not we are stuck with our families, for all there good and bad traits.  I think that God allows this so that we learn to love and share one another.

As a father, it is part of my role to encourage the good and correct the bad.  I have to do this first in myself and then with my children.  To do this well I go back to my role as a father of baptized children and ask myself - am I keeping the commandments as Christ taught by loving God and neighbor?  Where do I fall short?  Where do I need God's grace alive in my family?

One of the most important ways of setting the example is recognizing when I have done wrong - and asking for forgiveness.  This requires humility and patience.  The other is to insist that my kids learn to forgive one another, as sibling relationships are precious.

Mary and St Joseph,

Let your Son's grace flow abundantly into each family that I interact with.  Use me as a servant for that grace that they might reflect the fullness of your love.  

Amen