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?