Dear Parishioners of San Francisco de Asis Parish,

Happy Easter! The Lord is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

I hope and pray this letter finds you well. I am guessing this was one of the strangest Easter celebrations you have likely experienced. I know it was for me. I missed seeing the large Easter crowds, lighting the Paschal candle from the Easter fire, and baptizing and confirming eager hearts ready to receive Jesus in the Sacraments of Initiation. Yet, although all of these things were missing, I still received a strong sense of the power of Lord’s Presence at work. It was great to see so many people join us virtually for the Triduum and Easter Sunday Masses. The Lord moved many hearts to celebrate Holy Week and Easter Sunday in a special way this year.

I have also been very impressed by the Lord at work in our parish families who have transformed their homes into little house chapels for prayer and virtual worship. The little things we do to build up our own “domestic church” are far more significant than we could ever imagine. The faith lived in little ways within our family life is what allows Jesus to be the King of our hearts and lives. It helps our children understand that our faith is more than just something that happens at church. Our faith is a way of life to be lived in all times and all places. This time, maybe more so than ever, is an opportunity for us to build up the “domestic church.” It is an opportunity for us to see the Risen Christ more clearly in our home and family life. In light of this, I would like to offer a suggestion for family prayer that might help your family during this time of “shelter in place.”

A few years ago I read an article about how families can practice Lectio Divina at the dinner table. If you are unfamiliar with Lectio Divina, it is a way of praying with Sacred Scripture so as to recognize the movements of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. There is a power in the Word of God that stirs up the human heart to see the Risen Lord more clearly at work within us. The method is as follows:

First, one of the parents (this might be a great role for dad, or even an older child after the family becomes familiar with it) pre-selects a small passage of Sacred Scripture (only a few lines) for family prayer time. These lines can easily be chosen from the daily or Sunday Gospel. This Sunday’s Gospel (John 20:19-31) has several groupings of verses that would work well.

Second, after finishing dinner together, before cleaning up the table or moving on to the evening’s activities, the parent who pre-selected the Scripture passage explains to the family that they are going to have a few short minutes of prayer together using the Word of God. The parent invites all present at the dinner table to take a brief moment of silence (if possible - sometimes this is difficult with little ones) and then offers a brief prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of each family member.

Third, the parent reads the Scripture passage out loud and invites the family to take a moment of silence afterwards to reflect on the passage.

Fourth, the parent then reads the passage a second time out loud inviting each family member to pay attention to and reflect on the words or phrases that seem to stand out to them. Like before, this is done in silence.

Fifth, the parent then reads the passage out loud a third time inviting the family to ponder why these particular words or phrases might be important to them. In other words, the parent invites the family to ask the question, “How might this word or phrase be important for or speak to whatever is going on in my life at this particular time.” This is also done in a moment of silence.

Sixth, the parent then invites each family member to share what was “stirred up” in their heart during the above prayer time. It is very important for the parents to set an example and lead the way by being vulnerable and sharing what came to their minds and hearts while praying. If the parents take it seriously, the children will likely follow.

Seventh, after each family member has had a chance to share, the parent leading the activity then concludes with a prayer from the heart. Ideally, this prayer would include petitions for each family member in light of what was shared. Then, once the final prayer is over, cleaning up the dinner table and the evening’s activities commence.

At first, every new prayer experience can feel somewhat awkward. It may take a few times before your family gets a good feel for this kind of prayer experience. However, I think you might be surprised by what is sensed and shared in this time of family prayer. And, the whole activity only takes about 5-10 minutes.

Also, here are a few additional resources that might help you build up your “domestic church.”

https://ascensionpress.com/pages/oremus-sample-lesson-player-lectio-divina

http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/parents/tools-for-building-a-domestic-church.cfm

Fr. Dan, Fr. Matt, and I are grateful for your prayers and concerns for us. We feel overwhelmed by the love that you have all shown us, especially this past month. Be assured of our daily prayers for all of you. We miss you and can’t wait to see you again when the corona virus pandemic is over. Stay healthy, safe, and holy!

Peace in the Risen Christ,

Fr. Will

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