Meditations on the Solemn Commitment
of the Family Life Community
Prepared by members of the Family Life Community
Lent 2003
1. I shall seek to live as a follower of JESUS:
- Pray and read the Scriptures everyday for at least 15 minutes.
- Participate faithfully and fully in the Sacramental and worship life of the Church.
- Avoid sin and wrongdoing.
- Continue to put good order in my private life.
"Let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith." Heb. 12: 1-2
To accept and live God's gift of faith I must keep my eyes, ears and heart open to Jesus who "inspires and perfects our faith". It is with this faith that I can participate fully in the sacramental and worship life of the church and hear and trust her teaching.
It is only when I keep my eyes, ears, and heart on Jesus, the source of all Grace, that I am able to "rid myself of the burden of sin that clings" and gain the wisdom to recognize it where I may not have otherwise.
Only with my eyes, ears and heart turned to Jesus, the source of all wisdom, can I put His order in the priorities of my life. How are the hours of my days spent? How much of my brain's life is spent occupied with secular media-written or electronic? Of what importance to me are the opinions of others? And as life continues there will be a thousand other questions.
"Keeping our eyes, (ears, and heart) fixed on Jesus" can be most simply and accurately expressed in one word: PRAYER. Without prayer or attentiveness to, dialog with, humble availability to, and simply keeping in touch with the One we follow all other aspects of living as a follower of Jesus become impossible. Prayer then becomes the cornerstone of my life as a follower of Jesus.
Submitted by Ann Powell
2. I dedicate myself to building a strong Catholic family in Christ:
- Seek weekly dialogue with my spouse and my children.
- Exercise my duties actively as a parent.
- Pray with my family daily and share meals together as a family.
- Invest generous amounts of time for home and family, at work and play.
Seeking weekly dialogue with spouse and children is a difficult topic for families with small children. It takes a lot of effort to find the time to have dialogue with each child and my wife. I try to take time each evening
to talk to the children about their day and find out what happened, what difficulties they ran into.During this time I try to share what I feel God would say to them. My time with my wife usually comes after all the kids are in bed. Most times we don’t say a whole lot, but we are there with each other. We can share, if it’s put on our hearts. It’s just being available more than anything else.
Since my enlightenment, I have really taken off with exercising my duties actively as a parent.I used to defer to my wife a lot on this, only getting involved when things were really serious.Now I find that I can support my wife more by not being just the heavy. I try to assist in all my duties as a parent and take an active role in all aspects, not just discipline, but in helping to mold the children and to build their interest in their faith.
Whenever I am home we always share meals together. This is one tradition that I have carried from growing up. The TV is off, maybe a little WOW music in the background, but the focus is always on the family sharing time together during meals. Here the family can talk about their day, talk about what’s going on, plan the rest of the evening, whether it be family game night, a little schoolwork, or whatever.Meals are very important to our family.My favorite is breakfast on weekends that I don’t have drill. I usually get up early and cook a big breakfast. I usually can get one of the kids to help. This is an excellent time to share one on one, while “serving” the family.
Because of my other commitments, investing generous amounts of time for home and family, at work and play, is near and dear to my heart. I try to be very protective of the time that I get to spend with my family.Lately, with the threat of war and my participation in it looming over my family, I find myself dedicating extra time with the family, savoring each moment together, whether it is good or bad.
Submitted by Jimmy Williams
3. I dedicate myself to building the Body of Christ in the Church including the Missions:
- Make myself available to the Lord for service.
- Bring other families, couples, singles to Jesus Christ.
- Make time to serve in the Family Life Community whenever called upon to do so, and follow directions of those who have responsibility for my service.
As I read this section of our Solemn Commitment, I thought of the song with these words:God has no hands but our hands, no voice but our voice.We, as Christians, are called to live a life of service. We do not hear this message of service to God and others in the “me” society in which we all live. We all know the order of priority in our lives: God first, then family, and career last. God never expects us to neglect our family to serve Him nor does He expect us to use our family as an excuse not to serve Him.
Only through a life of prayer will we be guided to know the difference. If we are truly living a holy, ordered life, we will bring others to Jesus Christ through our example.
Submitted by Vicki Miller
4. I will relate in love and loyalty to other members in the Family Life Community and the Support Group to which I am assigned:
- Attend my Support Group meetings and support the good order of the meeting.
- Faithfully attend the other meetings or worship services of the Family Life Community.
- Accept others the Lord adds to our number.
In reflecting on this Commitment the Holy Spirit prompted the following thoughts: Acts 2:42, under the heading Communal Life, states that the Israelites in Jerusalem “devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles and to the communal life.All who believed were together and had all things in common. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes.” Our Community Way of Life is not a new concept in our present day Christian life. Jesus called his disciples to lead a communal life by “devoting themselves” together in the temple area and breaking bread in their houses. In my opinion, this affirms the first statute of this Commitment: Attend my support group meeting and support the good order of the meeting. The apostles were with Jesus every day during their time spent with Him. This was the only way to learn His teachings. If they had just met with Jesus on occasion or when they felt like it, they would have been unable to spread His Word effectively. So too must we be devoted and faithful to our support groups and to the good order of the meeting. When we attend our support group meetings, Jesus is there with us. We are meeting to share and learn from His Word, to pray, and to break bread just as the apostles did. Jesus said, “where two or more are gathered in My Name, there am I in your midst.” We should attend support group meetings to be with our Lord and Savior.
The second statute is to faithfully attend other meetings or worship services of the FLC. This is where the “community” part of FLC comes into play. Jesus did not want his apostles to remain cloistered together and shut off from the rest of the world! He told them to venture out and spread His Word among all peoples. So we too must not be totally dependent upon our support groups. We must come together in even greater numbers and share with one another teachings, prayers, songs, troubles, joys, and parts of our lives that bind us together with the Lord. There is strength in numbers and the more people we have coming together in the name of Jesus, the stronger we are against the power of Satan! We can learn much, not only from our Community members, but especially from the priests and guest speakers who come to our meetings and worship services.
Finally, statute # 3: Accept others the Lord adds to our number. The Lord calls us to evangelize and bring all peoples to a greater personal relationship with God. We cannot halfway do the Lord’s Will by keeping His gift of community to ourselves and denying others the opportunity to live a communal life. We must strive to bring as many people as possible to a holy relationship with God and each other. Acts 2: 47 states: “They ate their meals with exaltation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” If we are true to our commitment, the Lord will add to our numbers and help us to grow in strength, love, and the great reward of eternal life.
As we draw near to the season of Lent, I pray that all in Community would solemnly recommit their vows of being a faithful, true servant of God and to the communal way of life. By living the life which He has called us to live, I believe we can help one another to grow in holiness and finally attain eternal life in His heavenly kingdom.
Submitted by Charlie Frederick
5. I shall study God’s Word as it comes to me in the Teaching of the Church and seek to grow as a Christian in the understanding and fulfillment of my vocation in life:
- Faithfully attend courses, retreats, General Assemblies and Recollections of the Family Life Community.
- Diligently study the materials given to me in the Family Life Community.
I feel so strongly about this Commitment that I think it should almost be a Commandment.What greater satisfaction could a Christian have than to be so in tune to God that you would understand and fulfill your Christian duty toward your vocation?
With this being said, I feel that we have a duty and obligation to study and understand God’s Word.This is accomplished through many ways (prayer, reading, meditation, and retreats). Once you have formed a regular routine of these actions, you will then discern the Will of the Father through the Holy Spirit. Once this falls into place, you come to understand God’s plan in your life.
So just think on Judgment Day, when God looks you in the eyes and asks that question, “How did you study my Words, and did you grow in understanding and knowledge so that your vocation in life was fulfilled?”
This is not just a Commitment to Community, it’s a Commitment to God alongside your Christian obligation.
Submitted by Scotty Boudreaux