Mar. 2020, Week 3: Household Economy

by Soren and Ever Johnson

In the span of less than a week, we find ourselves in a profoundly new and difficult moment in the life of our nation, our world — and yes, for each of us personally. How quickly things can change! 

Our five kids are home now, indefinitely. The flowers our daughter was growing in pots in her classroom can now be found on windowsills in our dining room. The pianos are now thundering all day rather than just in the late afternoon and evening! The regional spelling bee, just two weeks ago now, seems like another era.

Perhaps like you, we sense that we are being presented with a rather stark choice: in this time, we will either draw closer as a family and intentionally lead our children to discover what the Lord has in store for us in the weeks and months ahead, or we will stumble about, reacting anxiously to daily events without a plan, without a north star, without hope.

Granted, simply being intentional will not make the coming weeks easy or painless. Far from it. But intentional spiritual leadership in our homes — actually having and working a plan — will open up channels of grace which otherwise would arguably have remained closed off. 

As you’ll recall, in the third week of each month, we focus on ways to encourage you in building Level 3 –Household Economy– of your Trinity House. While many must still report to work at their jobs, never could we have imagined that this third week of March would find hundreds of millions of families confined largely to their homes. 

“I am thinking of families who are cooped up,” Pope Francis said in his homily on March 16th. “May the Lord help them to discover new ways, new expressions of love, of living together in this new situation. It’s a beautiful opportunity to creatively rediscover affection…. Let’s pray for families so that the relationships within the family at this moment might flourish always for the good.”

What new ways of living together are you finding in this unprecedented season? What challenges have you already faced as a household or family? Granted, it’s early, but what are some of the key ingredients of your leadership plan for the weeks ahead?  

Perhaps it’s a daily family walk, a family schedule which you’ve cobbled together after a family meeting, or a daily check-in call to a senior citizen neighbor…   

Whatever you’re learning, we’d like to know! Next week, we will feature as many of your answers, ideas, discoveries, and challenges as possible, in an effort to share emerging practices, routines, or ‘micro-practices’ which can help other families in developing their own plan.

Heaven In Your Home Toolkit  

Here are two prayers to print up and include for your next family prayer time: one from Bishop Burbidge,  and the other from Archbishop Gomez.  

Stacey Sumereau of the “Called and Caffeinated” podcast is spearheading a free, online “Be Not Afraid Conference” beginning March 20th. Those who sign up will receive a daily email with a link to an inspiring video or other content. Stacy describes this as “an online conference for all those who are anxious, afraid, bored, spiritually starving, or isolated” and “an opportunity to turn isolation into a fruitful retreat.” 

In a poignant essay, “Love in the Time of Coronavirus,” Techwise Family author Andy Crouch makes an important point about our opportunity to renew home life amidst this difficult moment: “We can reclaim the household as the fundamental unit of personhood, the place where we all are best known and cared for.” He continues, “We have a window of opportunity to rebuild the foundation of all real love and care — a circle of people, related to one another as brother and sister, who know and are known, love and are loved, and who move out in service to the world.”

Given St. Joseph’s Feast Day on March 19th, consider reading this column by Soren on St. Joseph’s “effacement” and “hiddenness.” In this unprecedented moment, as we lead our homes in confinement and “hiddenness,” we would do well to reflect on the witness of St. Joseph within the Holy Family. 

Don’t Miss…

Heaven In Your Home Workshops:  We are working to bring you Heaven in Your Home Workshop opportunities by livestream. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the launch of our Heaven in Your Home Gatherings has been postponed. We’ll let you know as soon as they are back on schedule.  

Please Join Us In Prayer  

We invite you to keep the following needs in prayer and thanksgiving: 

• For all families and households in this anxious and uncertain time, that they would draw close to the Lord in daily life and lead those entrusted to them heavenward.
• For all senior citizens and those at risk, that the Lord will protect them, and that they will experience the care and love of those around them. 
• For all national, state and local leaders, that they would seek wisdom, courage, patience, and prudence as they make decisions impacting our communities.   
• For Trinity House Cafe’s Missionary Program, that the Lord would send young adults to serve the Church and the community of Leesburg.
• For all families, that they would seek to truly understand each unique member in order to increase their interpersonal communion.