Apr. 2020, Week 2: Person & Relationships

by Soren and Ever Johnson

Christ is risen! Alleluia! May Easter joy spill into your life even in this unusual season of collective loss. We have lost our normal lives and we have lost loved ones and friends. How can we take hold of Easter joy in such a time?

A few minutes of prayer focused on discovering silver linings helps. A stay-at-home order at first sounds like a bad thing, but what if it helps you slow down enough to rediscover the best thing?

In a recent article in Psychology Today, Dr. Joe Michalski cited a number of silver linings to the pandemic. He mentioned that “time normally spent with our loved ones often feels constrained by the pressures of our everyday lives and hectic schedules.” But with more unstructured time at home, we have the chance to recover our best selves and reconnect with our families.

So, as we begin the second week of April with a focus on Level 2 of our Trinity Houses, Person & Relationships, let’s remember the why of Easter. Jesus died and rose so that we could return to a life of interpersonal communion, a life focused on loving and serving people, not on pursuing things and activities. That is the life we were made for in the image of a God who is a trinity of persons.

A Trinity House is a home built on and pulsing with interpersonal communion, communication, bonding, love, service, and the meeting of one another’s needs. As we journey into the joyful reality of Easter, here are three ways to help ensure a strong Level 2 for your Trinity House:  
 
1. Pray for your spouse and children. Now is a time to begin praying for your loved ones in a new and intentional way, daily. When we do this, we become more attuned to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in the course of each day. The Lord will deepen, transform and guide our love for them.  

2. Spend uninterrupted time with your spouse and children. Even when we are all home together, it is remarkably easy to live separate from one another, distanced by our screens, agenda, and personal space. Allow the Lord to break down these “walls” and usher in a new season of love, closeness, and tenderness in your family life. 

3. Open your heart to your spouse and children. If we are not careful, times of crisis can turn us in on ourselves in harmful ways. The lifeblood of your Trinity House — the way in which your family, an icon of the Trinity, mirrors the inner life of God — is communication, in all its many facets. Ask questions, share more — at the dinner table, in family chores, at bedtime prayers — and listen attentively. 

When the crisis comes to an end, we’ll have the option of returning to prioritizing the pursuit of things and activities. Or, we can honor perhaps the deepest message that is present in the crisis: it’s the people who matter and we will never regret making more room for them and for profound healing in our own hearts, marriages, and families.

May the Resurrected Jesus accompany you in this sacred season of Easter! 
Don’t Miss…

We are excited to invite you to sign up for tomorrow or next week’s LIVESTREAM opportunity to attend the Heaven In Your Home Workshop: How to Turn a Crisis into a Time of Grace for Your Family & the World: 

• Tomorrow: Wed., Apr. 15th, 8-9:30 p.m. ET
• Thu., Apr. 23rd, 8-9:30 p.m. ET

Learn more and register here, and then spread the word by forwarding this email to your friends. 

Heaven In Your Home Toolkit  

In case you missed it, here is Pope Francis’ Easter homily, which includes the reminder that, “The Lord goes before us; he goes before us always…to Galilee, that is, to the place which for him and his disciples evoked the idea of daily life, family and work. Jesus wants us to bring hope there, to our everyday life.“

Soren’s column in this week’s Arlington Catholic Herald gives you 10 inspiring phrases to help you move from “shellshock” to “structure” in these unprecedented days. 

“Coronavirus is weaving us together,” writes Abby McCloskey in this inspiring article. This crisis can “remind us how primary our relationships are, and prompt us to dig deeper into them and look forward to being back together again.” 

Scott Stanley offers three keys to a healthy relationship in the shadow of the Coronavirus, courtesy of the Institute for Family Studies. 

A timely observation for your Trinity House in this season: “How families can make the most of the Mass at home,” including a suggestion to have a “space that is set apart” and “the focal space of Eucharistic devotion.” 

The Augustine Institute’s FORMED — a kind of ‘Netflix’ for Catholic content, from movies and audio books to much more — has just reached 100,000 unique users on its platform, each day. If your parish has access to this subscription, take advantage of this great way to go deeper in faith, online. 

Ministry Testimonials

“Heaven in Your Home was a beautiful opportunity to refocus ourselves on how we can bring our family to holiness by drawing them into the life of the Trinity. The ideas were so helpful but also needed as our family continues to grow, so that we don’t lose sight of the main point, to help them get to Heaven!” — Ian Masson, Culpeper, Va

Please Join Us In Prayer  We invite you to keep the following needs in prayer: 

• For all families and households as we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, that we might experience God’s peace and renewal.  
• 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 healthcare professionals, essential workers, clergy, and Church leaders, that the Lord would protect and strengthen them.
• For all those who mourn the loss of loved ones who have died as a result of Covid-19, that they might experience God’s comfort. 
• For all national, state and local leaders, that they would seek wisdom, courage, patience, and prudence as they make decisions impacting our communities.