Hey, wasn’t everything supposed to magically get better when we turned from 2020 to 2021?! But here we are—all seven in the Johnson household still at home seven days a week, without much hope for the resumption of in-school learning for our kids.
For so many families—the probability that we’re driving each other a little crazy is going up every day. In these conditions, it’s easy to slip into a spin-cycle of unhealthy relational patterns. Last week though, we were reminded of a potent aid to family relational quandaries.
In recent months, we’ve extolled storytime, meals, walks, hymn-sings, workshops, family photo walls, and many other game-changers in family life. But none of these puts you in touch in a direct way with the author and healer of all relationships.
Last week, we were running errands in town with our youngest, beginning with a stop in our parish’s Adoration chapel. Inside, time stood still. Candles flickered. Pews and kneelers creaked as people came and went. An aura of reverence and beauty pervaded the turn-of-the-century sanctuary. Our 9-year-old—far from his siblings, Chromebook, and online classes—knelt beside us motionless. We stayed for about 15 minutes, and then were on our way.
“I look at Him, and He looks at me.” That’s what an old man told Saint John Vianney when asked what he said to Our Lord during Adoration. This simple, mutual gaze—between Jesus and our families—is a gift powerful beyond words. And we admit, we need to be much better about receiving this gift.
Call it an “Adoration date.” When we stop by as a family, couple, or with one of our children for a visit with Jesus—to gaze on Him, and receive His gaze—we open our families, with all of our relational issues, hurts, and wounds, to the Lord’s healing love. We kneel before the Son of God, present to us in a way that is so immediate.
“The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship,” St. John Paul II wrote. “Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in Adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease” (Catechism, 1380).
That evening, after Adoration, we couldn’t help but notice that our time with our son was reoriented in the best kind of way. He seemed less agitated, whiny, and pushy—and more peaceful, kind and even generous. Our Adoration date with him lifted the entire evening to Christ, transforming what would otherwise have been merely a hodgepodge of grocery shopping and other errands.
To be clear, we should not be going on Adoration dates with our spouse, family, or individual children with the primary goal of “behavior modification.” We go to meet Jesus for Himself. That said, our encounter may be the prelude to the healing our families so desperately need.
A new digit on the calendar will not change our lives. But if we make time to gaze at Him—and receive His gaze—something in this year can definitely change for the better. So let’s journey into this year, confident and joy-filled that we have been offered the gift of encountering Jesus in the sacrament of His love!
Heaven In Your Home Toolkit
“Adoration: Eucharistic Texts and Prayers” (Amazon) is a resource we have enjoyed taking with us to Adoration over the years. The book contains meditational texts that can serve as a springboard for prayer, lectio, and contemplation.
“What Do We Do in Adoration” is an accessible 5-min. video by Fr. Josh Johnson (Ascension Presents). Check out what he means by his “ARRR” approach.
Bishop Barron “On Eucharistic Adoration” is a poignant 6-minute video reflection on Christ’s presence in the “silence of the tabernacle,” with references to the role of Adoration in the life of St. John Paul II, Jacques Maritain, and St. Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).
“A Beginner’s Guide to Adoration” by Caitlin Sica (Lifeteen) provides good practical advice.
“Why (and How) to Bring Your Kids to Adoration” by Sara Estabrooks (Catholic Link) offers some helpful suggestions, including this: “Start small: try five minutes, ten, fifteen, back to five…work your way up to a reasonable goal.”
It’s been a while (May of last year, with “Rediscovering What Really Matters“) since we cowrote a piece for our diocesan paper, the Arlington Catholic Herald. In this week’s issue, we look to New Year’s resolutions, your family, and your Trinity House in “The Why of It All in 2021.”
“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.
For safety and healing for all those impacted by COVID-19, and for all medical personnel;
For the ministry of Trinity House Community, including the staff of Trinity House Cafe, and all individuals and families who are seeking to reflect the life of the Trinity in their homes.
Soren & Ever Johnson
Founders & Directors
Trinity House Community
Making Home a Little Taste of Heaven
