Dear Friend, 
 
“Fear, pain, anxiety, betrayal, stress,” our pastor said in his homily last Sunday.
 
“Our emotions are all over the place,” he said, before drawing our attention to the words of Jesus in the Gospel reading: “Be not afraid.” Now is the time to deepen our trust in the Lord, he concluded, no matter which emotions we are experiencing.  
 
In the fourth week of each month, we reflect on Level 4—or Family Culture—of your Trinity House. And if there’s one big family culture conversation in our home at the moment, it’s definitely vacation.
 
But given everything that’s going on in our country, is it selfish, trivial, or tone-deaf to turn our focus toward a family vacation? With “emotions all over the place,” is a vacation realistic?      
 
The third commandment—to rest from our labors—is high up on the Lord’s list for a reason. The Sabbath is the doorway into your own Trinity House, to living with God. Making your home into a little taste of heaven requires stopping once a week to truly rest, give God your worship, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. 
 
A vacation, of course, is not the Sabbath, but the two are linked. If you are truly celebrating the Sabbath as God intended, you’ll glimpse just how important your family vacations are—whether a stay-cation or a getaway—in allowing you to rest in God and draw closer together as a family.
 
“Time given to Christ is never time lost,” John Paul II wrote, “but is rather time gained, so that our relationships and indeed our whole life may become more profoundly human.”
 
We hope and pray that this summer, you and your family can enjoy time together that is Christ-centered and “profoundly more human” as a result. As you plan your vacation, consider some strategies that have worked for us:  
 
1. Deepen your faith on vacation. As you plan, try to incorporate the faith in some creative way. Will you be near a Shrine, basilica or other faith landmark which can draw your family closer to our Lord? Put first things first, and build your family’s worship and prayer into the schedule.
 
2. Deepen your family’s sense of history and roots. Can part of your vacation weave in an angle of your family history? We were married in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the city in which Ever’s mom grew up and where some of our relatives live to this day. When a family vacation finds us in those parts, we’re sure to worship with the kids in the same chapel “where Mommy and Daddy” (and also their grandparents) were married. Whenever it’s possible, we’ll build in a visit to decorate the graves of our ancestors, and tell stories to our kids about generations past. Over time, these traditions impart to our children a sense of rootedness and connection.  
 
3. Expand your horizons together. While we love to build family memories by returning to the same vacation spots, we also know just how valuable it is to set off and try something new together as a family. This summer our kids can’t wait to check off a few new states, and you can sense the anticipation in the air.
 
“Our emotions are all over the place,” as our pastor said. As you seek to spend time away—or in a stay-cation—in the summer months ahead, entrust your emotions to the Lord and seek his blessing on your family’s time together. “Do not be afraid!” Your family’s time together can, by God’s grace, become a memorable time of blessing, rest, and peace.
 
Heaven in Your Home Toolkit
 
From Matthew Kelly: “6 Tips for Having the Best Family Vacation Ever.” Our favorite: “Be present to your family and to the full vacation experience by taking a break from your digital devices.”
 
In case you’re not buying the news about families experiencing renewal, here’s a new study with a focus on how dads are coming to a better appreciation of their role.
 
At Trinity House Community, we spend a lot of time trying to share with others the link we see between daily life and the Trinity. Check out this article on St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, whose life reflected this so beautifully, and who sensed in her life that she was “called to give praise and glory to God whatever she is doing, however she is feeling.”
 
June 22-29 is Religious Freedom Week. Learn more, pray, and advocate for religious liberty by visiting this resource page, courtesy of the Diocese of Arlington.
 
Challenged by the ongoing pandemic and looking for something to help you build momentum in your spiritual life? Consider giving the tried-and-true “examination of conscience” a new try. This article in The Atlantic, “Questions Will Get Me Through the Pandemic,” basically spells out, albeit in secular terms, the virtue of ending the day with an examination.
 
We were blessed to attend the canonization of St. Junipero Serra in 2015 at a Mass in Washington, D.C., celebrated by Pope Francis. Given the number of St. Junipero Serra monuments being pulled down in recent days, the California Catholic Conference statement is worth reading for perspective. After citing Serra’s work on behalf the indigenous, the Bishops write, “if that is not enough to legitimate a public statue in the state that he did so much to create, then virtually every historical figure from our nation’s past will have to be removed for their failings measured in the light of today’s standards.”
 
Testimonial

“We’re not all called to be online entrepreneurs, start awareness movements, or be thought leaders. But all of us are called to love our neighbor, starting at home. Soren and Ever witnessed a poverty of family love and this is their initiative to make a difference, starting in their community. I think you’ll be empowered by their ‘think globally, act locally’ mindset, and you’ll love the richness of the discussion. We get pretty theological in discussing Trinitarian relationships, so pour a good strong cup of coffee and enjoy!” – Stacey Sumereau, in her Called and Caffeinated podcast interview with us last week.

Please Join Us In Prayer 

• For people of all faiths, they they would be free to worship without fear of attacks and harassment. (cf. Religious Freedom Week prayers)
• For forgiveness for the times when we have failed to love and respect one another (cf. USCCB Prayer to Overcome Racism)
• For all local, state and national leaders at this time, that they might lead with wisdom, and that our communities may experience healing, unity and peace.
• For all senior citizens, doctors, nurses, and essential workers, as they continue to face the Covid pandemic.
• For the unemployed, the underemployed, and all those facing difficult financial decisions in these days.
• For the daily ministry of Trinity House Cafe, and the recent Heaven in Your Home Workshop participants, that their families might experience the grace and peace of our Lord as they build their Trinity Houses. 

In Christ, 

Soren & Ever Johnson
Founders & Directors
Trinity House Community
Making Home a Little Taste of Heaven