Life jackets, voting and the Synod on The Family

You may not think the above title makes any logical sense, but my almost three year old may have made have come up with a good idea of dealing with this election year.

My son really didn't want me to go vote.  He was adamant he didn't want to go.

I asked him why he was so worked up and he said he really didn't want to wear a life jacket.

I explained I was voting, not going on a boat.  "Mommy's going to help pick the next president in the White House" which then made him want his Lego White House.  "President" to him just means an awesome house with a cool basketball and tennis court.  Crisis averted by re-direction.  When I got him buckled up in his carseat, he said "go to community garden or library but no boating!"    When we got to the middle school where we vote,
he had a look of relief and said, "there is no boat or water here"

But maybe he was thinking along the right lines.  Sometimes I certainly wish we  had life jackets to get through this election...

Times seem uncertain now, sometimes even our religious beliefs and Church seems to be in uncertainty..

I was part of an interesting discussion regarding the synod on marriage and the family, and many of us were trying to sort through what the media said, what the Pope actually said, and the stalwart doctrine of the Catholic Church.

One member of the group put it well when he said Pope Francis' comment along the lines that irregular marriage does not deprive people of sanctifying grace, (which some seem to think that this makes divorce and remarriage no longer a sin in any situation) does not turn Catholic teaching on its head but is more like an endpoint.  Every one of us makes mistakes and there is never a point where anyone, including myself, makes a mistake that forever cuts them off from God.

A great resource on Pope Francis' document on marriage is the following; 12 Things to Know and Share on Pope Francis Document on the Family

"No need for panic.  The boat of Peter may be in turbulence.  But it will never sink.  It will always arrive at its shores because Jesus is in it."

From John Olorunfemi Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Nigeria in "Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family.  Essays from a Pastoral Viewpoint."  Ignatius Press.  San Francisco 2015.   A beautiful book discussing the Synod on the Family as well as mercy.

That is a good reminder for everyone.  No need to panic.  While I wish I had a life jacket to get me through this next election year, I'll try to focus on the fact that God will see us through this, just as He always has.

The above is a picture I took from the Ring of Kerry in Ireland in 2007