https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/07/21/covid-mask-wear-pro-life-catholic-james-martin

July 4, 2021 Homily

Chances are you already have an image in mind when you think of the “perfect” family. Perhaps it’s a family in your parish or in your neighborhood. Perhaps it’s what you imagine other people are saying about your family!

The problem with the notion of a “perfect” family — whether it’s yours or someone else’s — is that it is simply not true. As Catholics we know that only God is perfect. Every human being has faults, weaknesses and failings. Not even the greatest saints, who led extraordinary lives of holiness, were perfect! They all made mistakes. (*Cough — St. Augustine — cough!*) And so do we. And so do our families.

Constantly worrying about keeping up with the Joneses and fretting about what the neighbors will think is doing a huge disservice to the family you’ve worked so hard to create. After all, it’s your family — your quirky, weird, unique family — that loves one another in good times and in bad, even though it doesn’t always feel like it. What’s more, we can only see the surface of the Joneses’ families, and the neighbors are worrying about what we think about them, too. (Can you believe those lawn ornaments?) In other words, we can never really know the truth of anyone else’s family. It’s better to focus on and love the gift of the family God has given us.

So if you’re worried that someone else’s family is “perfect” and yours is not, there’s good news: It doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some simple ways to keep priorities in the right place:

• CUT THE COMPARISONS. If you ever want to feel terrible, do a little “comparative living.” Compare your family to others that have more money, more time, better lawns, smarter children, cuter dogs, more popular dishes at the potluck. The hard part about wanting our families to constantly be “better” is that there’s never any end to it. The thing about comparisons is that there’s always someone else to compare ourselves to. And if you’re one of those families that truly believe that you are better than everyone, it might be time to look into that “humility” thing we Catholics value so much.

• CURB THE IMAGINATION. When we let our imaginations run wild, we paint false pictures of what other families are like. Whether we paint a rosy picture or a dark picture, we do other families a disservice by turning them into something that they are not. When we find ourselves starting to imagine what other families are like, we can stop ourselves by offering a prayer for the other family instead.

• CHECK THE EXPECTATIONS. When our expectations for perfection are out of line, we usually feel miserable. We have to remind ourselves that no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. But the Lord has promised to be with us always, and if we place all of our cares in his hands, we can count on him to give us the inspiration, support and courage that we need to live our lives according to his will.

• COUNT THE BLESSINGS. Finally, the best way to keep everything in perspective is to thank God for all of the good things that he has bestowed on us and on our family members. We may not be perfect, but we can count on God’s grace to help us in every way!

This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Greetings!
 I am Fr. Tom Babu, Pastor here and welcome to Saint Teresa of Avila Parish!  I am delighted to have you visit our website to learn more about our parish family.  At Saint Teresa of Avila Parish, we are committed to welcoming and supporting every parishioner to become a disciple of Christ, building God’s Kingdom through our prayer, service and outreach to others in faith. We strive to bring to life the words of our mission: “We are called to love one another and to share our gifts of time, talent, and resources to welcome and to bring our faith to all people.”  Working together, we seek to build a strong parish community where all feel welcome and inspired by the Gospel to live Jesus’ mission with faith, hope and love.  I invite and encourage you to connect with the members and ministries of our parish community and look forward to meeting you personally.
 
Saint Teresa of Avila Parish has been in service to the community in the pursuit of serving God since 1860! We try to keep the Parish moving ahead with technology and convenience for our Parishioners, and have just rolled out a brand new OnLine Giving program to make it so very easy to make regular and special offerings to Saint Teresa. We are on Facebook and have the Parish App where you can find us.

If there is anything we can do to help you in your journey with God, please do not hesitate to contact me, or our parish team. You can find many of our contacts on the staff page here on our website.
 
Our parish seeks to offer as many opportunities for parishioners to come together in faith as possible. If there is a personal or family need that arises, please know that our parish staff is always available to assist you in any way we can.  I pray that you may find warmth, encouragement and spiritual growth in our parish here in Carson City and I look forward to getting to know you personally in the weeks and months ahead when we gather around the Altar to celebrate our Faith. Most importantly, please make worship at one of our six weekend masses a regular part of your life. The Holy Eucharist is the lifeblood of the community where are fed by our Lord in Word and Eucharist and where we form deeper bonds with one another and become a family. You are a part of the body of Christ and every part is valued and needed.
 
May God bless you and your family in your journey of Faith.  
 
Sincerely yours in Christ, 
 
Fr. Tom Babu