Families

In the last week, my youngest niece, Kathleen, got married.  Here we see her with those of her family who were able to make it for the big day.  They do look a happy bunch.  Actually, my sister looks quite trendy with the glasses. 

The wedding happened on a mountain top outside of Brisbane with a pastor doing the honours.  My only reflection is to share how quickly so much change has occurred in my family in such a short period of time. 

I look at my mum and dad, now three years dead, and their lives and lifestyle.  It was so different.  The Catholic Church was one of the firm pillars on which their life and family were based.  Mum and dad were the foundation for the family and everyone in the family respects and loves them to this day.

Still, no matter the place of mum and dad in the family, their strong expression of religion has not been carried over into the generations.  There is within the family, the whole range of just no belonging to any religion to belonging strongly but to something very different from the Catholic Church. 

My personal stance is that the change itself just is.  We live in such different times from my parents' day.  It is neither good nor bad.  It has happened and this is how it stands.  Each to their own, I say, and we all make our choices according to our world view.  What still really gets me is the rapid nature of the change in just one family, mine.  It all happened so quickly.  You go from mum and dad to what we see today.  So different and yet it all originates from the same source and the same love and commitment. 

One thing comes to me as I share this.  I was talking with an Irish colleague this week and we got onto the Irish Church which has been devastated by the abuse issue and its poor handling of it.  Church control was at the centre and it has all disappeared, and so quickly, and so it should.  What my Irish colleague reflected was that religion collapsed in Ireland and it was then discovered that there was little faith.  So it all fell apart with the collapse of the institution.

Here, I keep using that word - religion.  Beyond religion what matters is faith and spirituality.  As long as we have a faith and a spirituality, that is what is core.  I will say no more as I am not here to preach but to reflect and that is ongoing.