Fr. Al Lauer...

The purpose of 'family divisions.'
The Lord's order for family is that our brothers and sisters in the Church are to have and take priority over our natural, nuclear family! Did you know that? I am only recently learning about it, as a Catholic. It sounds so odd and even wrong, but Fr. Lauer is correct. Some if not most families begin in a "wrong way," i.e. not "in" God's perfect will, and can only be healed and brought into submission to the Lord Jesus by being 'dismantled by Him' and rebuilt. Truth DOES and will divide. But Truth divides to heal. So in a sense, Love/Truth divide people, but love doesn't subtract. Carnal love, pleasure-seeking love subtracts, it "takes away" from others to please only ourselves. It breaks up homes. God IS LOVE. Love divides and might 'cause some painful division, but onlyto mend and make new, to restore and bring to life.

If your spouse were to tell you to 'forsake Mass' and have coffee with him/her instead, you would have to obey Jesus, and not your husband or wife. You could make it clear that you'd be glad to meet him/her for coffee after Mass, or better yet, come with me and we'll go together after Mass. If they seem cold or become mad about your desire to be at Mass, then it's THEIR problem to work out, not yours to carry and feel guilty about. Selfish, narcissistic love subtracts and destroys relationships in families for a impure end.

Father's take on this is quite insightful, an 'eye-opener' and it's surely something to think about, a lesson for all of us. Our family began with two very young, selfish people. I was truly much more selfish than my husband and I still am! However, it's taken 33 years to come to see how selfish we really were...and there's so much water under the bridge. We move on, but we also realize that now we have to take stands on so many things, life and death issues in politics (which come up in many gatherings) and remain faithful to the Church and Her teachings rather than, go along to 'get along.' IT's a hard thing to do, but Jesus didn't say it would be a stroll through the tulips. It's really the only way to grow in the faith, in hope and in love and be healed, renewed, restored and brought into the FULLNESS of TRUTH and LIFE.