Family joys

This is a picture of family fun. I love to think of my own family when we would be gathered around the fire in the fireplace; we would toast marshmellows and read. We also used to pile into my parents' double-bed on Sunday mornings to have the comics read to us. Then, my Dad would make breakfast for us. He had one recipe that he just juggled around -  I have never eaten better biscuits or crepe-suzettes. He made shirred eggs baked with bacon around them and, as I have never seen them anywhere, I suspect it was an original creation of my Dad's. He was a good cook, but left the kitchen to be cleaned up by us.

If I am sharing family memories, it is partly because of the Pope's "The Joy of Love". Here is another quote as the Pope stresses the value and the joy of work:

"The Book of Proverbs also presents the labour of mothers within the family; their daily work is described in detail as winning the praise of their husbands and children (cf. 31:10-31). The Apostle Paul was proud not to live as a burden to others, since he worked with his own hands and assured his own livelihood (cf. Acts 18:3; 1 Cor 4:12; 9:12). Paul was so convinced of the necessity of work that he laid down a strict rule for his communities: "If anyone will not work, let him not eat" (2 Th 3:10; cf. 1 Th 4:11).

25. This having been said, we can appreciate the suffering created by unemployment and the lack of steady work, as reflected in the Book of Ruth, Jesus’ own parable of the labourers forced to stand idly in the town square (Mt 20:1-16), and his personal experience of meeting people suffering from poverty and hunger. Sadly, these realities are present in many countries today, where the lack of employment opportunities takes its toll on the serenity of family life. "

Let us pray today for all those who cannot find work...