“If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.” ~ St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Home is where the heart is. Charity begins at home. Home is where our story begins. A home is made of hope and dreams. There are many quotes — MANY quotes — about the virtues of the home and for good reason. We are shaped at home. We are who we are and do what we do because of what we have experienced in our homes for good or for ill.
I’m sure that was at the basis of Mother Teresa’s admonition to begin changing the world for good at home with family. We cannot be a stable presence in the world if we have an unstable home. We cannot be loving people to the world if we do not love at home. We cannot be forgiving people if we withhold forgiveness at home. Home is where we begin and home is what reinforces our daily attitudes.
The world is a messy place. The world is a miserable place. The world is a cold and unforgiving place. That may very well be because too many homes are the same: messy, miserable, cold, and unforgiving. However, it is never too late to start anew.
If you want the world to be a different place, a more loving place, start at home. Deal with one another lovingly and see how that trickles into the world around you.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for the grace to love your family unconditionally. Do your best to forgive, as well, any family member who may have hurt you.