Acta Francisci Pp. 177

parents who have gone before me? Dreaming is very important. Especially

dreaming in families. Do not lose this ability to dream!

How many difficulties in married life are resolved when we leave room

for dreaming, when we stop a moment to think of our spouse, and we

dream about the goodness present in the good things all around us. So

it is very important to reclaim love by what we do each day. Do not ever

stop being newlyweds!

Joseph's rest revealed God's will to him. In this moment of rest in the

Lord, as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God is also

speaking to us. He speaks to us in the reading we have just heard, in our

prayer and witness, and in the quiet of our hearts. Let us reflect on what

the Lord is saying to us, especially in this evening's Gospel. There are three

aspects of this passage which I would ask you to consider: First, resting in

the Lord. Second, rising with Jesus and Mary. Third, being a prophetic voice.

Resting in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds

and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands

placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that

we can hear God's voice and understand what he asks of us. Joseph was

chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary.

As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph, to make a home for Jesus.

To make a home for Jesus! You make a home for him in your hearts, your

families, your parishes and your communities.

To hear and accept God's call, to make a home for Jesus, you must be

able to rest in the Lord. You must make time each day to rest in the Lord,

to pray. To pray is to rest in the Lord. But you may say to me: Holy Father,

I know that; I want to pray, but there is so much work to do! I must care

for my children; I have chores in the home; I am too tired even to sleep

well. I know. This may be true, but if we do not pray, we will not know

the most important thing of all: God's will for us. And for all our activity,

our busyness, without prayer we will accomplish very little.

Resting in prayer is especially important for families. It is in the family

that we first learn how to pray. Don't forget: the family that prays together

stays together! This is important. There we come to know God, to grow

into men and women of faith, to see ourselves as members of God's greater

family, the Church. In the family we learn how to love, to forgive, to be

generous and open, not closed and selfish. We learn to move beyond our