“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance. . . . Coming to his senses he thought:
Here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son.'”  Luke 15:11-19

In many ways, we too take what our parents gave us and leave home (physically and mentally) to build lives for ourselves, often becoming too busy with our own pursuits – often separating ourselves from our childhood families.

Let us think about our childhood families as we come to Mass this weekend. In gratitude for the sacrifices and the bonds created during those formative years, let us ask for God’s blessing upon the members of our childhood families and during the coming week let us consider taking time from our busy schedule to be present in thought, prayer and actions with our parents and siblings, living and deceased.