We all want the best for our families. We pray that each of our family members will be with us in heaven one day. We wish that they would live lives of faith and charity, and not suffer now or throughout eternity in hell. The rich man desperately wanted his brothers to go to heaven. He experienced first-hand the horrors and suffering in Hades, and he wanted his brothers to be spared the same
eternal suffering. He begged Lazarus to go and warn his brothers. Jesus often says that even the wicked care for one another.
In our own families, we may have one (or more) relatives who have left the faith. Some may have even lost their way completely and are living lives contrary to God’s will and the family values they were taught. This is painful for us to watch, especially after we have spoken to them and our words of
caution have been brushed aside. If it is a very close family member, we may live daily with the pain of their waywardness. The only thing we can do is surrender them and our pain to our loving and merciful God.
Who are the people in my life who need encouragement to turn back to God? How can I be more compassionate towards them?
Reflections by Adri Sutherland
