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The Importance of Preserving Family Values and Gratitude


By Fr. Andrew Lemeshonok

Fidelity is the greatest family value. If a partner cheats on another partner, family disappears. It is a breach of trust. People can continue to coexist, sleep in one bed and eat at the same table but it won’t be a family if they don’t trust one another.

You’ve got to fight for your love and for family values. You’ve got to humble yourself down and bear one another’s burdens. Let me give you an example. An individual might think, “I like having fun but my spouse isn’t as lively and energetic as I am. I would like him or her to be more entertaining. See how that other person is having fun! I wish s/he was mine! I’m out of luck…” That’s all, the family is devalued and starts to cringe at the edges. All it takes was one thought, just one thought! If one doesn’t confess it, that thought will stuck in his or her head. And then a Mr. Perfect or Ms. Perfect will appear out of the blue. The person will look at him/her and think about him/her all the time. As far as the former partner is concerned, his or her attraction dissipates, and everything about him or her becomes gray and bland. How horrible it is: just one thought, just one crack, just one brick out of the wall—and that’s the end.

Or take a person who has a certain job. He is satisfied with his work. He is paid and treated well enough, too. Accidentally, that person happens to see a list of his colleagues’ salaries. What does he see? It turns out that he earns less than everyone else. There are other people who work less and earn more. Imagine that?! Just a day before, that person was satisfied and said, “Praise the Lord, I’m so lucky.” Now, he can’t sleep nor eat. He complains that he doesn’t want to work there any longer because he doesn’t get the reward he deserves. See what envy does, even if nothing has changed, in fact.

That is why it is so important to examine ourselves, to control our own minds, and by no means allow sins to nest inside us for a long time. We should go and confess immediately. We should realize that it is wrong. Praise the Lord that others earn more money. Praise the Lord that they are treated better than we are. Praise the Lord that they have better working conditions. I shall thank God for what I have. A grateful person always has enough, believe me.

November 30, 2018
St. Elisabeth Convent

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