The Bonds that Hold

The first chapter of this video series presents the Lilliebridge father and sons and the trials and tribulations they faced. As young fathers and sons living in crime ridden neighborhoods, they had to do what needed to be done to survive and provide for the family, and their bond is what was necessary for success.

A large part of the American experience is the idea of personal autonomy and the sheer necessity of independence. These things are good and well but the American way does not always fall in line with the Catholic way. The Catholic Church at its core, at its origin, at its essence is not a business, a building, a nonprofit, an organization, no, it is a family.

The survival of a family depends on unity. The strongest bonds can withstand the test of time. Throughout the Church’s 2000 years of existence it has gone through triumphs, struggles, failures, and a whole multitude of ups and downs. Our family extends not just around the world with all of our fellow Church Militants (the church on Earth)  but also with those who have passed away to the Church Expectant (those in purgatory) and the Church Triumphant (those in heaven). And the communication, the bond has never stopped. We pray for each other here on Earth, we pray for those in purgatory awaiting the beatific vision, and we ask for those in heaven to pray for us. As a family we always have and always will be learning, growing, and we are guaranteed by scripture that “…the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it,” Matthew 16:18.

“At age 18 you’re considered an adult but that’s just a number just an age but you have to act that way, become an adult.” – Eric Lilliebridge. 

The whole purpose of the New Evangelization is to evangelize the already catechized, or supposedly catechized. There are many adults in the Church but that does not mean they are an adult in their faith (whether they are Confirmed or not).  Lent is a useful time for people to quiet themselves and enter the desert.

“I’m not going to lie about their lifts.” – Eric Lilliebridge

“This isn’t how life should be, you break the chain.” Ernie Lilliebridge

Lent is a powerful time of reflection if one takes the time and initiative. Unless we reflect on how we are living we can’t seek a remedy. I think a lot of people who consider themselves Christian think they are headed straight to heaven like the title is a get in free card. There’s a common ideology that being Christian means being a good/nice person, so that means I’m ok because I’m good/nice. But this isn’t so. No where in scripture does Jesus say to be good or be nice to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. He does say to love though. And to love means sometimes not being nice. In Eric’s quote above he expresses about how he couldn’t support his dad or brother if he were lying to them about their lifts. If their form is bad, or if they are slacking, telling them that they are doing great will not help their progress nor keep them safe under the bar. So in the same way we have to be honest with ourselves about our faith journey before we can lead others, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam is in your eye?”, Matthew 7:3.

Lent’s a perfect time to hunker down and “break the chain”, because Ernie is right, “this isn’t how life should be”. The Lilliebridge family was in a situation in an unhealthy environment so they picked themselves up and moved out. We should do the same for our spiritual health. If we are in a state of addiction or sin we should use Lent to help us break “break the chain”.

"Journey to Cap" Chapter I: The Bonds that Hold

To see what Father Barron has to say about love not being about being nice check this video out.To go straight to love go to 7:13.

Faith, Hope, and Love: A Commentary by Fr. Barron