CAYABAN, Anne Marie L.

3AR3 SCL “Healing the Family Tree”

Making a family tree is such a primary school project, but this activity made me realize the
importance of each family member which we often forget.

I never met my great grandparents so all I heard from them were good stories told by my
parents but if there’s one thing I know is that they are all very traditional as they have been
brought up in a traditional family. Much like my great grandparents, my grandparents are also
very traditional and the stories I know about them are both shared to me as well.

“The indissolubility of marriage – ‘what God has joined together, let no man put asunder’ (Mt
19:6) – should not be viewed as a ‘yoke’ imposed on humanity, but as a ‘gift’ grant​ed to those
who are joined in marriage… God’s indulgent love always accompanies our human journey;
through grace, it heals and transforms hardened hearts, leading them back to the beginn ​ ing
through the way of the cross” (#62).

“The married couple are therefore a permanent reminder for the Church of what took place on
the cross; they are for one another and for their children witnesses of the salvation in which they
share through the sacrament” (#72).

Family life is definitely not easy. It has one of the biggest missions to spread the good news and
be a good contribution to the society. I can proudly say that I grew up in my family because of
the values they have instilled in me to be a good woman and a good citizen.

One of the biggest issues my family has encountered is consistent cheating. As an old saying
goes, “history repeats itself” and it does apply to my family. My grandfather in both sides of the
family both had the worst history of cheating and then there’s my father who also cheated on my
mother multiple times. I can say that mothers truly are our​ “ilaw ng tahanan”​. As per Amoris
Laetitia, ​“Mothers are the strongest antidote to the spread of self-centred individualism… It is
they who testify to the beauty of life”.192 Certainly, “a society without mothers would be
dehumanized, for mothers are always, even in the worst of times, witnesses to tenderness,
dedication and moral strength” (#174).

Dear Lord,

You are our refuge and strength. You guide us through our weakest times and darkest days.
You have been there for my family through the ups and downs. I thank you. I thank you for
never letting us decide with weak hearts. I thank you for never letting my family out of your love
and guidance. I thank you that through those challenges we learned how to love better and be
better to our neighbors. I thank you that you made us see what it means to be a family and for
guiding us through that never ending journey.