# Advent Week 3: Loving, Being Loved, and Going Beyond Justice
*2016-12-15*

> Bill Young reflects on the third week of Advent, exploring Mother Teresa’s call to love and be loved in the family, and Pope Francis’ teaching that justice and mercy are united, concluding with a consecration of families to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

## Our Vocation of Loving and Being Loved

We begin with Isaiah 64:8: “O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Mother Teresa reminds us that we were created for a greater purpose: to love and be loved. She urges us to examine the poverty that exists not only in material lack but also in the absence of love within our own families. Holiness starts at home, where we give love to spouses, children, and siblings. Our vocation is not defined by where God places us, but by how fully we offer our love in whatever situation He gives us.

## Challenges of Spiritual Food in the Family

Bill shares a personal struggle: his son, raised Catholic, now questions the existence of God. This highlights the difficulty of providing spiritual nourishment, especially when those closest to us seem distant from faith. The call is to pray that God awakens in them a desire to love Him, just as He loves us, and to model that love ourselves.

## Beyond Justice to Mercy and Love

The Friday reading from Tobit 3:2 says, “You are righteous, O Lord, and all your deeds are just; all your ways are mercy and truth; you judge the world.” Pope Francis explains that justice and mercy are not opposed but are two dimensions of a single reality that lead us toward the fullness of love. Justice is essential for civil society, but mercy reveals God’s willingness to offer sinners a new chance. True justice incorporates mercy, allowing love to be its foundation.

## Consecration of the Family to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Bill leads a prayer consecrating families to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He asks that, under Mary’s motherly protection, families may live in harmony like the Holy Family of Nazareth, with honesty, generosity, and a willingness to sacrifice personal comforts. He prays that Mary’s heart, united with the heart of Jesus, will guide families toward peace on earth and the hope of reunion in heaven.

*Advent invites us to deepen love within our families, uniting justice with mercy, and to place our homes under Mary’s Immaculate Heart.*