Day 9: Home

In this season of my life, I spend a lot of time contemplating how to create a good home for my two young sons. The internet is constantly sharing its opinions on how to parent, discipline, participate, mold in the best way possible. It can be overwhelming, but the other day, I stumbled upon an interview that brought me some clarity and insight. 

A professor of psychiatry shared three actions that allow security in a home- to be seen, soothed, and safe. It struck me that these actions are at the heart of human yearning. How important is it for each of us to feel seen and acknowledged by others, to feel comforted and listened to, and to feel safe enough to be ourselves and accepted as such? It feels vital to creating a home in the highest sense. 

While this interview was about parenting, I see the application of it as necessary for our world today and ultimately what we are being called to as Franciscans and followers of Christ. Home as a word may simply refer to a location but what does the ideal of home represent? A place to feel loved, appreciated, and comforted? A place to be where you are free to be your whole self? A place to be welcomed back time and again? 

In my heart, this description reminds me of God’s embrace. We are at home in God’s presence as God’s children – seen, soothed, and safe in God’s hands. And more than that, we are called to be that presence for others. When we see the poor, the oppressed, the rejected, we are called to see, we are called to comfort, we are called to embrace. Jesus constantly went out of his way to encounter those on the margins of his society, like- the woman at the well, the tax collector, the leper. He showed us that we are all just people going through life with many joys and challenges. Our call is to embrace this reality fully and offer the comfort of home to all those we meet. What would our world look like if we could place walls around one another instead of in between?

Question for Reflection: Who or what helps you feel seen, soothed, and safe in your own home?

Emma Edwards is Associate Director of Franciscan Volunteer Ministry, friend and collaborator of Franciscan Mission Service. Originally from Connecticut, Emma studied media at Catholic University then served with the Augustinian Volunteers where she was placed in Campus Ministry at Merrimack College. She enjoyed her role working with young adults and continued in Campus Ministry for six years before moving to New Jersey with her husband, Edwyn, and meeting the Franciscans. Emma and Edwyn welcomed their first son in 2021 and the second in 2023. In addition to her work with Franciscans, Emma is involved with New Encounters: Catholic Confronting Racism in Philadelphia which creates conversations and programming around racial justice and healing within the Church.