Bishop Daniel Thomas Challenges Us to Live IT! [Preparing for World Meeting of Families]

[I am sharing Bishop Daniel Thomas' invitation to the faithful in the diocese of Toledo, for more than a moment, but a movement.]

"I have a rather difficult question to ask, but if considered honestly it can pave the way to great joy. Perhaps you’ve even heard it before. It's a question all the great saints have asked.

When you’re on your deathbed, reflecting back upon your life, how you lived, what you lived for… what do you imagine you’ll regret most? Do you think you’ll regret that job promotion you didn’t get? Or the money you didn’t make? Or that thing you didn’t buy?

Again and again the testimony of those who’ve been there is none of these things. Their greatest regret is not having devoted more meaningful time to what matters most in life: building relationships with family and loved ones.

As your Bishop, I want to invite you, and everyone in our diocese into the great adventure of families fully alive, so that we might more fully become holy disciples, holy families and foster holy vocations.

Recent studies show that children on average spend a minimal of 7 hours a day with discretionary media. I’m inviting you to schedule as little as just 30 minutes a week to talk and pray together as a family. To unite us in this adventure, we have engaged Mass Impact to produce a special World Meeting of Families program.

Here’s how it works. Go right now to MassImpact.us. Click on the logo that says “START HERE.” There you will find a simple, one-page, eye-opening inventory that will help evaluate relationships in your family. Our adventure begins when you schedule just 10 minutes with your family in the next two days to complete that Inventory.

Once you've completed it, I encourage you to accept the Live IT Challenge [Page 2]. What is this Live IT Challenge? Every week a new, special World Meeting of Families Edition of the Live IT Gathering Guide will be available for free download at MassImpact.us. This is a fun and engaging way for families to talk and pray based upon the subsequent Sunday readings.

Make the commitment. If you do, I know you will experience God alive in your relationships, and in a whole new way, God alive, fully alive, in our families."