The Holy Family
Family, Life, and the Body December 26th, 2004
Today is the Feast of the Holy Family, a time to celebrate and remember the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as well as to teach and remind us that the Holy Family is the model and highest example for all families.
The family is under total assault in the secular Western world, which is not surprising. However, the family is no safer among many Protestant communities that claim the name of Christ. Although one would expect gay marriage, divorce, contraception, and abortion from the secular world, it is unfathomable that in the last 100 or so years large chunks of Protestant Christianity have officially embraced divorce, contraception, and abortion as acceptable and are on the way towards acceptance of gay marriage. It’s no wonder that the Feast of the Holy Family seems so counter-cultural. As we approach 2005, the family is in serious trouble, among the secularists and large segments of Christianity.
The Catholic Church correctly opposes the secular assaults on the family, life, and the body and also promotes the strong importance and high value of the family. I leave you with the Catholic Catechism’s comments on the Christian family:
"The
Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of
ecclesial communion, and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church." It is a community of faith, hope, and charity; it assumes singular
importance in the Church, as is evident in the New Testament. (2204)
The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the
communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the
procreation and education of children it reflects the Father’s work of
creation. It is called to partake of the prayer and sacrifice of
Christ. Daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen it
in charity. The Christian family has an evangelizing and missionary
task. (2205)
The relationships within the family
bring an affinity of feelings, affections and interests, arising above
all from the members’ respect for one another. The family is a privileged community
called to achieve a "sharing of thought and common deliberation by the
spouses as well as their eager cooperation as parents in the children’s
upbringing." (2206)
Image from the Art Gallery of the Church of St. Charles Borromeo (Picayune, MS)
December 28th, 2004 at 7:00 am
The church does indeed have a lot of good positions about the importance of families and family life, but I think the church, and most parishes are missing important opportunities. As it stands now, there seem to be very few proactive efforts aimed at building strong families.
For example, it would be great to see parishes have ‘how-to’ programs, such as how to build a better marriage, how to resolve conflicts, how to raise children, how to handle teen sex, and so on. Most parents and families would welcome such proactive measures to help them raise their children and strengthen their marriages because the need is definitely there in most every family. And if the church doesn’t reach out to these families in need, they will get their help elsewhere - and that help may not lead them down a path that is agreeable with the church. Or they may not get help at all.
I may be oversensitive here, but I think that any time the church says we ought to do ‘x’, the church also needs to help people learn how to achieve ‘x’. When I hear the family is ‘under assault’, I wonder who is fighting back, and how.
December 28th, 2004 at 11:30 am
Steve,
You make some good and important points. The Church does need to reach out and provide ways to handle these problems and you give some good suggestions. I’ve been reading about the Theology of the Body by John Paul II recently and think this is a good way to move forward. He not only explains the “negatives” of what we shouldn’t do, but gives the “positives,” i.e. things we should do. It’s great to hear the positive reasons for Catholic moral teachings and why it’s not only the right way morally, but also the best way for us as human beings. I’d like to see that approach taken in parishes and in the Church at large since I think it would have a great impact. I hope to blog on this more as I read more.