When we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we also celebrate our own families. Our families are not perfect. Honestly speaking, most families are a little messy. The purpose of this feast is to show the importance and sacredness of the family as the basic unit of Church life. On this feast of the Holy Family, the Church invites us, to make our natural families into more loving homes.
Late Pope John Paul II on his in the encyclical "Familiaris Consortio" (Family Life) describes the family as a “domestic church,” the foundational Church where holiness is awakened, nurtured and lived out.
The Second Vatican Council elevates the family as a center of faith and mission, a witness to the message of Christ and an agent of transformation.
The family, therefore, is a living reality that is called to be a vessel of peace, defender and herald of the Word, temple of the Spirit, and a steward of God’s love.
Family life is a full time job. Home is where we feel to talk about our tensions, troubles and difficulties. Let us renew our commitment to our God-given duties as spouses, children and parents.
We pray that God will strengthen the bonds of love in our families. Let us also remember to pray for the families are in serious problems so that the Lord will guide them and help them their problems in a Christian way of life and to value and promote the sanctity of the family.
I would like to highlight few questions from the “YouCat” for you to ponder over them or to read before the year end:
# 368. What place does the family have in God’s plan of creation?
# 369. Why are families irreplaceable?
# 370. Why should the State protect and promote families?
# 371. How does a child respect his/her parents?
# 372. How do parents respect their children?
# 373. How should a family live its faith together?
# 374. Why is God more important than the family?
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