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Celebrating Family
Today is the first day of Advent, and we will celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ on Christmas in just three and a half weeks. As we journey with Mary and Joseph, awaiting the coming of our Lord this Advent season, it's a good time to reflect on the role of marriage and family in the Catholic Church.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1604, tells us, “God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love.90 Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good, very good, in the Creator's eyes. And this love which God blesses is intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of watching over creation: "And God blessed them, and God said to them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.'"91
Family and marriage are fundamental aspects of any Catholic’s life. Family is the creation of God, and marriage is at its core. Family life is a reflection of the Catholic Church, and the Church believes that how we act toward our family and loved ones directly influences how we interact with the world as a whole. In many ways, how we treat our loved ones and family is how we treat God, as we are all created in His image and glory.
The following quotes about family, given to us by the saints, remind us of the importance of love, obedience, and respect within family life.
St. John Chrysostom wrote, “When husband and wife are united in marriage they no longer seem like something earthly, but rather like the image of God Himself.” With his quote, Saint John Chrysostom enlightens us on the glory and wonder of the sacrament of marriage, which is, ultimately, a reflection of God’s image. The union of husband and wife and how each treats one another is a reflection of our relationship with God Himself.
“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” St. John Paul II tells us that if we want our Church to remain holy, we must ensure our families are holy. Our families must be a place where God is encountered first. The Scripture teaches us that creating a holy family begins with the unconditional love of husband and wife, rooted in Christ’s love.
“If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.” St. Teresa of Calcutta reminds us of the importance of our family and how our home is a smaller version of the world. When we show love and compassion to our families, we can bring happiness to the world itself. With love, empathy and respect for our families, we can be the change we want to see around us.
St. Therese of Lisieux tells us, “The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.” Saint Therese’s quote signifies the importance and depth of the love between mother and child. The bond between a mother and her children is directly modeled on our love and devotion to God and represented by the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Lord God, from you every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.
Father, you are Love and Life.
Through your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman, and through the Holy Spirit, fountain of divine charity, grant that every family on earth
may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love.
Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world.
Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weakness and trials through which our families sometimes pass.
Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family.
Through Christ our Lord, who is the Way,
the Truth and the Life for ever and ever.
Amen.
-Prayer of St. John Paul II
~St. Luke's Life, Justice, and Peace Ministry
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