How important is family life to you?

THE CATHOLIC FAMILY: WHERE GOD MAKES HIS HOME
Isaiah 66:10–14 | Luke 10:1–12, 17–20

Morally, our world seems to have lost its bearings.  The values many of us were taught by our parents, values rooted in God’s law and centuries of Christian living, are being upended. Today, so much of life is lived without reference to God, as if His commandments no longer matter.  But they do matter.  And it must be said clearly from our pulpits: the faith and moral teaching passed down to us remain true.  If our parents were alive today, many would ask with sorrow, “What has gone wrong with our world?”  So this homily must be preached, to reaffirm the faith we received and were called to pass on.

The family is the basic cell of society, and the Christian family is the foundation of the Church.  From the very beginning, God's plan for humanity included the family.  The first vocation in Scripture is to family life.  God created the human family to mirror His own divine love.

Every human family is meant to reflect the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  Just as the love between the Father and the Son gives rise to the Holy Spirit, so too the love between a husband and wife overflows in the gift of a child.  The strength of both Church and society depends on the health of this fundamental unit: the family.

Yet today, many cultural forces seek to undermine the family.  That is why we must affirm its beauty and central place in God’s plan.  Today’s readings speak of peace and joy: “Rejoice with Jerusalem… Peace to this house!”  These are blessings God wishes to bestow on every family that welcomes Him.

The foundation of family life is the love between a man and a woman.  In Genesis, when God sought a companion for man, He created a woman, not another man.  While we must show compassion and respect to all, it remains clear that a same-sex union cannot fulfill God’s design for marriage or become the foundation of a human family.  This is not about denying anyone’s dignity, but about upholding God’s revealed will.

In that same Genesis story, the man accepts the woman as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” - a beautiful recognition of shared dignity.  Their public commitment before God and others is what we call marriage.  For baptized Catholics, marriage should be celebrated in the Church, before a priest and two witnesses. It is not merely a private arrangement but a sacred covenant.

This love is also meant to endure “until death do us part.”  It is a lifelong commitment that creates the stable environment in which love can grow and children can thrive.  It requires daily acts of self-giving, forgiveness, and fidelity - just as Christ loved His Bride, the Church, even to death on a Cross.

The exclusive union of husband and wife includes the gift of sexuality.  Our culture may scoff at chastity, but as Catholics, we are called to witness to the holiness of fidelity within marriage and virginity before it.  We must encourage our young people to live chastely, offering themselves as pure and loving gifts to their future spouses.

Marriage is also, by its nature, open to life.  God’s command to Adam and Eve was, “Be fruitful and multiply.”  Children are not obstacles but blessings, the crowning glory of married love.  We are reminded today of the sacredness of life from conception.  We pray for an end to abortion, and for healing for those who have suffered its pain.

To be truly pro-life means more than opposing abortion.  It means welcoming life with open hearts.  Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.”  In marriage, we are asked to remove any barriers to life.  Thus, the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, teaches that the unitive and procreative dimensions of marital love must remain inseparable.  Artificial contraception opposes this unity.  God asks couples to trust Him in the timing and number of children - to receive each child as a gift from Him.

The family is also the domestic Church, the first school of love and faith.  It is in the home that children first learn to pray, to forgive, to serve, and to believe.  Where families pray together, God makes His home.

Let us pray today for all families, especially those suffering from loss or separation.  May God’s healing love restore their hearts.  And may all parents rise to the high calling of raising children in faith and love, guiding them toward Heaven.

Lord Jesus, we ask You to bless every Catholic family.  Strengthen the bond of love between husband and wife.  Help all mothers and fathers to fulfil their sacred calling.  May every child grow up in a home filled with love, dignity, and faith.  May our families be Your dwelling place. Amen.

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