The Family: The Domestic Church
“Because the family is the root of society, we want our family to fulfill its vocation: to build the common good.”
 
SCRIPTURE       Psalm 23; 6
“Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me
all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the Lord for endless days.”
 
MEDITATION
God is not solitary. God is a communion of persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Women and men are created in this image and by our very nature, we are meant to belong to a community of persons. By our Baptism, this community is exceptional: It is the family of God. And as God’s daughters and sons, we are called to care for each other, and when we do, we reflect the Trinity and build up our family as the domestic church.
 
CHURCH WISDOM
 “Families transmit a “civilization of love” to societies. Because of the closeness and intensity of the bonds they form, they bring the power to stand up against a consumerist, anti-birth mentality and support each generation within the family.”  John Paul II’s  “Letter to Families”
 
QUESTION
How are families important for society?
How is our family important in our neighborhood and in our Church?
 
FAMILY PROJECT
God calls us to be good citizens and to serve our communities. Consider supporting police officers, firefighters, those holding public office and those in the armed forces. Work with local groups to send care packages and letters to active duty members of the armed forces serving overseas.
Take time to visit elderly veterans to show appreciation for their past service.
Be a blessing  by sharing your family with them!

    The Family: The Domestic Church
“Because God rested on the seventh day, we want to celebrate Sunday together as a family.”
 
SCRIPTURE      Psalm 128; 6
   “May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see Jerusalem’s prosperity all the days of your life, and live to see your children’s children. Peace upon Israel!”
 
MEDITATION
    Sunday is the day of the Lord in which we remember and give thanks for God’s work of creation, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the joy of our faith. Celebrating the sacredness of this holy day each week together as a family strengthens each of us to live out our call to holiness of life.
 
CHURCH WISDOM
  “When he was 12 years old Jesus stayed behind in the temple and it took Mary and Joseph three days to find him. With this action of his, Jesus helped his parents understand that he had to “see to his Father’s affairs”, in other words, to the mission that God had entrusted to him.
  This Gospel episode reveals the most authentic and profound vocation of the family: to accompany each of its members on the path of the discovery of God and of the plan that God has for him or her.
   The Holy Family of Nazareth is an example for every Christian family. United in the Sacrament of Marriage, nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, the family is called to be a sign of understanding and support and an instrument of unity for all of humanity.”

Pope Benedict XVI’s Angelus address, December 31, 2006
 
QUESTION
    What does it mean to me that my family prays and participates in Mass together with me?
    How can I help my family members discover God’s dream for them and how might they help me do the same?
 
FAMILY PROJECT
    Sunday is a special day, a “mini Easter”, when we celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death. Celebrate this day by sharing a special meal as a family and plan a Sunday trip together to a Shrine, or a place of beauty.
Thank each other for being a blessing and a reflection of God to the family.

       The Family: The Domestic Church
“Because the Lord is the God of our ancestors, we want to strengthen the relationships among our family’s generations.”
  
SCRIPTURE   Psalm 105; 1
   “Give thanks to the Lord, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds! You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one! He remembers  forever his covenant, the word he commanded for a thousand generations.”
 
MEDITATION
   Our family defines each and every one of us. Because our parents, grandparents and great grandparents chose life, we are here today. The resemblance from each generation to the next  goes far beyond the physical. There are patterns of giftedness and weaknesses that pass from one generation to the next. Both need to be tended to with reverence, love and courage. Take time to thank God for the gift of the family you have been given.
 
CHURCH WISDOM
  “Family is a vital part of the daily fabric of life; it encompasses a journey of generations who pass on the faith together with love and the basic moral values.
It is concrete solidarity, effort and patience and hope for the future. As it is lived out in the Christian community, family is shown by faith, hope and charity; as this
happens, family becomes the leaven in the dough of society for the greater common good.
   The future of society … is rooted in the elderly and in the young—the young, because they have the strength of promise and are of the age to carry history ahead; the elderly, because they are a living memory of the truth that sustains us . A society that does not take care of its elderly, its children and its youth has no future, for it disregards both memory and promise. Dedicate yourselves to a future full of hope and love for the sake of your families.”

Pope Francis to participants to 47^th  Social Week of Italian Catholic Families
 
QUESTION
   Who is one person in my family that helped to shape my faith? How?
   Why is keeping alive the memory of our history, our family roots important to the shaping of our future?
 
FAMILY PROJECT
   Celebrate your family ancestry by making a family tree and research your family history. Learn about past events that shaped the members of your family to be who they are today. Connect with distant relatives by sending photos, letters or using electronic media. Visit the graves of family members on special occasions like anniversaries, and All Souls Day. Share memories of
how the deceased were a blessing to the family and remember them regularly in your prayer.