THE DWINDLING VALUE OF FAMILY LIFE The family is the cell of society and the Church. It is the first community where the primary values of life are taught. It is the domestic Church (la chiesa domestica) where we are first catechized about God and the Christian life in general. It is what makes the Church. It is what makes society. Without the family, we cannot talk about the Church just as we cannot talk about society. The position of the family in the Church and society at large is what makes it the most important component of our life. All of us come from families. And the way we conduct ourselves in public life, more often than not, reflects the character of the family we belong to. When we look around today, the value of family life is slowly dwindling. The family which is supposed to be a hive of peace and security has become a nightmare for many children. In stead of enjoying peace and love in the home, many children are going out to look for these values outside. When we go out on the streets we see many children languishing in misery. It is not true that all of them are orphans. Actually, we shouldn’t even have ‘orphans’ because there is always somebody who is supposed to take up the responsibility of taking care of them. We even call them ‘street kids’ as if the street has ever given birth to any child. Some of them even have parents but they can’t stay at home because the environment is not enabling. There is no family life at all. The value of family life is indeed slowly dwindling because we have more fathers and mothers than we have parents. Anybody can be a father or mother, but it is not just anybody that can be a parent because it requires a deliberate moral effort to be one. In many families mothers and fathers are morally absent because there is no parenthood taking place at all. Even when they differ, they do it right in front of their own children without realizing how harmful that is especially to the young ones. Some fathers, sometimes even mothers, don’t have quality time for their children at all because they are too busy. Even as the whole family gathers at home, there isn’t much activity taking place to enhance family life because usually every member of the family is glued to their electronic gadget. Today we have a situation where children are being brought up by cell phones, television sets, internet, etc. The parents are seldom interested to see the kind of things their children are learning from the mentioned gadgets. All this has, to a greater extent, destroyed family life. It is important to emphasize that all of us are called to responsible parenthood. One doesn’t need to have children of their own for them to be a parent. Through one’s moral counsel to those who are under their tutelage, the characteristic of parenthood is able to come out. In conclusion, the family that prays together stands together. We should always put Christ as the center of our families so that when challenges come He may fight with us. Many families fall apart because of lack of prayer. Sharing the word of God together is equally important. We may not immediately realize how this strengthens the family bond, but it surely does. When we listen to God in prayer as a family and obey His word, we are protected from all spiritual as well as physical forces of evil.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:00:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015