For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is name, that according to the riches of his glory… [that you may] know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
~ Ephesians 3:14, 15 &19
Marriage and Family were created by God (Genesis 1:27-28, Genesis 2:22-24), so that we His people could live as he does, in love and unity and reflect His presence in the world by the way we live as a family. Through this, we see that God has a clear vision and purpose for Christian families
Psalm 128 depicts the ideal Christian family as it brings us to the threshold of a peaceful and tranquil home, its family sitting around a festive table enjoying the blessings of the Lord.
However, the reality of our family life is often far from blissful and tranquil as we struggle against the forces at work in the world which create chaos and confusion in our families thus causing our families to move away from the plan of God. But we are still called to align ourselves with God’s vision and purpose for our families.
When looking at vision and purpose God has for our family we need to begin by taking a long careful look at God Himself since God created the family so that we as a family may reflect Him, The Trinity – The Divine Family. The very nature of God is a family. The Father of the family loves the Son and the Holy Spirit so totally that He gives Himself completely to them and the Son and Holy Spirit do the same. They are so unconditional in their love for each other, giving themselves to each other with an infinite generosity which makes three distinct persons our one true God. The fact that God is family has implications for every man, woman and child. Why? Because we are all made in the image and likeness of God. We must allow ourselves to be made one through the binding power of true and divine love that God pours into our hearts through the Holy Spirit {Romans 5:5}.
It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of selfless love in the plan of God for marriage and family. This love is first of all to be a unitive love. This love leads a man and a woman to communicate their love for each other through various means like gifts and words of endearment leading to the highest form of communication in marriage – a complete giving of one to the beloved so the two become one flesh.
This oneness between the spouses is possible only by grace that God bestows through the Sacrament of Matrimony and which a couple needs to sustain through prayer and the Sacraments. Their oneness is not the only purpose of the love they share. The purpose of marriage is also to foster PROCREATIVE LOVE. As it is with God the nature of this human love is also to bear fruit, rich and abundant. God intended that the love of the husband and wife would not only produce unity but would bring forth children through their mutual self-giving and surrender to each other. When this happens, they become one in a deeper way. The parents grow in unity as they selflessly lay down their lives to work together to protect and raise their children in the ways of the Lord.
There is now a three-way giving and a true trinity to their love, so any selfishness and individualistic tendencies would damage their relationships. The man must now share his wife’s love with his children and the wife has to do likewise. The children are called to love their parents by honouring and respecting their parents and thus give themselves to the parents and do their bit to bring about unity. In doing so, through these intertwining relationships each one does their part in building the oneness of their family life.
If our families are called to reflect God then the love and unity we share must be seen in the nitty-gritty of our day to day life as a family. Our families must be Christ-centered and built on the Word and the teachings of Jesus Christ. We need to believe that children are a reward of God (Psalm 127:4) and live out the culture of life. We need to train our children in the ways of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6) and prepare them to withstand the onslaught of a culture bent on indoctrinating young people with secular values. Our homes must be places where we uphold the culture of lives and live out the values that Christ lived out on earth, values that reflect the nature of God. We need to live out the values of charity, compassion, tender mercies, loving-kindness, forgiveness, sharing and caring.
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