A family is a community that really enjoys the joy of love. To form such a family every member must possess the theological virtue of faith. It is absolutely essential. Nothing else can and will give you this joy. It is through faith that Jesus lives in you and you live in Him. Every family must become a holy temple where the Holy Trinity dwells in perfect joy.
To form a family of love, joy, peace (theological virtues) communion between husband and wife is an “inevitable must”. “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife and the two become one body, one soul. Hence let no one split apart what God has made one”( Mt. 19:5,6). Our Lord very clearly tells us: “Without me you can do nothing” (Jm 15:5). To live a good family life the anointing of the Holy Spirit is very very important. There are ever so many Godless families today. The proof of the pudding is in the eating of it. This year there are 40,000 cases in the various family courts filed for divorce. How do they all forget the sublime truth that a family is not an inn but a ‘big’ temple.
Every husband and wife should live a life in accordance with the theological, moral, ethical, social laws and regulations. The Lord has categorically stated that if the tree is good the fruit will also be good and vice versa. Here again, what is most essential is God’s grace- the participation in divine life.
The primary goals of life are:
- To love and to be loved. You ‘accept’ sacramentally and juridically a person as your partner to love, even to the extent of dying. You must ever be ready to give and to take, to care, to share, to understand, to own, to make sacrifices.
- To be God’s instrument in creation. The conjugal love that should exist between husband and wife should collect in the wife’s womb and be embodied into a child (a child must, first, be born in the hearts of the father and mother. Then only it should be formed in the womb of the mother). Anything different would be contrary to God’s will, aberration and sin.
- God unites a man and a woman in the sacred wedlock to be of mutual help. He says: “It is not good for man to be alone. I will give him a helper who is just right for him”. The husband and wife must, therefor be ‘just right for the other’. They must be complimentary and complementary to each other. They must ever remain loyal obedient and submissive to God and, together they should participate in the divine life. They should definitely eat of the Tree of Life i.e. The holy and sacred word of God which crowns and culminates in The Holy Mass.
There must be the following things between a husband and wife. They should remain united until the last breath of either of them. “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together”.(Mt. 19:5,6).
Hence, it must be made sure, before the marriage, that there is a level in family, wealth, age, character, faith and education.
The greatest tragedy ever enacted in human history is the fall of the first parents and their eviction from Paradise. Indeed, before they were evicted the good God, their benevolent creator. God’s temple (here the family) is desecrated because of unfaithfulness to God. And the havocs done are multiplied-discord between man and God between husband and wife, brother and brother ending up in fratricide, between generation and generation. The problem persists even up to date. Hence the root of every problem, ancient or modern, is the original sin, consequent on the fall of man.
The whole value system is turned upside down. Today we have plenty of “educated rascals” who resort to satan worship, black mass, immorality of the deepest dye, and everything negative. A faithless generation is doomed to moral deprivation and total destruction. To be sure, the whole world is a mess now. On the one side it is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. On the other side it is a den of thieves and robbers, murderers, usurpers, position mongers, honour mongers, mammon worshippers fall into avarice, extortion, unhealthy competition, bribery, tax evasion, swindling and what not!
Modern amenities have made men and women more and more selfish. Isolation and insulation are rampant everywhere. Almost every man is an island. Today wealth is the determiner of name, fame, status and influence. But “The Lord tears down the house of the proud. But He protects the property of the widows. The Lord detests evil plans, but he delights in pure words. Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live. The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking, the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words. The Lord far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous. A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, good news makes for good health. If you listen to constructive criticism you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself, but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding. Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom, humility precedes honour”.
Some think if they have gamed laurels in science and technology, they have succeeded in life. Most people feel that information technology is everything. They believe the ‘mobile revolution’ is the best and the greatest in the world. Chatting is a synonym for feast and festival. But Jesus says: “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit (Jn 3:6).
St. Paul warns all: “Don’t be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always reap what you saw. Those who live only to satisfy their sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone-especially to those in the family of faith” (Gal 6:7-10).
