English
EspañolFrom “the beginning,” we are familial beings. Family is the seal of the Trinity´s way of being in humanity. The old and new Testaments are stories of love and family, and the one formed by Joseph, Mary, and Jesus bears the ultimate testimony of this love. This is why the Church – all baptized people – is a family expert.
Text
“The Bible is full of families, births, love stories and family crises. This is true from its very first page.” (The Joy of Love, n.8)
Commentary
Saint Jerome would say ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. The way to know Christ is through family; this means discovering that we are familial beings. At the beginning of time, God sealed His image and likeliness in the human being by making him man and woman and placing in their intimate loving union a clear reflection of the Trinitarian God´s communion of love. God the Redeemer incarnated in the womb of Mary, the Virgin Mother, wife of Joseph, two ordinary, good-natured, and loving spouses. Jesus Crist was born and grew up as the “son of man” by living, learning, and maturing his personality and his mission amongst a family. There is no better community, more personal, truthful, and rich in humanity, that can better manifest God and man than a family founded upon a marriage. Mary and Joseph´s family was the environment of coexistence that God chose to bring forth the history of salvation.
With the Nazareth family – that renews Adam and Eve´s family – all our families carry within the seal of the Trinitarian God and are therefore called to share – with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph – in the responsibility of redemption and salvation. Your family is also called forth! Our weapon that unarms every other weapon is the truth and goodness of family love.
The Church is essentially committed to the destiny of families. One can hardly find an institution capable of speaking so highly about family as the Church does. Paul VI used to say the Church was “an expert in humanity,” and I don´t have the slightest doubt she is equally “an expert in the family. It´s worth listening to what she has to say. Try reading “The Joy of Love” by Pope Francis.
