English
EspañolA home is a household where one learns to love, for in it, everyone – spouses, father, mother, children, and siblings – loves each other without ever giving up.
If loving one another is the supreme command of Jesus Christ, then the family – the first place where one learns to love – is the “domestic Church.”
Text
“We must be grateful that most people do value family relationships that are permanent and marked by mutual respect. They appreciate the Church’s efforts to offer guidance and counselling in areas related to growth in love, overcoming conflict and raising children.” (The Joy of Love, n.38)
Commentary
My home feels very blessed by the Lord because, as a couple, we had the grace to participate in Catholic movements offered by the Church, such as the Engaged Encounter and the School for Parents. Both experiences allowed us to improve communication, reduce tensions, solve conflicts and take care of the growth of our relationship as spouses and parents.
But above all, we learned together how to reflect on God´s particular purpose for our family, as well as the commitment and mission to give back in abundance all that we had received in our home and thus seek the good of other families.
In such a sense, we can rightfully call the family the “domestic Church.” We are not alluding to the kitchen, bed, or bathroom; those features are more impressive in a hotel. But because the family is the “Domus,” the space and time that empower a family, transforming it into an intimate home of faith, hope, and love among those of the same flesh and blood. An intimate communion ultimately formed between the family as a whole and God.
