the gift of family - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:52:25 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg the gift of family - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 Families only a means to an end https://cathnews.co.nz/2012/10/02/families-only-a-means-to-an-end/ Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:30:50 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=34484

This year's Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement focuses on the family. It is put into useful perspective by the publication the Bishops' Pastoral Research Office September E-News Bulletin headlining the 2011 Census statistic that only 50 per cent of Catholics aged 15 and over are married. The often talked about nexus between marriage, the family, and the Catholic Read more

Families only a means to an end... Read more]]> This year's Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement focuses on the family. It is put into useful perspective by the publication the Bishops' Pastoral Research Office September E-News Bulletin headlining the 2011 Census statistic that only 50 per cent of Catholics aged 15 and over are married.

The often talked about nexus between marriage, the family, and the Catholic Church makes this seem an extraordinary figure. If marriage and the family are so important in Catholic teaching, are we talking about a 50 per cent failure rate?

No. Family life is often thought to be the norm, but that is not correct. It holds no value in itself but it is an often fruitful means to a morally good life. Many mature age 'devout' Catholics who find themselves single and without families have been conditioned by their upbringing to write themselves off as failures. But their marital status, or how many children they have, is not the measure of success or failure. Read more

Sources

Michael Mullins is editor of Eureka Street.

Families only a means to an end]]> 34484 The gift of family in difficult times — Australian Catholic Bishops https://cathnews.co.nz/2012/09/28/the-gift-of-family-in-difficult-times-australian-catholic-bishops/ Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:30:56 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=34286

The family is the first and fundamental school of social living: as a community of love, it finds in self-giving the law that guides it and makes it grow. The self-giving that inspires the love of a husband and a wife for each other is the model and the norm for the self-giving that must be practiced in Read more

The gift of family in difficult times — Australian Catholic Bishops... Read more]]> The family is the first and fundamental school of social living: as a community of love, it finds in self-giving the law that guides it and makes it grow. The self-giving that inspires the love of a husband and a wife for each other is the model and the norm for the self-giving that must be practiced in the relationships between brothers and sisters and the different generations living together in the family. Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 1981

It is in the heart of the family that life comes into being. In the heart of the family the joys, hopes, sorrows and worries of life are shouldered and shared. This intimate community provides our first experience of love, rejoicing when a child is born, educating and guiding little ones as they grow. It is where we learn the importance of sharing, overcoming disagreements and offering forgiveness. In the family we learn compassion and care for those who are ill, in need or in trouble. In the family we draw on the wisdom of generations and pass on the faith. These are some of the aspects of family life that each person longs for and that prepare us to take our place in society and meet life's challenges.

Families can be a beacon for a more compassionate and just society. Through the words and actions of their parents, a child will learn and emulate either an attitude of selfish insularity or an outlook of openness, kindness and inclusion. A child's heart will be richly blessed by a family's spirituality that teaches a genuine reverence for all people as sons and daughters of God. Nurturing a family is a vocation, and not an easy one. It requires commitment, sacrifice, love and generosity of spirit. In this Year of Grace, we celebrate and thank God for the gift of families. The
family is the domestic Church, the basis of our community of faith. In the family we see the expression of God's love and the unique gifts of the Spirit to be fostered in each member so that each can contribute to the common good by serving and sharing with others. Read more

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The gift of family in difficult times — Australian Catholic Bishops]]> 34286