The universe and all of creation was created by God with a certain order that maintains harmony and peace. As God gave mankind dominion over his creation, he expected us to maintain the order he established.
In Scripture, we see one aspect of maintaining that order – we are to honor our Father and our Mother. This is such an important part of God’s plan that the promise is given – “Who ever honors his father [...] when he prays is heard.” Being obedient to our parents helps us to learn be obedient to God.
In the New Testament, Paul gives us additional insights of what we must do to keep order. He says, “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts.” In Christ we will find the strength we need to maintain order in our relationships as husbands and wives, parents and children. There is a right way to fulfill our role, whatever it is. Of course, the reality is, even if we try to faithfully do our part, it doesn’t mean that others will meet our expectations. Many parents take their relationships with God seriously, and even though they have made every effort to guide their children in the right way, some have rebelled. Peer pressure is very difficult to overcome. On the other hand, some children have felt called to a religious vocation and have not received support from their parents.
Ordering our life to God is a daily struggle which calls us to perseverance in prayer and the sacramental life. Our Lord offers us all the grace we need to take one day at a time, and to trust that in the end everything will be okay if we persevere. It doesn’t mean things will not be difficult; it does mean we will always have hope.
We see in the Gospel that the Holy Family was not spared the difficulties of life. Even though they were the holiest, most important family in the history of the world, they were still vulnerable to the evil intentions of others. Their protection was their immediate obedience to God. They also faithfully followed the religious practices of their time as we know by their visits to the Temple. That is how they maintained their connection with the Heavenly Father and fulfilled His plan.
The same is true for us. We also need our Heavenly Father’s protection which we receive when we are faithful to what He has revealed to us. We will still experience difficulties, but we will always have hope.
It is not news that in this country, the most powerful country in the world, the institution of family is at a point of crisis. Almost every family has experienced some degree of trauma – whether physical, economical, psychological, relational or spiritual. Almost every family has a relative that is divorced. A recent statistic states that the United States has more single parent families than any other country in the world. The greatest need of our time is the renewal of the family; and the only way it can be renewed is with the help of God’s grace; by being faithful to what God has revealed to us through the Scriptures and the Church.
Family as Domestic Church
Our families are God’s plan for the future of the world. The family is intended to be the domestic Church where husband, wife and children are joined together in prayer and grow together in faith. The family is where vocation should first be discovered. Even if our family life has not been what it could have, it is not too late to begin anew.
Whether you are married, divorced, widowed, or single, God has a plan for your happiness that can only be discovered in a relationship with him. The way people have persevered through the ages is by attending Mass every weekend (during the week, if possible), praying daily (privately and with people we love), reading Scriptures, frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation and forgiving each other for hurts experienced, by spending time before the Blessed Sacrament, by reading the lives of the saints, by continuing to be formed in the faith, and by being generous with our time, talent and treasure.
The domestic church, like every church, is made up of the people that occupy it. However, there are things we can do to help us be more aware of the presence of God, and to help us enter into prayer at home.
- Every home should have a crucifix and religious art to show that faith is important to those who live there.
- There can be a special room or part of a room where you have an altar or shelf on which you place candles, a Bible, holy pictures, and favorite prayers that help you enter into prayer.
- There should be a designated time when the family prays together; such as prayer before meals, but also a specific time for family prayer, especially the Rosary, or at least part of the Rosary.
- It is very meaningful for parents to bless their children before bed and before leaving the house by tracing the cross on their foreheads as you say, “…may God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It only takes a few seconds and it gives the children a sense of security.
God has a great plan for each of us if we allow Him to guide us by way of the Scriptures, the Church, the lives of the saints, and His wisdom. It has to begin first of all as a desire in our hearts and continues when we share this desire with others, especially those we love.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, help us to be holy so that we can be truly happy. Amen.
Deacon Tom Fox, C.K.H.S., and Mary Jane Fox, C.D.H.S. are the Co-Founders & Co-Directors of Pilgrim Center of Hope. The two left their careers after a profound conversion experience and began working full-time in ministry at their parish in 1986. After several years and having impacted tens of thousands of families, the Foxes founded Pilgrim Center of Hope in 1993 as a response to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization. Deacon Tom is an invested member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Commander Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
