The family needs the Church and the Church needs the family

Most Reverend Michael Mulvey is bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

If we are to really make the family "fully alive," as the theme of our just concluded ministry conference suggests, we must focus on the Holy Father's counsel to keep the presence of Jesus Christ at the center of our lives. The family is the critical and fundamental expression of human life. With Christ the family will discover its true future.

The family is the domestic Church. It is rooted in the sacramental beauty of the love shared between a man and a woman, a husband and wife. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus reminds us of his father's words, "But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh (Mk 10:7)."

In the sacrament of marriage God allows the family to reflect an image of himself. The family is the image of God on Earth, the image of the most Holy Trinity. God shares a selfless existence amongst the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, living for each other in a self-emptying love. So too are families to live; we must follow Christ's example and empty ourselves so that the family may thrive. 

This is the challenge of human society and of the family today; to relearn the depth and meaning of love. We can say we are loving people, but do we understand what love entails. We will never understand it, if we take our eyes off Christ and off the highest expression of love, the self-emptying of ourselves for others.

The Holy Family provides us the human model of how families can be Christ-centered and live for mutual self-giving. The beauty of the family of Nazareth is that their focus is none other than Jesus. The purpose of the family today should also be Jesus.

God made man living and dwelling in the family. That is why we as church exist. That is why the family exists. Pope Francis reminds us, "The family is an indispensable light and beacon to our world and to our Church."

The family, today, however, faces many challenges. It is constantly under attack. The family needs help. It needs to rediscover its origin in God, in the natural law of men and women brought together in a selflessness of love. I am convinced that the world's problems have a root in the lack of family life.

The disciple John warns us to "be on your guard against idols (1 Jn 5:21)." Part of our efforts at renewing the family is to look at the idols that exist in our lives and in our families that extinguish Jesus' presence in our lives. 

We must reject the impulse to have power over each other. We must turn away the idol of success over the cost of our families. We must stop seeking material goods over the value of persons in the family. We must, as the Holy Father reminds us, turn away from gossip and being judgmental. We must reject the greatest idol in our lives–our egos. Society continuously tempts us to make everything about "me." We must say "no!" It is not about me it is about "you" (the other person).

We should be present to each other. Loving "you" and "you" loving "me"–mutual love–will result in the best family. We should heed the words of John the Baptist, "He must increase; I must decrease (Jn 3:30)." If he increases and we decrease, the family will grow and be strong.

The Church is here to help the family rediscover its purpose and strengthen its place in society. The family needs the Church and the Church needs the family. We must look at the family for what it can be, what it should be, but also in the reality of what it is. We must stay focused on why God created the family, not on the redefinition of the family that government and society try to impose on us.

May the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, her spouse, help our families live with Christ at the center of their lives now and in eternity.  ​