Why Have the Bishops Identified This As A Priority?

Throughout the diocesan conversations of Listening 2004 very little was spoken about marital or family spirituality.  There appeared to be relatively low awareness of the vocational nature of marriage and parenthood or of the specific spirituality of the home (domestic church).  Spirituality tended to be connected to church-going or to prayer at home, rather than being integrated into the daily living out of family life in response to the Gospel of Jesus.  Such an omission indicates perhaps the most significant communication defect of all.

The absence of a broad understanding of the holiness of family life does not help the deepening of relationships between families and their parish. The call to holiness is “rooted in baptism.” (Christifideles Laici #16 ) Christian families “have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do.” (CL#16).  A language for understanding and articulating the holiness embedded within even the messiness of family life could help families in making sense of all their joys, sorrows and hopes and in restoring families “reasons for confidence” in themselves, in the riches that they “possess by nature and grace, and in the mission that God has entrusted to” them. (Familiaris Consortio #86)  

Moreover a greater emphasis by the Church on both marital and family spirituality would increase appreciation or valuing of family life and enrich the wider parish community. Building up the domestic church in no way detracts from the parish church because they are essentially the same body. We see additional benefits for the catechetical and liturgical life of the Church in being able to describe more accurately the relationship between the human and divine as experienced in family life. As Pope John Paul II wrote in his Letter to Families in 1994, “God himself is present in human fatherhood and motherhood” (#9).

Most Listening 2004 coordinators agreed that a broader understanding of marital and family spirituality among both clergy and laity will be fundamental to the success of any future work by the church in support of family life. We find ourselves in the situation where a profound insight which is at the heart of true renewal of family life is virtually unknown, or certainly unclaimed in the responses made by families.  How can we remedy this?

These paragraphs are extracts from the full report on Listening 2004 published in July 2005: Not Easy But Full of Meaning: Catholic Family Life in 2004. Use the link on the side bar to read more.