Episode 4: Jesus our Foundation
This episode seeks to establish why Jesus is needed as THE foundation for Catholic parenting, upon which the 3 pillars of Catholic parenting can be built to support the project, or rather the vocation, of Catholic parenting. These 3 pillars being our connection with the Church, our connection with our spouse in marriage, and our connection with our children.
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In the previous episode, we shared how we are called to live our baptismal call to be priest, prophet and king in a special way as Catholic parents.
In this episode, I would like to share with you the main foundation upon which this mission is based. This foundation is none other than Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Divine Love
As Pope Francis wrote, “The mystery of the Christian family can be fully understood only in the light of the Father’s infinite love revealed in Christ, Who gave Himself up for our sake and Who continues to dwell in our midst.” (Amoris Laetitia, 59)
In other words:
- Jesus showed us how to love each other as God loves, beginning in the family, and
- He continues to be present to us and with us in a very real way today, giving us the grace, mercy and strength to live out this call as priest, prophet and king.
In a sense you might say that Christ, truly God and truly man, models for man divine love, and transmit to man divine life, through all the graces that He wants to pour upon us today.
Forgiveness
Have you ever been in a situation when there was such a bad misunderstanding, conflict or argument with your spouse or children, where you felt so powerless and hurt that you didn’t know what to do? When you felt like just giving up? I have. Many times!
But I can share with you a powerful weapon which I learned from my mum to overcome these: Jesus. Whenever these situations cropped up and I felt helpless (which was often as a spouse and father), I would turn to Him in prayer, and ask our blessed mother to pray for us too.
In a matter of time, usually sooner rather than later, healing and reconciliation takes place. Somehow our Lord settles everything in His own special and powerful way through the graces that He pours upon us when we turn to Him.
The Power of God
As Pope St John Paul said, “Christ’s union with man is power and the source of power.” (Redemptor Hominis, 18)
Christ made us for Himself, and He will give us all the graces and strength we will need as Catholic parents.
The devil stands no chance against Jesus, our Lord and God of all, but we must let Jesus come into, and be the centre of, our family life.
The Divine Bridegroom, Leader of Our Family
As mentioned in our episode on the Theology of the Body, Christ is our Bridegroom Who wants us to be joined to Him here, and forever in Heaven. He must be our source. He must be our strength. He must be our food for the journey. He must be our life. No one else, nothing else, can fill this void that only He can fill. Not wealth, not honour, not power, not pleasure.
We must let Him lead our family. Only when our children find Jesus will they find meaning in life. It is only then can their deepest desires, their infinite thirst for love, fulfilment, and happiness, true happiness, be quenched by the One Who is absolute goodness, beauty and truth.
Encounter God
How can we encounter Jesus? How can we deepen our relationship with Him?
There are three main ways, as proposed by the Church:
- The Word (the Bible)
- Prayer
- The Sacraments
In particular, the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist – the Mass, the source and summit of the Christian life, as the Catechism tells us.
In summary, we need Jesus to be at the centre of our family, to be at the centre of our mission as Catholic parents, because Christ, truly God and truly man, models for man divine love, and transmits to man divine life. God’s life and love are precisely what families need, from time immemorial.
As such, we need to enter into an ever-deeper intimacy with Jesus, through the Word, through prayer, and the Sacraments.
Perhaps for our reflection at the end of this session, let us ponder what our reply to Jesus would be when He asks us this question, as He asked His disciples: “But you, who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15)
The Three Pillars
Now that we have established that Christ is the foundation of Catholic parenting, and indeed all our family life, we are ready to discuss the three important pillars built on this foundation to support our whole mission. These three pillars are:
- Connection with the Church,
- Connection with our spouse in marriage, and
- Connection with our children.
In the next episode, we will explore our connection with the Church.
Recall the words of Pope St John Paul II: “May Christ the Lord, the Universal King, the King of Families, be present in every Christian home as He was at Cana, bestowing light, joy, serenity, and strength.” (Familiaris Consortio, 86)
Resources
‘Jesus Christ is the chief way for the Church. He himself is our way “to the Father’s house” and is the way to each man.’ (Redemptor hominis, n. 13)