Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 26th Sunday of Ordinary time.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! The sacrament of Holy Marriage is treated by the Catechism of the Catholic Church in eight (8) In Brief passages. The following is a reflection on article 1666.
The family home, with Holy Marriage as it’s foundation, is the basis of ‘the domestic Church.’ Many of us may be familiar with our various Parishes (e.g. Holy Ghost, Little Flower, Saint Augustine, Saints Peter and Paul…) and even with the Church which is the Diocese (e.g. Knoxville, Louisville, Miami…) the Catechism draws our attention to the domestic Church. The Hebrew word qahal and the Greek word ekklesia, which are translated as “Church” mean a meeting or congregation or assembly. Holy Marriage is the sacred assembly, meeting, congregation of husband and wife. The blessing of children adds to the sacred gathering.
Married parents provide the first announcement of the Faith for the children. Even before infants might be baptized they should hear and see, even if not understanding completely, the faith, by the love shown by their parents. By seeing the faith lived out daily by the parents the faith is taught to the children.
The stability of Holy Marriage makes the family a community of grace. The family home is filled with various graces: the baptismal graces of the parents and children; the grace of Confirmation and Marriage…
The stability of Holy Marriage establishes a community of prayer. Family prayer is a part of the life of the domestic Church: in the morning and in the evening; before and after meals… Some families pray the Holy Rosary together each day, with each member leading a different decade and voicing a particular intention. Before going to pray at Sunday (or daily) Mass normally we are at home. After praying at Sunday (or daily) Mass we often return home filled with the graces which prayer allows.
Married parents together with their children form a school of the virtues, human and divine. The curriculum of the school of the virtues includes knowing just what is a virtue. Virtue is a stable disposition to do good, even in the face of difficulty, with joy and ease (cf. ST I-II, Q. 55, a. 4). There are many different sorts of virtue: Cardinal Virtues (Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, Justice); Moral Virtues (Diligence, Humility, Generosity, Temperance, Brotherly Love, Patience, Chastity); Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, Charity; cf. ST I-II, Q. 61-62). Prudence, allows us to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reason, as chief of the Cardinal Virtues (cf. ST II-II, Q. 47-56). Temperance (which is not abstinence) keeps us balanced from the extremes of excess or deficiency (cf. ST II-II, Q. 141-170). Fortitude, which is the strength to undertake and endure what must be done, is exemplified naturally by the United States Marine Corps, and supernaturally by the Martyr Saints (cf. ST II-II, Q. 123-140). Justice gives each their due, God, neighbor and self (cf. ST II-II, Q. 57-122).
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr