Sunday, July 26, 2015

The Need of an Ecological Conversion


Laudato Sí, the second encyclical of Pope Francis, a highly anticipated papal letter, was promulgated on 24th May and was released on 18th June, 2005. In this letter Pope Francis invites the Catholics worldwide and the whole humanity (1) to safeguard the environment and battle climate change as an urgent and top priority of the 21st century. He also invites them for changes in lifestyles and energy consumption to avert the ‘unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem’. The Encyclical takes its name from the invocation of Saint Francis, ‘Laudes Creaturarum’ (Praise of the Creatures). The opening words and the title recall Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron of Ecology. The Pope states that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. The conviction of Francis to call everything here on earth as ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ cannot be written off as naive romanticism. It reminds us that the earth, our common home, “is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us” (1). The encyclical is divided into six chapters, which include 246 paragraphs and two prayers at the end. 

The Present Ecological Crisis
The first chapter, ‘What is Happening to our Common Home’, presents the crisis affecting the environment, saying that the Earth “is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth” (21). The earth and its environment are God’s gift to everyone, and it is destined to all, the present and the future generations. If we analyze the scientific findings available today on the environment, we become painfully aware about what is happening to our common home. Climate change, it goes on to say, is a “global problem with serious implications” that represents “one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day” (25). 
It thus deals with several aspects of the present ecological crisis: 
Pollution: Some forms of pollution are part of people’s daily experience and this is closely related to people’s throw-away culture. A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. It creates a vicious circle which aggravates the situation even more, affecting the availability of essential resources like drinking water, energy and agricultural production in warmer regions, and leading to the extinction of part of the planet’s biodiversity. 
Water Scarcity: Other indicators of the present situation have to do with the depletion of natural resources. Fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance, since it is indispensable for human life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Loss of Biodiversity: The earth’s resources are also being plundered because of short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production. The loss of forests and woodlands entails the loss of species which may constitute extremely important resources in the future, not only for food but also for curing disease and other uses.
These problems result in the decline of the quality of human life and the breakdown of the societies. In fact, the deterioration of the environment affects the most vulnerable people on the planet and results global inequality. According to this encyclical, to blame population growth, instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues (50).

Reject the Inappropriate Interpretation of the Scripture
In the second chapter, The Gospel of Creation, the document draws on the ‘wisdom of biblical accounts’. Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, and we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures (66). With this the Pope articulates the ‘tremendous responsibility’ of humankind for creation, the intimate connection among all creatures and the fact that ‘the natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone’. Furthermore, he says that when we see God reflected in all that exists, “our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all His creatures and to worship Him in union-with them” (87). In a later section, the document criticizes those who show ‘more zeal’ in protecting other species than in defending human dignity or addressing ‘enormous inequalities in our midst’ (90). The document also notes that Jesus lived in full harmony with creation and that the destiny of all creation is ‘bound up with the mystery of Christ’ (98). 

Roots of the Ecological Crisis
The third chapter, ‘The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis’, tries to find the root of the problems of ecological crisis and says that they can be found in technocracy and an excessive self-centeredness of the human beings. It is precisely the mentality of technocratic domination that leads to the destruction of nature and the exploitation of people and the most vulnerable populations. He also reminds us of the urgent need for “a bold cultural revolution”, in which society needs to “slow down and look at reality in a different way” (114). Modernity has been market by an excessive anthropocentrism that actually obstruct ways of strengthening social bonds. It calls instead for responsible stewardship and says failure to acknowledge the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities makes it difficult to recognize that everything is connected (116-117).

An Integral Ecology
The Encyclical proposes an ‘integral ecology’ in the fourth chapter. It suggests an integral ecology as a new paradigm of justice; an ecology which respects our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings. In fact, nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it (139). It observes that the economic growth tends to produce predictable reactions and certain standardization with the aim of simplifying procedures and reducing costs. This suggests the need for an ‘economic ecology’ capable of appealing to a broader vision of reality. The protection of the environment is in fact ‘an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it’ (141). In the present condition of global society the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest. The notion of the common good also extends to future generations (158-159)

Approach and Action
In chapter five, Lines of Approach and Action, the Pope proposes dialogue to achieve a broad consensus on action (188). He says there is an urgent need of a true world political authority to deal with these global problems and that the environment cannot be adequately safeguarded or promoted by market forces (189-190). The encyclical challenges the claim of empirical sciences the command to provide complete explanation of life. “It cannot be maintained that empirical science provides a complete explanation of life, the interplay of all creatures and the whole of reality” (199). Any technical solution which science claims to offer will be powerless to solve the serious problems of our world if humanity loses its compass, if we lose sight of the great motivations which make it possible for us to live in harmony, to make sacrifices and to treat others well (200).

Need of an Ecological Conversion
The sixth chapter of the encyclical is an invitation to everyone for an ecological conversion. Care for nature is part of a lifestyle which includes the capacity for living together and communion. The roots of the cultural crisis are deep, and it is not easy to reshape habits and behaviour. Education and training are the key challenges: change is impossible without motivation and a process of education. All educational sectors are involved, primarily at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and elsewhere. According to Pope, obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, above all when few people are capable of maintaining it, can only lead to violence and mutual destruction (204). In order to battle this challenge, we have to overcome individualism, and thus we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society (208).
The encyclical is concluded with two prayers: The first we can share with all who believe in a God who is the all-powerful Creator, while in the other we Chris­tians ask for inspiration to take up the commitment to creation set before us by the Gospel of Jesus (246).

Concluding Remarks (Personal)
Generally speaking, this encyclical is a reminder of an “urgent necessity to protect our common home … to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development ... (for) humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home”. (13). In that way it is a document of such landmark significance that it may well become one of the most important sources of modern Catholic Social Teaching since its inception with Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum in 1891.
It’s all about relationships. As we harm the environment through destruction and abuse, we are damaging the familial relationship which exists in the nature. In doing so, we are damaging our relationship with other humans, particularly those least equipped to defend themselves: the poor and future generations and forgetting our interconnectedness with the earth and with those around and ahead of us who depend on our good stewardship of the gift of creation. It demands love, overflowing with small gestures of mutual care. It makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world. Love for society and commitment to the common good are outstanding expressions of a charity which affects not only relationships between individuals but also macro-relationships, social, economic and political ones. It moves us to devise larger strategies to halt environmental degradation and to encourage a “culture of care” which permeates all of society. 

Friday, July 17, 2015

The Role of Catholic Families in a Time of Rapid Cultural Changes


Dear readers,
I am sharing herewith my new article on the Role of Catholic Families, which was published in EPHREM'S THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, March 2015: Vol.19, No.1, pp 5-20.
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Levi-Strauss, a French anthropologist and ethnologist, writes: “Society belongs to the realm of culture while the family is the emanation, on the social level, of those natural requirements without which there could be no society and indeed no mankind”.[1] The importance and centrality of the family with regard to society and culture is repeatedly emphasized by the great writers of every century. The Sacred Scriptures and teachings of the Church also underlined this aspect. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “family is the original cell of social life”[2] and it is the first human society. It is “the natural community in which human social nature is experienced, (and) makes a unique and irreplaceable contribution to the good of society”.[3] As Pope John Paul II correctly remarked in his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, the future of the societies, both civil and religious, passes through families.[4]
It is through families that societies develop and prosper. It is in families that the values and traditions of societies are shaped and transmitted to the next generations. Consequently, any disintegration or dissolution of families strikes a deathblow to the fabric of the society and roots of civilization. Under the impact of a rapid cultural change, tremendous changes have occurred in all spheres. They have their own repercussions in the institution of family throughout the world. Pope Francis has convened an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2014 to discuss the theme ‘Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of new evangelisation’. This Synodal Assembly was dedicated in a special way to marriage and family, their vocation and mission in the Church and in society; to the challenges of marriage, of family life, of the education of children; and the role of the family in the life of the Church. Here in this article we attempt to make a careful study on the role of Catholic families in the contemporary society. For this purpose, we may concentrate on reaffirming the teachings of the Magisterium and the Popes, regarding the role of the Catholic families. On the basis of these teachings, we would like to present in a ‘five dimensional task’ of Catholic families, for them to become ‘what they are’.[5]

1 Family as Communion of Love

Marriage is “the rock on which family is built”.[6] The first and basic moral criterion for the family today and of every age is that the family must be rooted in the marriage of one man and one woman”. This fact is clearly affirmed by the teachings of the Church through the ages. It is a reality that enables the husband and wife to give to one another the unique and special kind of love that we call spousal or conjugal love, one quite different from other kinds of human love, as it is first of all exclusive. Gaudium et Spes describes conjugal love as a love that is human, total, faithful, exclusive until death and fecund and fertile.[7] So we can say that the first task of a Catholic family is to live with fidelity the reality of communion in a constant effort to develop authentic community of persons. The inner principle of this communion is love. God has established the family basically as an intimate community of life and love. When this love takes sacramental intensity husband and wife would ‘transcarnate’ into one flesh.[8]

1.1 Strengthen Marital Fidelity

The husband and wife in their marital life are “called to grow continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their marriage promise of total mutual self-giving”.[9] Marital fidelity, as David M. Thomas notes, is “a quality of marital love which persists through the lifetime of the marriage, in this sense, fidelity is a disposition in each marital partner in freely choosing the other, day after day, as the primary person with whom one walks on the journey of life”.[10] The good of fidelity requires that spouses be faithful to each other. The teachings of the Church on marriage make it clear, how lifelong marital fidelity is important for the couples. Karol Wojtyla, later Pope John Paul II, in his book Love and Responsibility writes: “One who truly loves does not then withdraw love, but loves all the more, loves in full consciousness of the other’s shortcomings and faults, without in the least approving of them. For the person as such never loses his/her essential value. The emotion which attaches to the value of the person is loyal”.[11]
The liberal media regularly portray infidelity as some kind of romantic adventure and often attempt to justify and even encourage it. Adultery can be also mental unfaithfulness. In the present society many consider adultery as very normal. Contemporary literature, music, films etc. reflect these changes in the thinking pattern of the society. In this context, Catholic spouses have an explicit role to be exemplary in fidelity in their marital relationship.

1.2 Marriage as a Lifelong Relationship

The rate of divorce or breakups of marital relationships is growing in the society.  The basic reason for this phenomenon is mainly an absence of commitment, love and faith on the part of one or both spouses. God is the author of marriage and family and He made the rules governing this sacred institution. Chief among these rules is the fact that marriage is indissoluble; that is, it is unbreakable. It lasts until the death of one of the partners. When disagreements, which are inevitable, arise in their relationship, many couples quickly resort to threats of ‘walking out’. In former days marriages were held in greater respect. When couples had some disputes and arguments the idea of separation and divorce was not the first resort. Disagreements and problems were usually worked out. Today, instead, in many cases the first resort they seek is a break-up of the marital relation and this tendency is growing. Among couples who do not actually break up, there are many cases of them living together very unhappily, which pose another very serious problem. They are merely ‘sticking it out’ because of the children or because their parents would be upset or because of the social pressure. Even though this problem is not as bad as an actual break-up, it is a sign that the marriage is in trouble.
In the present society, there is a common phenomenon where the husband and wife work outside the home. Sometimes their work-hours are on different shifts, so that they hardly see each other. As a result, there is little time for the couple to do things together or to communicate in depth. Formerly, when the society was largely agricultural, husbands and wives worked together in the farm and they were never far away from each other. In order to counter effectively these challenges that affect families adversely, there are very effective means such as the Holy Eucharist, family prayer, meditation of the Word of God, and reception of sacraments.  It is by taking part in the Eucharist that the couples can renew their love and unity.

2 Family as the Sanctuary of Life

Another important mission of a Catholic family is serving life, wherein transmission of life comes first. It is a fundamental task of the family to serve life, to bring to fulfilment in history the original blessing of God, to transmit by procreation the divine image from person to person. Thus, there is an urgent need today to develop an authentic philosophy of life and to discover and to co-operate with God’s design of transmission of life in history. Pope John Paul II, in his Encyclical Evangelium Vitae reminds us: “Within the ‘people of life and the people for life’, the family has a decisive responsibility. This responsibility flows from its very nature as a community of life and love, founded upon marriage, and from its mission to ‘guard, reveal and communicate love’. Here it is a matter of God’s own love, of which parents are co-workers and as they were interpreters when they transmit life and raise it according to his fatherly plan”.[12] From these words of Pope John Paul II, it is clear that the family has a special role to play throughout the life of its members, from birth to death. It is truly ‘the sanctuary of life’: the place in which life, the gift of God, can be properly welcomed and protected against the many attacks to which it is exposed, and can develop in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth.

2.1 Responsible Parenthood

By its very nature, conjugal love “requires in husband and wife an awareness of their mission of responsible parenthood”.[13] In order to live conjugal love properly, spouses must properly understand and embrace the various elements of responsible parenthood. Children are the treasure and the future of the families and the society. Yet many consider children as nuisances and obstacles to their freedom. Fundamentally, responsible parenthood signifies a great awareness and an acceptance of the spouses’ role as collaborators with God in the transmission of life and recognition of the manner in which God has chosen to accomplish this sacred task. “The responsible exercise of parenthood implies, therefore, that husband and wife recognize fully their own duties towards God, towards themselves, towards the family, and towards society, in a correct hierarchy of values”.[14] In order to fulfil the requirements of responsible parenthood, spouses must recognize the personal nature of sexuality and proceed on the basis of a freedom that is not wholly autonomous. To accomplish the mission of responsible parenthood, spouses “must necessarily recognize the insurmountable limits to the possibility of man’s dominion over his own body and its functions; limits which no man, whether a private individual or one invested with authority, may licitly surpass”.[15]
In this context, parents should regard as their proper mission, the task of transmitting human life and educating those to whom it has been transmitted. They should realize that they are thereby co-operators with the love of God the Creator, and are, so to speak, the interpreters of that love. Thus they will fulfil their task with human and Christian responsibility and with docile reverence toward God they will make decisions by common counsel and effort. In these decisions, they should thoughtfully take into account both their own welfare and that of their children, those already born and those which the future may bring. In making these decisions they need to consider both the material and the spiritual conditions of the times as well as of their state in life. They should also consult the interests of the family group, of the society, and of the Church herself.[16]
Today there is a tendency to make other people prey for satisfying our desires and pleasures. In such a situation children become a hindrance to a life of pleasure.  Many do not even recognise the grave problems this tendency creates in families. In pursuit of their selfish joys, even those who can afford to bring up children do not want them. Those who have the means should come forward to have more children and bring them up. Responsible fatherhood and motherhood demands this. At the same time this does not mean that one should engage in the procreative activity without any sense of responsibility. Parents, considering their physical, economic, social and psychological conditions, should exercise responsible parenthood and decide prudently and generously to have more children. At the same time for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts, they can decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time.[17]

2.2 Respect the Dignity of Life

Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, makes an obvious invitation to the families to generate a ‘new culture of human life’ and remain the ‘sanctuary of life’ for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love.[18] It is precisely the ‘seeds of death’ which exist in contemporary civilisation that the Pope denounced courageously. He genuinely wanted to eradicate all those factors present in contemporary culture, a multitude of evils that attacks the dignity of human life. A ‘culture of death’, i.e., aggression towards the dignity of life, especially to feeble lives, is a very much diffuse in modern society.
Enactment of pro-abortion laws and the introduction of new technologies for sex-selective abortion have facilitated to increase the availability of abortions. Consequently the number of abortions has gone up at an alarming rate. The killing of an unborn child is an extreme manifestation of selfishness and a radical contradiction in the familial communion of persons. When the partners in marriage truly make a self-donation to one another, i.e., when they love one another, they are open to life. A rejection of life is a rejection of love. On the other hand, the giving and acceptance of new life is the most profound realization of the familial communion of persons. For the Catholic families ‘to become what they are’, they should guarantee respecting the life of the unborn child and its protection from any of these threats.

2.3 Care for the Elderly

It is a commandment of God to honour father and mother (Exodus 20, 12). As St. Paul writes, it is the first responsibility of children to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God very much (1 Timothy 5: 3 ˗ 4). The way in which older people are cared for varies greatly among cultures and is changing rapidly. Traditionally, elder care has been the responsibility of family members and was provided within the extended family home. In many modern societies elder care is now being provided by state or charitable institutions. The reasons for this change include decreasing family size, increasing number of nuclear families, the greater life expectancy of elderly people, the geographical dispersion of families, and the tendency for women to be educated and work outside the home. The Catholic Church has always shown a great concern for the elderly, not only in giving assistance and charity, but in recognizing and fostering the intrinsic value of the older persons also. So we can say that, considering the present day situation, the Catholic families have a great responsibility “to give older people scope for personal development and participation, and provide them with forms of social assistance and health-care consonant with their needs and responding to the need of the human person to live with dignity, in justice and freedom”.[19]

3 Family as the Heart of Evangelization

Jesus Christ fulfils His teaching office not only through the official hierarchy of the Church, but also through the laity, through whom “the power of the Gospel might shine forth in their daily social and family life”.[20] The sacrament of marriage makes the spouses ‘missionaries in the true and proper sense of love and life’ and gives them the task of ‘defending and spreading the faith, a task that has its roots in baptism and confirmation’. This evangelizing mission is carried out first in the family itself.
The family is the privileged place for evangelization, and plays a vital role in the formation and development of faith in children.[21] Catholic families are called to share their faith with their children and with others. Parents, by their words and examples, are the first educators of faith to their children. It is their right and duty to communicate faith to their children. Learning about the Catholic faith cannot be accomplished solely by a series of classes taught in a class room; it must be lived and also reinforced by strong testimony. This reality should be found within the Christian family setting. A family’s desire to participate fully in the life of the Church community will provide an enriching faith experience for the entire family and for society. Thus “the family remains the primary community for the transmission of the Christian faith”.[22]

3.1 Evangelization within the Family

Teachings of the Catholic Church remind us that a Christian family is the cradle of faith where one can gradually accumulate and build up a relationship with one’s Creator. Thus, the family becomes the primary school of faith and parents become its first teachers.[23] Through the catechesis of the Church this seed of faith grows to maturity. From the moment of birth the child’s faith life depends on the faith life of the family, especially of its parents.
Parents transmit their faith first of all by presenting their children before the community for baptism. In doing so, they accept the responsibility of training them in the practise of the faith, bringing them up to keep God’s commandments. The family is the foundation for transmitting faith from generation to generation and parents hold a privileged role and responsibility in family life. Parents teach most effectively by example; they should actively seek growth in adult faith and in the life of the parish community and work for peace and justice in the world. Catholic parents should promote their faith and become communities of faith to their growing children. They should do this by proclaiming the Gospel to their children, teaching them by example, patiently instructing them to live according to moral values, learning about the Christian faith as adults, passing on the knowledge of faith and tradition, being responsible to religious education requirements, subscribing to Catholic literature and providing parental affection and support, which are the primary sources for the children’s continued growth in the faith. If families were to promote an atmosphere of faith and love, this would become the source of vocations to religious and priestly life.
Family prayer is one of the important devotional practices of the Catholics families. But this practice is disappearing gradually from Catholic families today. In this situation Catholic families should find special time for prayer in the family, in which all the members of the family take part. This gives an opportunity for the children to grow in a life of prayer, and as a result, a religious atmosphere is prevalent in family life. During these occasions parents should be a model for their children, as it helps them to participate actively in devotional practises. Parents should exercise the mission of faith formation to their children by promoting morning and evening prayers, prayers before meals, participating in Holy Mass together, discussing readings and homilies before and after mass, celebrating Sundays and feast days in a genuine manner. Thus, Catholic families can provide a valuable faith formation to their children.

3.2 Family as Evangelizer in the Society

Families are called to be evangelizers, ‘messengers of good news’, in society. A family that lives the values of Christ is like a lamp on a lamp stand, radiating the light of life and love around it and like a city on the top of the mountain which cannot be hidden (Cf. Matthew 5: 14). According to Soares Prabhu, this witnessing through authentic life is the most important means of evangelization, as he says: “The ultimate basis of Church’s mission is the witness of its community of life and praxis. It is through its fidelity to the Christian dharma, with its anti-greed and anti-pride that church remains ‘salt’ that has not lost its saltiness and light that has not been hidden under a bushel”.[24] For this purpose, Catholic families have to resist the erosion of values prevalent in the society. They have to wage war against the culture of death and culture of greed. Hence the family must be constantly evangelized, giving it clear vision and power to lead an authentic Christian life. The family has the mission to form a community of persons whose proper way of existing and living together is communion. As Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi exhorts, “the family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the Gospel is transmitted and from which the Gospel radiates. In a family which is conscious of this mission, all the members evangelize and are evangelized”.[25] Such families can become true evangelizers of many other families in the society, especially of the neighbourhood of which they are part. In this way they slowly help to build up of the Kingdom of God in society. Thus fulfils the invitation of Pope John Paul II, ‘family, become what you are’. In the multi-religious context of India, this role of the family has a greater importance. Younger generation listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if one does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.

4 Family as the First School of Moral Formation

Family, by its natural right, is the first school of moral formation for children. When the parents beget a child, they have a right to bring that child to the fulfilment of its potentials. It is only their continued co-operation with God in the ongoing creation of that child that enables them to do this.
Parents are the first and most important educators of their children because ‘they are parents’.[26] They are teachers in the sense that they must be the best catechesis for their children. In such a manner, the family becomes the source and cradle of moral formation.[27] In such families children become the source of grace, models of obedience, innocence and exemplars to their parents. Parents influence the children’s morality by being the persons they are, how they act, how they relate to the children, what they say, how and what they teach and what behaviour and achievement they expect from the children. So the parent’s role as teacher is decisive in helping children develop and mature. If the parents are aware of their duty to educate their child, they will make every effort to encourage good formal education.
Parents teach their children in the family in two ways. Firstly they intentionally instruct their children in what they want them to learn. The second way is by the example of their lives. The parent’s values about life are expressed through daily activities in relations with others and friends and children unconsciously absorb these attitudes. Parents are indeed the first and the most influential teachers of their children, whether they choose to be or not.

4.1 Formation of a Moral Conscience

In our society, Catholic families should become a source of ethical formation to their children on the basis of gospel values. The parents’ love finds its fullest expression in the task of educating their children. Parents, through their love, promote the values of kindness, goodness, service and the like. Since the family is the primary unit of society, the educative influence of the home on the children is much greater than that of any other group. This will definitely help them to prepare their children to live a full and harmonious life by giving them the knowledge and skills to develop satisfying and stable relationships and a system of values with the correct priorities. In the midst of various problems faced by the families in the cultural and moral spheres, families provide opportunities for their children to practise the principles of justice, compassion, values and sharing. It is principally through the education of children that the parents prepare their children to withstand the continual onslaught of a culture which distorts the meaning of the very value of human life itself. One of the great problems faced by the world today is that many people appear to have a diminishing sense of morality or sense of sin.
In this context, the first priority of Catholic families should be that of fostering values and forming the moral conscience of their children. If they regard status, profession and wealth before looking to moral values, the result will be that they may obtain these but at the cost of losing their children. Through this formation, they inculcate a hierarchy of moral values and a sound formation of conscience, which promotes integrity and dignity of the human person. In the formation of conscience, parents must inform the children of the importance of moral principles, and lead them to make moral judgments and to exercise their freedom with responsibility. Formation in moral life is not simply information about moral values, but it should lead to transformation of children’s ideas about moral life. This will help them to form their own moral life in an integral manner in the future. No one is born with this power of reasoning, but it is learnt through relationships with others, especially with parents who are the basic formators of moral life.

4.2 Sex Education in the Family

The teachings of the Catholic Church also emphasise the vital role of parents as the first sex educators of their children. The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, by the Pontifical Council for the Family, reads: “Among the many difficulties parents encounter today, despite different social contexts, one certainly stands out: giving children an adequate preparation for adult life, particularly with regard to education in the true meaning of sexuality”.[28] It is the duty of the parents to give them a positive and prudent sex education. The family is, in fact, the most excellent environment in which we can give formation in the field of sexual matters to the children. The family setting is the ‘preferential place’ to give children clear and delicate sex education appropriately adapted to the age, maturity and sense of decency of each child.[29] In giving authentic sexual education, parents must be aware of the socio-cultural situation of the place in which their children have to grow and interact. In doing so, they must respect the traditional cultures and practices, which are not contrary to the Catholic morality.[30]
In our society, it is a Herculean task for parents to give positive sex-education to their children. The young generation is experiencing various kinds of problems related to sexuality either because of their ignorance or due to poor formation on the question of sex. The area which affects most children is that of the sexual awakening at puberty, with all its psychological implications for both boys and girls. Many children are not given the opportunity to obtain a fuller understanding of sex either in the family or at school. Therefore, the best way to do this is to give them an enlightened, affectionate family education.[31] Today, children get information about sex from the media and from friends rather than from their parents. The messages they receive are full of inconsistencies and falsehood. In this situation parents have to cultivate an open and free atmosphere in the family in order to share matters like puberty changes, the sensitive area of sexuality and relationships between boys and girls.

4.5 Formation in the prudent use of Media

In the last 50 years, the influence of media has grown exponentially with the advance of technology; first there was the telegraph, then the radio, newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet and mobile phones. We live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction and do our daily activities like work, entertainment, health-care, education, personal relationships, travelling and anything else that we have to do. From the time we get up in the morning until we rest at night, we are assailed by media messages that inform us, entertain us, persuade us and set the agenda for us.
Children today are exposed to the media from a very young age and they are surprisingly well informed even when they are still very young. However, they are not yet capable of evaluating or prioritising what they have learned. Often enough, they do not have the critical ability needed to distinguish between what is good and bad. They have not acquired the necessary religious and moral criteria that will enable them to remain objective and independent when faced with the prevailing attitudes and habits of society. Concepts such as truth, beauty and goodness have become so vague that young people do not know where to turn to find help. Sometimes even when they are able to hold on to certain values, they do not have the capacity to develop these values into a way of life; all too often they are more inclined to go their own way, accepting whatever is popular at the moment.
Family life today may be deeply affected by television and computers, which have taken over the control of our family rooms. They mesmerise our homes and control thinking patterns in subtle ways that influence our children. The problem arises when the parents have no time to guide their children in using them in a creative manner. In the extreme, children are not brought up by their parents but by televisions and computers. Now, people all over the world are able to communicate with each other with the aids such as Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs etc., creating a borderless era of Information Technology. Children and youth are found to be yielding to what is called ‘net addiction’ both in the home and at school or college. Some students become overly accustomed to endless hours of chatting, listening to music, even watching pornographic sites. Now school children have mobile phones and even middle class families have a computer set and internet connection at home. Mobile phones and social networking sites are misused for organised crimes and spreading sex video clips. The tremendous influence of the media on individuals and society makes parental guidance inevitable. So, the parents have a great responsibility in helping the children to make the best use of the media. Parents should have control over children regarding what programmes they are watching and how much time they are using to watch television and sit before a computer. It is also good that parents and children watch television programmes together and parents have a control on the computer programmes and games they use.
Parents have the great responsibility of training the conscience of their children to express calm and objective judgements which will then guide them in the choice or rejection of programmes and equipments available. They have to make a conscious and reasonable judgement on whether the use of a particular equipment or programme is necessary or useful or not. They have to practice moderation and discipline in their approach to media. They should help the children to evaluate the theme and find out the positive values of the use of media.
Pope John Paul II, in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, says: “The negative aspects of the media and entertainment industries are threatening traditional values, and in particular the sacredness of marriage and the stability of the family”.[32] So, parents ought to have a positive control over the media in their families. This positive control will also be a valuable assistance in gradually preparing their children to take their place in society. At the same time, they should also make literature and magazines available which promote Catholic values in their families.

5 Family as the Nucleus and Source of Social Good

The family is in fact a community of persons whose proper way of existing and living together is communion: communio personarum. Therefore, the family is the first and fundamental school of social living. Families are not simply oriented toward their own good; instead they are called to participate in the development of society, for “far from being closed in on itself, the family is by its nature and vocation open to other families and to society and undertakes its social role”.[33] This means that families have a distinct and fundamental social and political role to play in society.

5.1 Family as Agent of Socialization

Family is an agent of socialization. Sankar Rao, an Indian Sociologist, observes: “The family guarantees not only biological continuity of the human race but also the cultural continuity of the society of which it is a part. It transmits ideas and ideologies, folkways and modes, customs and traditions, beliefs and values from one generation to the next”.[34] When a child is born into a family, it is not aware of anything including itself. Slowly the child becomes aware of its surroundings and other persons around. He/she becomes a part of the family. The family then leads him more and more out of the home and introduces him to the larger society. In this process of socialization, the individual internalizes the norms of the group and a distinct ‘self’ unique to the individual emerges. The family makes the child aware of the values, the morals, beliefs and ideals of the society. It prepares its children for participation in the life of the larger world and acquaints them with a larger culture. It is the chief agency, which prepares the new generation for life in the community and conditions it emotionally. It lays down the basic plan of the personality. Indeed, it shapes the personality of the child. Family is a mechanism for disciplining the child culturally; in short, it transforms the infant to a civilized adult.[35] Pope John Paul II observes that “the fostering of authentic and mature communion between persons within the family is the first and irreplaceable school of social life”.[36] According to him, “family is the origin and the most effective means for humanizing and personalizing society”.[37]

5.5.2 Involvement in Social and Political Issues

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith notes: “In today’s democratic societies, in a climate of true freedom, everyone is made a participant in directing the body politic. Such societies call for new and fuller forms of participation in public life by Christian and non-Christian citizens alike”.[38] The social role of the family certainly cannot be limited to procreation and education of children. They can and should devote themselves to manifold social service activities, especially in favour of the poor and the marginalised and they also have to involve actively in the political affairs. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “the social contribution of the family has an original character of its own, one that should be given greater recognition and more decisive encouragement, especially as the children grow up, and actually involving all its members as much as possible”.[39] In particular, there is an ever greater importance in our society for charity in all its forms, opening the door of one’s home and still more of one’s heart to the pleas of one’s brothers and sisters. So, in a special way, the Christian family is called upon to practice charity and therefore, imitating Christ’s example and sharing in His love, to welcome the brother or sister in need.[40]
The social role of families must also find expression in the form of political intervention: families should be the first to take steps to see that the laws and institutions of the State not only do not offend but support and positively defend the rights and duties of the family. “Along these lines, families should grow in awareness of being ‘protagonists’ of what is known as ‘family politics’ and assume responsibility for transforming society; otherwise families will be the first victims of the evils that they have no more than note with indifference”.[41] The Second Vatican Council’s appeal to go beyond an individualistic ethic therefore also holds good for the family as such.[42]

5.5.3 Respect and Care for the Environment

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one’s neighbour and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods. It commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labour”.[43] Thus for the sake of the common good, this commandment requires respect for the universal destination of goods and enjoin respect for the integrity of creation. The whole of creation is by nature destined for the common good of past, present and future humanity. So, we have a great responsibility to respect nature and be careful in the use of the mineral, vegetable and animal resources of the universe. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbour, including generations to come; it requires a respect for the integrity of creation.[44] Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation. It was the Creator’s will that we should communicate with nature as an intelligent and noble master and guardian and not as a heedless exploiter and destroyer.[45]
Our society faces environmental crisis of large proportions. Environmental damage is directly threatening the quality of life and reducing its resources. Any exploitation of nature amounts to sins against God.[46] We have to begin this education within the family. We have a responsibility not only to ourselves, but also to future human generations, to the hundreds of billions of people who have not yet been born, who have a right to be, who deserve a world at least as beautiful as ours, whose genes are now in our custody and no one else’s. And we will have a responsibility to nonhuman generations as well, to the myriad species who, like ourselves, add to the divine life.

Conclusion

Family, the first and vital cell of the society, is changing everywhere and is meeting with various challenges. It is in this context, we argue that Catholic families have an important role in society and thereby they are called to set a luminous example in order to lead people ‘amidst the encircling gloom’ to build up a culture of life and love. The presence of the Catholic family itself had an edifying effect on society.
At the World Meeting of Families in 2003 in Manila, the emphasis was on the ‘Christian Family as the Good News for the Third Millennium’.[47] The message which it wanted to communicate was that in renewing the Church and in rebuilding the society, the Catholic family has an essential role to play. In fact the Catholic families have been, in the course of the centuries, bearers of the gospel message in the world. By the presence of an ‘intimate community of life and love’ abiding by Christian moral law, it has been a light in the surrounding darkness of anarchy in marital relations and family life. As Familiaris Consortio points out, a united, joyful Catholic family loudly proclaims the Christian virtues and the hope of a life to come. This is an original and irreplaceable ministry of the family. And this is essentially an ecclesial service.[48] This mission of the family is essential and urgent in today’s world. In the vastly secularized environment, it is hard to live a Christian life, but we have to take up this challenge and show the world that the Christian pattern of life is truly inspiring and needed for the world. The Catholic family can reach out to other Christians and the members of other religions through a life of dialogue. Thus, the Catholic families are indeed one of the most effective bearers of the good news today.




[1] Claude Lévi-Strauss, “Family”, in Man, Culture and Society, Harry L. Shapiro (ed.), Oxford University Press, London, 1956, 284.
[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2207.
[3] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 213.
[4] Cf. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 75.
[5] In Familiaris Consortio (n. 17), Pope John Paul II encourages families with the following plea: “Family, become what you are!” The family finds in the plan of God, the Creator and Redeemer not only its identity, what it is, but also its mission.
[6] William E. May, Marriage: The Rock on which Family is Built, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2009, 1.
[7] Cf. Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, 49 ˗ 50.
[8] Cf. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 18.
[9] John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 19.
[10] David M. Thomas, Christian Marriage: A Journey Together, Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 1983, 172.
[11] K. Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1993, 135.
[12] John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 92.
[13] Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 10.
[14] Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 10.
[15] Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 17.
[16] Cf. Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, 50.
[17] Cf. Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 10.
[18] Cf. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 6.
[19] Pontifical Council for the Laity, The Dignity of the Older People and their Mission in the Church and in the World, 54 ˗ 55.
[20] John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 5.
[21] Cf. Vatican Council II, Gravissimum Educationis, 3.
[22] Congregation for Catholic Education, Pastoral Guidelines for Fostering Vocations to Priestly Ministry, 3.
[23] Cf. Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium, 11; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2225 ˗ 2226.
[24] G. Soares Prabhu, “The Church as Mission: A Reflection on Matthew 5: 13 ˗ 16”, in Jeevadhara Journal of Christian Interpretation, 24/4 (1994), 279.
[25] Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 17.
[26] Cf. John Paul II, Gratissimam Sane, 16. 
[27] Cf. Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, 61.
[28] Pontifical Council for the Family, The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines for Education within the Family, 1.
[29] Cf. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 37.
[30] Cf. Pontifical Council for the Family, The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality, 143 ˗ 144.
[31] Cf. F. Podimattam, “Lessons on Sex: Time for Parents and Teachers to Pitch in”, in Indian Currents, 19/27 (2007), 28.
[32] John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia, 18.
[33] John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 42.
[34] C. N. Sankar Rao, Sociology: Primary Principles, S. Chand and Company, New Delhi, 2002, 351.
[35] Cf. C. N. S. Rao, Sociology, 351.
[36] John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 46.
[37] John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 46.
[38] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note on some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, 1.
[39] John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 44.
[40] Cf. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 44.
[41] Cf. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 44.
[42] Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, 30.
[43] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2401.
[44] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2415.
[45] Cf. John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, 15.
[46] Cf. KCBC, “Paristhithi Samrakshanam”, (Care for Nature), Circular on 15 March 2012.
[47] John Paul II, Pope’s Address to the 4th World Meeting of Families in Manila, 7.
[48] John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 53.