The Holy Family

Joseph Mallord William Turner | Holy Family (1803)

The Church on The Holy Family

The Holy Family, consisting of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, is revered as an icon and model for every human family. The Church encourages families to look to the Holy Family as an example of faith, piety, and obedience to God's will. The Holy Family is seen as a domestic Church, a place where families can grow in faith, prayer, and virtue. It is in the family that children can learn to perceive the meaning of God and experience His presence. The Holy Family is also seen as a guide for the Church's mission, highlighting the involvement of the family in the mission of the incarnate and redemptive Word.

Exodus 20:12

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

The Church calls for families to be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel, and small domestic churches. Families are encouraged to imitate the Holy Family's trust in the Father, their imitation of Christ, and their guidance by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Family's experience of anxiety, persecution, emigration, and hard daily labor serves as a reminder that families may face challenges, but they can find strength and support in their faith.

1 Timothy 3:5

For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?

The Church also recognizes the sacredness and inviolability of the family and its beauty in God's plan. Families are called to be places of formation in faith and prayer, seedbeds of vocations, and the primary living cells of society. The Church invites families to constantly be reborn through the power of God's word and the sacraments. By doing so, families can become more fully a domestic Church, fulfilling their particular mission in society and the Church.

1 John 4:19

We love, because he first loved us.

Summary

• the Holy Family serves as an example and model for every human family. Families are called to imitate their faith, piety, and obedience to God's will.
• The Holy Family is seen as a domestic Church, where families can grow in faith, prayer, and virtue. Families are encouraged to trust in the Father, imitate Christ, and be guided by the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Family's experiences remind families that they may face challenges, but they can find strength and support in their faith.
• Families are called to be places of formation in faith and prayer, seedbeds of vocations, and the primary living cells of society.
• By constantly being reborn through the power of God's word and the sacraments, families can fulfill their mission in society and the Church .

Sources

1. Gratissimam Sane: Letter to Families 23
2. Gratissimam Sane: Letter to Families 23
3. Ecclesia in Medio Oriente 59
4. General Audience of 28 December 2011
5. To the participants in the meeting of the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family (August 27, 1999) 8
6. Amoris Laetitia 325