Sanctity of the Family
In the Old Testament God blessed Adam and Eve and Abraham and Sarah to unite, be fruitful, and multiply. In the New Testament, St. Paul teaches that the marriage union is a reflection of Christ and His Church – Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is His bride. In our Orthodox Church, marriage is sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. God is love, and love is the root of the marriage union. When God sacrificed His beloved Son, out of His love for us whom He created, He taught us that love of family also applies to our Church family. The fabric of a good, solid society is based on the universal values of faith and love. “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
Some in society are attempting to diminish the significance of the family unit, saying it teaches outdated ways of living and believing. To the contrary, from generation to generation, it is within the family that we learn and practice the timeless and unchanging values of life. “[God] commanded our fathers to make these [laws] known to their children” (Psalm 77[78]:5).
In the Gospel reading of Judgement Sunday, we hear Christ’s words: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:34-36).
This Gospel passage teaches six acts of mercy: food, drink, hospitality, clothing, nursing care, and visitation. So, too, within our families we first learn love, mercy, compassion, sharing, achieving harmony, and service to others. We are to practice acts of mercy when a family member:
needs food, drink, apparel, or a place to rest their head—we offer it to them;
needs attention, affection, and guidance—we support and embrace them;
is “imprisoned” in a mindset or a relationship—we comfort and pray for them;
becomes estranged from the family—we open the door to receive them in love;
is sick or incapacitated—we care for them, get them medicine, or find them extra help.
Each of us can potentially demonstrate these mercies outside our families too. One need not be wealthy to buy a hungry person a hot meal or a cold drink. One need not be a priest, nurse, or social worker to help someone who is ill or has lost their way.
The Holy Family on earth – Christ, His Holy Mother, and His earthly father, St. Joseph – is a loving example for all families. The Holy Family nurtured Jesus as he grew and taught Him to read and be a carpenter. As a family they were obedient to God’s will and guided by His Holy Spirit. From Creation, through the sacrament of marriage and our families, God is speaking to us. By the example of His life, He is calling us to maintain good, loving families who honour and glorify Him. Our final reward will be eternity in our Father’s house – in His heavenly family.