The role of the family on society

By WALTER AYRES- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

The Feast of the Holy Family on Dec. 30 is an opportune time to reflect on the role of the family on society, especially the ways the Church has viewed it over the years. Those ways have evolved.

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke both tell us that followers of Jesus might see divisions in their families, and they lived in anticipation of a heavenly age in which people did not marry. For some, celibacy was better than marriage.

The New Dictionary of Catholic Social Thought notes that it was not until the 12th century that marriage was given the dignity of a sacrament. However, in the 20th century, the Church took what has been called “a quantum leap” in its positive affirmation of the family.

In his groundbreaking social encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” Pope Leo XII introduced the idea of a fair wage, meaning that a worker’s wages should be sufficient to enable him comfortably to support himself and his family. In the wake of World War II, Pope Pius XII expressed concern about how family life would be affected by unemployment, homelessness and sickness.

Later, the U.S. bishops, in “Economic Justice for All,” noted that economic policies must strengthen and stabilize family life.
Pope John Paul II went much further, stating, “The family’s social function is also expected to be expressed in political intervention. This means that families must be the first to busy themselves so that the state’s laws and institutions not only not offend, but shall also positively sustain and defend the family’s rights and duties.”

He added, “In this sense, families must grow in awareness of being the foremost actors in so-called ‘family policy’ and take the responsibility of transforming society.”

As I write these words, Catholics in America are specifically being urged to contact their congressional representatives to restore the Federal Child Tax Credit before the session ends this month. Sister Donna Markham OP, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, joined with leaders of many faiths calling on Congress to return the tax credit to its generous original form, noting that it has shown to reduce child poverty by 30 percent.

Of course, there are many other measures that we at the Commission on Peace and Justice hope you will support as we look to the New Year and new legislative session in both Washington and Albany. I will write about them in future columns. In the meantime, however, let us prepare to mobilize our families to, as Pope John Paul II said, “take the responsibility for transforming society.”

Walter Ayres is the director for Catholic Charities’ Commission on Peace and Justice.