Families have always been the bedrock of societies. Strong and happy families make for a strong and happy nation. It is always inspiring to see a man leaving his father and mother and taking for himself a wife. I am a pushover for mushy sayings like “A son is a son until he marries his wife. A daughter is a daughter for the rest of her life.” My fondest memories are of and with my family. Many still swear, specially in their older years, that their families are more important than their jobs or careers.
And yet families are today buffeted from all sides. Families have become more fragile with divorces among married couples often outnumbering those that choose to stay together. The number of single person households is increasing. Then, there is the issue of same sex marriage. Slowly yet surely, same sex marriages are becoming acceptable and legal in more and more countries.
I sometimes wonder if marriage and family are one and the same. I have seen people living together as a loving family without being married. Religious communities are families without marriages. I have been part of extended families without being married in any of them. We have a community of committed couples, seriously committed to and working hard to make their marriages work, and I consider these friends my families as well.
The times, they are a-changing. And with them, the mores and even the morals. We still need a man and a woman to bring forth new life. At the same time, I believe that same sex partnerships can also be nurturing of the warm and loving relationship that is the family. What men should not lose sight of is that God calls us together into communion and unity as in a family and not to lives separate lives. We call him Our Father for we are indeed his family.
I join the millions praying for love, joy and peace to reign among our families. I pray for strength and courage for parents, mothers and fathers, that they may overcome the challenges of married life and parenting and choose to always stay instead of walking away. I pray for grace and wisdom for children that they may see the love ans often the sacrifices of their parents in raising them up. I pray to communities to come to the help of families that are in need of love and support to keep them going through hard and difficult times.
‘From the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’
Mark 10:1-12