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The
question is simple. The answer is simple. The implications are
immense.
A
well functioning Family Group is an extended family. It provides
nurturing and supportive environment for all its members to grow
as Christians. In so doing, the Family Group gives support to each
family within it. Whether the family be dual, solo, blended, or
whatever, it does this by providing a network of relationships.
The
Family Group is open-ended. As in any extended family, the Family
Group welcomes new members and mourns the loss of departed
members. It maintains a positive, adaptive atmosphere. Therefore,
it continues to grow in depth of commitment and love. Being an
extended family, a Family Group experiences all the ups and downs
of life. It has its own winter, spring, summer and fall; all the
emotional seasons.
A
Family Group is more than the sum of its parts. It is a basic
building block of Christian community, providing a sound
foundation for the life of the parish. The Family Group answers
the basic need for community - a sense of belonging. It is out of
this sense of belonging that the members of the Family Group
willingly participate in the life of the parish family and beyond.
It is true to say, "One does not fully participate until one
feels that they belong." When people are at home in a Family
Group, their gifts and graces are revealed. Then they use them
within the parish community and, beyond the parish community, in
Christian Mission.
Christian
education occurs in a Family Group. Barriers are broken down.
Families are freed to tell their stories. They discover they have
the same challenges. They also share the same values. They learn
from each other. There is heartfelt prayer in a loving and
supportive Family Group. For the most part, such prayer is very
informal and influenced by the rhythm of life. At the heart of
this prayer is the Eucharist, whether the intimate Home Mass or
the parish Celebration.
Hence,
it is obvious that a Family Group is far more than social. In fact
a Family Group is INCARNATIONAL. The Spirit of Christ, as St. Paul
says, living in the hearts of its faithful members, is able to
work wonders. People are accepted, understood and forgiven. There
is true reconciliation. People break bread at a common table. All
the Sacraments of the Church from Baptism to the Anointing of the
Sick, find a place within the Family Group.
The
Family Group is the CHURCH.
Father Peter McGrath, Cp
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