CATECHETICAL LESSON 4: MISSION: MY BROTHER, SISTER, AND MOTHER
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mt 12: 50)
Introduction
We give emphasis on the mission of the family to make their own homes a Christ-centered community with life-witnessing of God´s commandment of LOVE. May our families be united and be shielded from the world’s negative influences which are ever more present, stronger and dangerous. However, this can only be realized if we humble ourselves and accept that alone we cannot make it. We need God in the Eucharist to help our families become ever more united, loving and merciful. Our families can be a reflection of this love and unity of the eternal family of the Trinity in Heaven through the bond of the Eucharist. The Eucharistic family is the best gift from God to our country. It is also the best gift that we can offer to God for the world’s evangelization. The Holy Eucharist is the source of all vocations in the Church for Christian witness, and for Evangelization. The smallest unit in the Church and society is the Sanctuary of family life: the ‘Domestic Church.’ The Eucharist sends families on a mission, to proclaim both in word and deed and to share their faith. The Eucharist has the greatest power possible to move the family to love and serve the Lord, to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to all encountered. This means service to the poor; respect and defense of human life at all stages; promotion of human rights; and the building of a civilization of love, justice, and peace. Pope John Paul II explains that, “The Eucharist is the very source of Christian marriage. The Eucharistic Sacrifice, in fact, represents Christ’s covenant of love with the Church, sealed with His blood on the Cross. In this sacrifice of the New and Eternal Covenant, Christian spouses encounter the source from which their own marriage covenant flows, from which it is interiorly structured, and continuously renewed” (FC 57). Catholic families must recognize the Eucharist as a source of charity and the basis of the communion and mission of family life. Photo from the Diocese of Romblon
Family commitment to life is a necessary consequence of our union with our Eucharistic Lord. The Eucharist teaches us to be sensitive to all human suffering whether it is that of an unborn child, a handicapped person, or the chronically ill. It encourages us to seek ways to deal with injustices and redress them. At times, it means working in communion with and imitating the saints. It means showing in our lives, by personal example, the truths we profess LESSON 4: Mission: My Brother, Sister, and Mother -191-
