Pope Benedict XVI has emphasized the importance of a faithful and peaceful family atmosphere in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, “A peaceful family atmosphere, enlightened by faith and the holy fear of God, also favors the rise and flowering of vocations at the service of the Gospel.” (Read complete story on Zenit)
As John Paul II pointed out in his 1994 Letter to Families, families are meant to contribute “to the transformation of the earth and the renewal of the world, of creation and of all humanity.”
We are currently living in a world dominated by secularism, materialism, and a false feminism that is destroying the meaning of families and their mission in the world. As a woman, I truly believe that this false feminism that dominates today’s society is the most influential factor on the decline of faithful families today.
Women nowadays find themselves in the midst of a society that requires them to work and attempt to equate themselves with men in their respective professional fields forgetting their true vocation as a woman. With increasing materialism and a growing feeling that we need everything that is available for purchase, many married couples are not willing to make the sacrifice of living simpler lives by going down to one income and allowing the mother to stay at home to fulfill their vocations. On the other hand, there are some couples who could not live with just one income and so mothers find themselves forced to work to provide for their families.
Although men are the heads of the household, I really consider women to be the pillar of faith and unity within the family that helps in giving their husbands the strength necessary to fulfill their role as responsible heads of families. However, when women are not these pillars within the family, we see a marriage that no longer knows its mission or its identity as a family or as an important moral cell within the larger society. As we know from the Gospels, our Blessed Mother, experienced many things when taking care of our Lord and she pondered them and kept them in her heart. We too as women have this gift to ponder on events that happen around us and to see them in the light of love and patience. Thus, we become responsible to give strength to our husbands, our children, our friends and family members; to be an example of humility, patience, and gentleness.
Let us pray also for those parents who oppose their sons’ and daughters’ vocation to the priesthood, religious life, and even marriage; that they may realize the importance of God’s call.
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