Bishops of the Church in America Issue
Statement Affirming Value and Importance of the Family
WASHINGTON (February 25, 2004) --
At their meeting in San Antonio, Texas, the Bishops of the Church in America
issued a statement affirming the fundamental value and importance of the
family.
The statement is entitled "Family, Become What You Are!"
"In this new millennium, the whole American Continent is undergoing
profound questioning about the fundamentals of society in general and its
foundational unit, the family, in particular," the bishops said.
Families and family members are confronting ever growing challenges while the
demands of modern-day life impose considerable burdens on parents, they noted.
"Nonetheless, the family endures," the bishops said. "It
remains the privileged place where human beings are formed and where children
discover the mission that God entrusts to them in the world and in the Church.
The family is the oldest social structure of all humanity. The American
continent, from the forests of northern Canada to the Argentinian Patagonia,
comprises a vast cultural diversity. Together we affirm the fundamental value
and importance of the family. At the heart of every people and culture, the
family is also ‘the way of the Church'" (John Paul II, Letter to
Families, 1994, no. 3).
"The Forces that Challenge the Integrity of the Family in America and the
Church's Pastoral Response " (Ecclesia in America, 46) was the topic of
the 32nd meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America, held in San Antonio,
February 16-19. Members of the Episcopal Conferences of Latin America, Canada,
and the United States attended.
Below is the full text of the statement, "Family, Become What You
Are!"
Also attached is a list of the bishops who participated.
FAMILY, BECOME WHAT YOU ARE!
Message from the 32nd Meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America
San Antonio, Texas
16-19 February 2004
In this new millennium, the whole American Continent is undergoing profound
questioning about the fundamentals of society in general and its foundational
unit, the family, in particular. Families and family members are confronting
ever growing challenges. Even though the vast majority of couples continue to
choose to marry and have children, marriages are often delayed, less stable
and more likely to break up. This lack of stability affects both children and
adults. Making a commitment to live together for life is too often today seen
as astonishing. Given this cultural and social context, in which so much of
the future seems uncertain, many young couples hesitate about starting a
family.
The demands of modern-day life impose considerable burdens on parents. It is
worrisome to see families, no matter how flexible they may be, so overloaded
with work, stressed, burdened with financial worries and cut off from the
support of the extended family. Unemployment and job instability lead to
insecurity and constitute a heavy burden on family life. The market economy,
financial fluctuations and speculation often have a negative impact on
employment and buying power, while more and more children become victims of
systemic poverty.
Nonetheless, the family endures. It remains the privileged place where human
beings are formed and where children discover the mission that God entrusts to
them in the world and in the Church. The family is the oldest social structure
of all humanity. The American continent, from the forests of northern Canada
to the Argentinian Patagonia, comprises a vast cultural diversity. Together we
affirm the fundamental value and importance of the family. At the heart of
every people and culture, the family is also "the way of the
Church".1
Family, become what you are:2 The Church in the home or the
‘domestic Church'
Marriage is the lifelong union of a man and a woman. When a family is founded
on a marriage, its life unfolds around God's eternal covenant. The family
becomes a temple of love and a community of the baptized, called to be
transformed by God through service to life. With Jesus, a path is laid out for
us and God shows us the way: love is service and humanity's gift to the world.
As the "domestic Church", the family has the mission of being the foremost
educator of children. Despite all its difficulties, the family reflects
God's tenderness, faithfulness and mercy. It opens doors to the Redeemer. It
becomes a messenger of the compassionate love of Christ, for children first of
all but also for humanity at large. All that is needed is for parents to let
God's living Spirit be at the center of the family. When God is frequently
mentioned, when the story of Jesus' life is told with enthusiasm, and when
each opportunity for prayer is celebrated, children will gently but surely
develop a life of intimacy with God. The family truly is a "house of
God".
Family, become what you are: A sanctuary of life
The Church considers the family as a sanctuary of life. By welcoming
children as gifts of God, a family fulfills its mission as the foundational
unit of society and the Church. Through words that teach and by daily gestures
of kindness, tenderness and forgiveness, parents cultivate in their children
the authentic freedom of God's sons and daughters. Thus children grow in
"respect for others, a sense of justice, cordial openness, dialogue,
generous service", promoting justice, peace and solidarity.3
This is the task God gives Christian parents, often helped by grandparents who
can be so vital in the transmission of faith and values.
Even when a family is wounded or weakened by one of its members, the family is
still –both for the children and their parents – the primary place for
them to find welcome, renewal, emotional security and love. It can continue to
be this as long as it is surrounded and supported by close family members and
other families who are aware of the need to be in solidarity.4 In
God's plan, the family is always a giver of life, of life in abundance (John
10.10), even in its vulnerability. "It is in the family itself that we
can find the ‘good news' of a love that overcomes fear and brings hope to
the world." 5
Family, become what you are: Salt of the earth, light of the world
God entrusted the world's garden to a family, so that life, justice and peace
could grow there. Through "creativity in charity",6
the family makes present the compassion of Christ. True to its mission, the
family creates new ways for solidarity. Rooted in the faith of Jesus Christ
and nourished in the hope of his Resurrection, the family is called to
transform the world: "to recognize God in every moment and in every
thing; to contemplate God in every person; to seek his will in all that
happens."
It is in the rhythm of daily life that families humbly but radically change
the world, as they seek to follow Jesus. Day by day, through simple gestures
that brighten the lives of others, they bring to the heart of the world the
Christian values of generosity and love. As they evangelize their milieu, they
transform daily life into an extraordinary meeting place with God who calls
Christians to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth
(Matthew 5.13-14).
Family, become what you are: ‘Good News' for all the world
Difficulties, exhaustion, conflicts and daily worries are part of the life of
all families. When parents – despite their troubles, and despite their
imperfections and weaknesses – choose kindness over aggression, tenderness
over violence, forgiveness over bitterness, the family proclaims the victory
of love, the victory of the Cross.
When this happens, family members become witnesses to the incredible news of
Jesus Christ, in whom love triumphed over death, once and for all. Such is the
mystery of family life – human beings who transform the world by living the
life of Jesus, a full life that fulfills the deepest hopes. Not only is this a
challenge and an adventure, it is the "Good News"!
As we recall that marriage and the family are good news; we realize that they
are manifestations of the gratuitous love of God, which shows itself through
the love of spouses and in the joy of the gift of children. In this way they
become a source of joyful news for the parents and the community.
We want to encourage couples to receive the sacrament of matrimony and to
build a family life according to the plan of Jesus. We want to help them
become aware that they are a true domestic church where each member is invited
to become a living witness of the gospel of life in the church and in society.
It is the desire of the Catholic Church to be present and accompany couples
from the time they begin their marriage preparation and continuing throughout
all the phases of life.
In order for this to be possible, we see the necessity of preparing the
bishops and all pastoral ministers: priests, religious and lay, to accompany
these couples and these families. We must also call upon teams of professional
lay persons to help us in this work.
In this new millennium, it is true that the family is navigating rough seas.
Couples and families today carry tremendous burdens. However, when they choose
to persevere and to live in faith and hope, they create a privileged space for
human beings to be born and to grow in unconditional love. Fathers, mothers
and children reveal God to each other and to the world – the One who
accompanies us in our daily lives, who fills us beyond all measure, and who is
with us "every day until the end of time" (Matthew 28.20).
We commend to the care of the Holy Family of Nazareth the marriages and
families of our American Continent, so that inspired in the tender love of
Mary and the fidelity of St. Joseph, they may become joyful witnesses of the
Gospel of the Family!
18 February, 2004
1 John Paul II, Letter to Families, 1994, no. 3.
2 "Family, become what you are" is a phrase used by John Paul II in Familiaris
Consortio, 1982, no. 17.
3 John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1995, no. 92.
4 According to John Paul II, solidarity "is not a feeling of vague
compassion… it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to
the common good… because we are all really responsible for all." Sollicitudo
Rei Socialis, 1987, no. 38.
5 Pontifical Council for the Family, Conclusions of the Theological and
Pastoral Congress – IV World Family Meeting, Manila, January 24, 2003.
6 John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 2001, no. 49.
7 John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, 1999, no. 29.
__________________________________
Office of Communications
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000
February 25, 2004 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops