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For some, domestic life is a secondary consideration. Most parents understand that they are to work hard to provide the material necessities for their families. However, Catholic men and women also have the responsibility to build the domestic Church. The term domestic Church refers to the family as the smallest body of gathered believers in Christ; it is the universal Church in microcosm. It is a home where family life is completely centered on the lordship of Jesus Christ, where parents who are disciples of Jesus, embrace their role as leaders to make disciples of their children. How can a father or mother ensure this if they spend most of their time away from the home? In a word, they can’t. Parents who are stuck between the proverbial “rock and a hard place” should not feel ashamed; a work-life balance is difficult.
However, as disciples of Christ, we do not operate by mere material and earthly means, but instead, rely on grace to perfect nature, and the supernatural to transform the natural. If we follow the model of St. Joseph, we see that we can find a way to blend our work and home life into a single organism, something that moves with and for the rhythms of domestic life.
We must ask ourselves, what sacrifices can we make as parents in order to spend more time with our families? Do we really need all that living space? Can we take less expensive vacations? Might our children not do better with fewer toys, clothes, and entertainment? In most cases, we can find ways to reorient our money and abstain from costly habits, in order to maximize our resources. If we are honest with ourselves, we can make more and greater sacrifices for the good of our family life and be more generous with God.
-Unleash the Gospel
Challenge
Ask God how are you doing in allocating your time, activities, and resources in forming your family as the domestic Church; discuss with your spouse what you heard in prayer. For priests, ask God to show you how you can better equip the families in your parish to live as domestic Church.