Family is a school of humanity, love and hope

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Our Church takes seriously the challenges facing today’s families. Under the leadership of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, we are committed to identifying and addressing the fundamental needs of families because we recognize that nothing is more important to the growth and development of individuals and of society itself than the family.

The Church teaches that the family is a school of humanity, love and hope for society. It is the place where each of us learns who we are as individuals and as members of human society.

The family is also where we first learn how to live—how to take care of ourselves, how to share our gifts and talents with others, and how to collaborate and live in harmony with our neighbors, whether close to home or far away.

Family teaches us who we are and how we should live as mature men and women. Without the family, children cannot grow beyond their individualism, their isolation from others. Without family, unity among people and nations loses its most basic bond and becomes merely pragmatic, “conceivable only on the basis of utility, on a calculus of fear, but not on the goodness of living together, not on the joy that the mere presence of others can give” (Pope Francis, “Lumen Fidei,” #51).

Family teaches us that we are God’s children, brothers and sisters called to participate in the life of God himself, the Blessed Trinity. This is where we learn to recognize the sacredness of every human life and the beauty (and necessity) of living together in peace. This is where we discover the fundamental principle that grounds all human rights and dignity: Every person, regardless of gender, race, religion, economic or social status is deserving of our respect. This is where we learn that the family is the only lasting, solid foundation on which healthy societies can be built.

Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s latest newsletter.