“THE FUTURE OF EVANGELIZATION DEPENDS IN GREAT PART,

ON THE CHURCH OF THE HOME.” (fam. Con.52)

 

 

Sr. Rita Pitavavine OP

The Family, Center for Evangelization.

Lumen Grentivin calls the Domestic Church. (11).This expression is again taken up in Evangelii Nuntiandi meaning “in each Christian family the various elements of the whole church should be found in the family should be the place from whence the Gospel is transmitted and its message radiated.” (71). Familiaris Consortio calls upon the Christian family to be a “Sign of Unity…. And to exercise its prophetic role by bearing witness to the Kingdom and Peace of Christ….” (21, 48)

The Christian family is then more than an image of church. It is church by reason of its mission and Ministry. It is the centre where Christ is present, where the Gospel is lived, Celebrated and proclaimed.

 

The Christian Family as Evangelizers.

Families need to be enabled to live their Evangelizing role. They must be empowered to face the challenges of the gospel in all levels of life. Faith formation focusing on Conversion, repentance, and Christian patterns of relating needs to be planned and facilitated. Evangelization challenges the Christian family to recognize the implications of their baptismal call, to commit themselves to reconciliation, and to share their faith.

What does this mean for the family? Basically it means that the total life of the family, all the countless interactions which occur between family members each day, can be Embodiments of Good of God’s Word, God’s love. The daily life of the family is the called to be Evangelization. Each member is called to be evangelized and to be an evangelizer.

 

Criteria for Family and Evangelization.

Jesus in the encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus reveals five Criteria for Evangelization: Accompaniment, Interpretation, Celebration and witnessing.

 Let us now look at these in relation to the family as evangelizing and being evangelized.

 

Presence;

Jesus walks with his disciples and is present to them. Family living is calls for presence to persons. Presence is listening, accepting, understanding and loving. It is a basis for Evangelization.

Accompaniment;

Jesus accompanied the two in their search. In family living, parents accompany each other and walk with their children. Children likewise accompany their parents. The process of evangelization is a life-long journey. The invitation is journey towards ‘fullness of life’ – complete personhood in Christ.

Interpretation;

Jesus led the two disciples to discover little by little the meaning and understanding of the events they had witnessed. Families are called to read life, to interpret daily living in the light of the Gospel. Dynamic and vital challenges to enter into the mystery of the other.

 

Celebration;

Jesus celebrated new life with the two disciples. Celebrations are central to living. Birth and growth, joy and suffering, success and failure, life and death root ones relationship with God. The sacraments celebrate the significant moments of life. Every true, celebration of sacraments is supported by numerous family celebrations which marked the lives of the family members.

 

Witness,

Having encountered Jesus, the two men returned to the community to share the good news. Family as the domestic church is essentially missionary spirit opens the family to other families, to the parish community and to society. Families are called to be come one and form groups to build more human, more just, and more honest and free society.

 

These 5 criteria are rooted in the very action of Jesus for whom service and witness are more important than teaching, persons more important than institutions. To build and strength en the domestic church, all of these criteria are essential. The family is then not an object ‘out there’ to be evangelized by the church.  As the domestic church, the family enables each members to live a gospel way of life, supports, and empowers authentic response, celebrates and pray in a way the parish cannot. The church is called to support and celebrates family life through scripture, church teaching, liturgy and prayer. Family and church are partners in evangelization.