The family is defined as “the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children.” There are other definitions, but this one fits most the topic which I want to share. With this definition, it is conclusive that all human beings in this world belong to a family. This understanding can be extended to mean our ancestry, a bigger family where we still belong. In this present world, families can take on their own brand, or we may say, their own essence or stamp. We have generous families, and we also have within us greedy and selfish families! We have families living out to their long-cherished principles, and we have also families who can easily be bought at a very meager price on their heads.
Families around the world have their own talents, as well as their own notoriety in doing outlandish deeds like doing drugs and taking pride that they have the ability to kill their fellow humans. Families can be so rooted in the goodness emanating from the goodness of God and some others are bearers of the lies and deceit, and some other destructive ways of Satan. We can say that every family is being led or directed to a particular destiny and there are only two destinies available for the rest of the families in this world… the way that leads to God and the way that leads to our own damnation to Satan’s fiery furnace.
Now, as persons, as members of a family, we are all potential heads of our own families in the future. What we will do, when the reign to guide a family arrives for us, will always depend on the kind of family where we grew up with. If we were raised in a family of good reputation, then we may end up leading a family where love and respect for one another is a must. If we were raised in a family rooted in power, riches and other forms of evil, then we may end up, if not in jail, the hell is a sure destiny! But the choice will always be ours and ours alone!
What, for me, is important in a family is the rootedness of that family. A family united in love and respect for one another, even in the midst of hardships, difficulties and sacrifices can be a really joyful family where love and peace are flowing like milk and honey. It is sad to note, however, that we are also living in a world where everything seemed to have fallen apart, a world with misguided sense of justice and false beliefs and mentalities.
The perfect family lies only in our ideals for there is no perfect family in this world. But we are not looking for a perfect family, nor are we dreaming to have one. What we can only have to hold and to treasure are those families who continue to support one another in the name of love because they are the real messengers of God’s love for all of us. These families are those residing in some rural areas and feeding themselves by the sweat of their brow. In their simplicity, even if there are suffering, inner peace and genuine joy are always with them. These are the families who are not envious about the wealth and fame and fortune of other people because the possess in them a treasure of greater value… their love for one another.
I have seen so many beautiful families out there and I have also seen families who are inside airconditioned palaces and houses but the cool atmosphere is not even enough to soothe their heads raging with so much hate and anger, their cool place is nothing to the hell where their whole life belong because hell is the absence of love and love is God only.
This is just a challenge for all of us and I hope we will all know the answer to our questions and that we all know where to go when we come to the crossroads of our life. After all we are a family, all of us, a member of the family where Christ is the head. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is our model and example of what a family, every family, must be.