Florida Catholic | Bishop Barbarito's Column

Life and family: an indissoluble union

Published: 01.25.08

We know the rights of the family are undermined in our present society.

Last week, on Jan. 22, hundreds of thousands of men and women from all faiths and backgrounds marched in Washington, D.C., to the Supreme Court in prayerful protest of the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion in our country. On the same day in our diocese, many planned to come together at 11 a.m. outside the Palm Beach County Courthouse to pray the rosary in solidarity with the Washington marchers. Hundreds of similar events took place around our nation to pray for an end to abortion within our country and to show support for the right to life at every stage of human existence.

As we rededicate our efforts and continue our prayers to protect the gift of life, it is also an opportune time to rededicate our efforts to protect the gift through which life comes about: the family. The legalization of abortion in our society and the resulting lack of respect for life at all stages are intrinsically tied to the disintegration of the family. Pope John Paul II reminded us during his visit to St. Louis in January of 1999 that “As goes the family, so also goes society.” Respect for the family and family values in contemporary culture have alarmingly declined and so has the general moral fabric of our society.

At the beginning of this new year, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, presented his message “The Human Family, A Community of Peace” for the annual World Day of Peace Jan. 1. This is a fitting topic as the year 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the 40th anniversary of the Holy See’s “Charter of the Rights of the Family,” and the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI declaring Jan. 1 as World Day of Peace.

Quoting a number of ecclesial sources, Pope Benedict XVI begins his message by emphasizing the integral connection between the gift of life and the God-given institution of the family. He states, “The natural family, as an intimate communion of life and love, based on marriage between a man and woman, constitutes the ‘primary place of “humanization” for the person and society,’ and a ‘cradle of life and love.’ The family is rightly defined as the first natural society, ‘a divine institution that stands at the foundation of life and the human person as the prototype of every society order.’” Respect for life and respect for the family are indeed an indissoluble union!

Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes in his message that the language of the family is the language of peace. Some of the fundamental elements of peace are experienced in a healthy family life. These are justice; love between brothers and sisters; the role of authority expressed by parents; loving concern for the members who are weak because of youth, sickness or old age; mutual help in the necessities of life and the readiness to accept and forgive others. The pope emphasizes that since the family enables its members to experience true peace, the human community cannot exist without the service provided by the family.

The family is the primary agency of peace and whatever circumvents the institution of the family, even unknowingly, undermines peace in the entire community, both national and international. For this reason the Holy Father states that “everything that serves to weaken the family based on the marriage of a man and a woman, everything that directly or indirectly stands in the way of its openness to the responsible acceptance of new life, everything that obstructs its right to be primarily responsible for the education of its children, constitutes an obstacle on the road to peace.”

Quite interestingly, in his message Pope Benedict XVI also emphasizes the relationship between respect for the family and respect for the environment. The family needs a home in which to develop its proper relationship. That home is the earth, which God has given to humankind. The pope calls us to a responsible care for the environment and to good stewardship of the earth’s energy resources. With concern for the poor, as well as for a balance between poorer and richer nations, he states, “We need to care for the environment: It has been entrusted to men and women to be protected and cultivated with responsible freedom, with the good of all as a constant guiding criterion.”

The pope’s message makes clear that the family is the subject of specific rights. The U.N.’s “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” states, “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.” The pope refers to this declaration as a “landmark of juridic civilization of truly universal value.” Its value, especially in regard to its recognition of the rights of the family, is something to celebrate on its 60th anniversary.

We know the rights of the family are undermined in our present society. From the halls of government to primetime TV entertainment, the values and dignity of family life are not only called into question, but looked upon as archaic. Only when family life is appreciated as the natural way of all humanity will peace come to our world and the right to life be respected as a fundamental moral principal. Society’s future is threatened because the family has been relegated to one option among many. Our society values the free choice of individualism over the rights of the family, and this misplaced value is taking its destructive toll in a culture where self-sacrifice and permanent commitment have almost all but disappeared.

A wonderful tribute to the rights of the family and the values it holds comes in the martyrdom of the Franciscan priest, Father Maximilian Kolbe, canonized by Pope John Paul II. In an Auschwitz concentration camp when 10 prisoners were chosen to be sentenced to death by starvation, Father Kolbe stepped forward and announced, “I want to take the place of the father of a family.” His request was granted and the priest sacrificed his life for that of a father weeping over his family. From his family, Father Kolbe knew the value of family and gave his life to preserve the life of a family. Such sacrifice testifies to the family and the values that are born and nurtured in the family.

Respect for life and respect for the family are one. Indeed, respect for the family is respect for peace, justice, the environment and all the values that define humanity. As we move more into this new year, celebrating the anniversaries of so many significant events that gave proper respect to the family, let us, at home, do what we can to strengthen our families and instill a greater respect for this great gift from God.

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