God’s plan for your family is holiness. Each of us, married or single, is part of a family. We all have a part to play to redeem the world. The writings of Pope St. John Paul II provide a beautiful description of what it looks like to be a family after God’s own heart.
God’s plan for family life consists of setting your priorities with God at the center, cultivating a healthy family prayer life, engaging in family recreation, loving unconditionally, building community with other families, and evangelization.
Evangelization
“The ‘Good News’ of the family is a very important part of evangelization, that Christians can communicate to everyone through the witness of their lives; and they already do so – this is evident in secularized societies … We therefore propose to all, with respect and courage, the beauty of marriage and the family, illuminated by the Gospel!”
Pope Francis
How often have you seen something working for a friend, a neighbor, or another family and attempted to implement that same behavior or activity into your own life? Sometimes we tweak other’s ideas or simply copy it straight out to see if it will work for us. This is what emulating the lives of the saints is all about. We, too, are called to be saints, and hopefully people will want to emulate us. You will know you are a family that evangelizes when other parents ask you for advice. They see the grace of God shining through your family, and now, you have the opportunity to share the conscious choices you have made to live the life of faith within your family. We are to make God’s invisible love visible: this is the essence of evangelization.
Pope Paul VI Evangelii Nuntiandi #41
“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”
Talks
Resources
- Domestic Church Evangelization Activity
- Daily Scripture and Quotes on Evangelization (You may wish to includes these short readings in your daily prayers)
Evangelization Ideas for the Family
- Host a family rosary at your home
- Go out to lunch with another family after Church
- Throw a party to celebrate reception of the sacraments, birthdays or anniversaries
- Know your faith so you are ready to share the reason for the hope that is within you.
- Create your Family Witness
Related Articles
- Evangelize at all times – Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel on the Catholic Faith
- Share the joy of marriage and family life – Wow, that is a long time!
- Don’t Hide your Light Under a Bushel – Love Will Win The Culture War