Marriage and Family Part 2

Consumerism: the mentality of constant buying and accumulating material things
Materialism: preference for material possessions and physical comfort
Hedonism: the belief in pleasure as the ultimate good and man’s life-aim
Secularism: excessive concern with the affairs and things of the world
4th World Congress of Families Situationer, Recommendations, Actions - held in January 2003

Family as Cell of the Society: the family is the first and vital cell of society
Family as the Domestic Church: shares in the life and mission of the church
Priestly mission in the family is manifested by constant contact with God through Prayer

Effective Communication:
- Listening: not only to the sound of spoken words but also to the sound of silence
- Non-Verbal Signs: perceive these in a positive way
- Directness: does not resort to hazy suggestions and innuendoes that may contaminate the message
- Clarity: concise and clear
Husband-Wife Communication:
- Non-Verbally: a powerful means to affirm one’s spouse
- As Adults: maintain time to find intellectual stimulation and newness
- As Children: bring out the child in them to have a vibrant and fun relationship
- As Husband and Wife: involves the intimate giving of oneself and receiving from the beloved through a conjugal relationship
- Spiritually: the highest form of communication
- Emotionally: tender thoughts and feelings written and exchanged can enhance and deepen their love for each other
- Mutual and Diverse Interests: serves as stimulation and growth in communication
- Socially: predominant mode of communication before marriage
- Culturally: sharing tradition leads to appreciation and understanding
- Man’s/Woman’s Condition: different point of views offer excellent opportunity for communication

Love as the Binding Force: Pope John Paul II highlighted that man can only reach his fullness in true love
Conjugal Love: finds its most powerful human expression in a love that deepens within marriage

Charter of Family Rights: rights accorded to the family
Declaration of the Rights of the Child: UN released its own declaration of the rights of the child

Basic Concept: fulfillment of God’s plan which is to incorporate every human family in God’s entire spiritual family
Need for Healing: the process by which the sick person becomes whole and healthy
Inner Healing: healing of painful memories
Sacraments:
- Baptism: cleanses us of sin and gives birth in the Spirit
- Confirmation: makes it possible for Jesus to pour out the fullness of the Holy Spirit on us
- Holy Eucharist: celebrates Jesus sharing His Body and Blood with us
- Reconciliation: makes Jesus forgive us
- Matrimony and Holy Orders: consecrate us for two special callings
- Anointing of Sick: offers us Jesus’ healing powers
The Holy Family of Nazareth: model of all Christian families

Maturity: the stage of growing up when a person may be described as a grown-up or an adult or mature
Factors Influencing Growth:
- Heredity: traits and personalities coming from the family lineage
- Environment: we are continuously being conditioned by the people around us
- Education: needed to set an intellectual background in order for a person to make decisions affecting his or her growth
- The Gift of Grace: “Moved by grace, a man turns towards God and away from sin...” (CCC 2018)

Man discovers that he is unique and therefore different from all living things
Sex is not a shameful thing, it is a divine gift ordained to life, to love, and to fruitfulness

Sex: refers to a biologically based need that is naturally oriented towards the generation of new life
Sexual: everything that makes a man, man; and a woman, woman
Sexual Relationship: refers to being with other sexual beings due to the need to relate with other human beings
Sexual Maturity: the emotional and physically satisfying capacity to form a stable relationship with the opposite sex
Sexual Health: has 4 different levels of sexual well-being; somatic, emotional, intellectual, and social
Complementarity: God designed man and woman differently because of this
General Sexual Attraction: intriguing interest in the opposite sex as a whole
Personal Sexual Attraction: plays a role for God’s plan in marriage

Chastity: the virtue by which we learn to control and regulate our own sex drives
Purity and Modesty: guardians of Chastity
Pre-Marital Sex: also known as the sin of fornication; a carnal union between a couple who are both unmarried

Elements of Love:
- Care: shown by the active concern for the life and growth of the one we love
- Responsibility: ability to respond to his/her needs, expressed or unexpressed
- Respect: ability to see the person as he is; to be aware of his unique individuality
- Knowledge: active in-depth consciousness of another person’s real image, leading to genuine communication
Mature Love: Genuine love that endures
Qualities of Mature Love:
- Altruistic: lovers give and don’t expect anything in return
- Freeing: one is allowed to be who he really is without thinking, no matter what
- Honest: to know each other very well, not simply his or her image
- Happy, Sad, and Neutral: it can be sad or happy at one time, sometimes both at the same time
- Empathetic: to be free with another
- Strengthening: both people are growing together

Different Ways of Looking at Friendship:
- Abbot J. Nimeth, O.F.M.: a friend brings joy into life and pours back into soul his self-respect
- Aristotle: a single soul dwelling in two bodies
- St. Thomas: as the highest form of love and places it in opposition to love of concupiscence
Qualities of True Friendship: morally helpful to both parties, genuine basis of agreement, characterized by the spirit of self-sacrifice
Ability to Listen: not only what one is saying but also what they are trying to say
Trustworthiness: whatever secrets cannot be violated
Reverence: not a possession but a subject to be cherished
Receptiveness: being open to others
Friendship Is:
- Trust: the idea that you can trust to be important to another person
- Evolves Slowly: it cannot be created instantly or overnight
- Patient: developing on commonality and complementarity
- Not Competitive: there is no need to surpass the other
- Open-Ended: it is never perfect and has to be worked on constantly
- Outgoing: enables us to give more to the other
- Playful: we put aside our barriers in order to enjoy the time we have

Love Between Husband and Wife: human love in its fullness is found in conjugal love
Total Commitment: required in conjugal love
Sex in Marriage: the sexual act, also known as the conjugal act between married persons