Origin and Importance of Family in Civilization of Love

Origin of Family

• The word "family" comes from the Latin word "familia", meaning "family servants, domestic, or household servants".
• The root word is "famulus", meaning "servant" or "covenant relationship".

Importance of Family

• Family is the center and heart of the civilization of love.
• According to St. Pope John Paul II, family is the foundation of a just and loving world.
• Family is the basic unit of society and the first school of discipleship.
• Parents are responsible for introducing their children to basic truths, prayers, and good acts.

Marriage and the Holy Trinity

• Marriage is a reflection of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• In the Church, marriage is a reflection of God, Man, and Woman.
• The Holy Family is also known as the "Domestic Church".

Family and Society

• Family is the necessary unit through which citizens are born and grow in number.
• Through family formation and education, individuals become aware of their social responsibilities.
• Family is the most basic community upon which society builds itself.

Growing in Love

• To grow in love, one must learn to listen, do things together, and say "sorry" and "I forgive you".
• Serving the poor as a family is an important aspect of growing in love.

Sacrament of Marriage

• The Sacrament of Marriage is a union between a man and a woman before God to found a Christian family.
• Matrimony is the sacrament by which a man and a woman unite themselves before God.
• The Sacrament of Matrimony is a public statement of deep and lasting love, aiming to foster personal fulfillment and bring up new life to responsible adulthood.

Roles of Men and Women

• Men are guardians of life, protectors of life.
• Women are custodians of life, the living tabernacle.

The Fourth Commandment

• The Fourth Commandment is "honor your father and your mother".
• Respect for family is essential, as we are born in human society and cannot develop as human persons outside of it.
• Prohibitions: disrespect, unkindness, disobedience, and neglect to assist our parents' spiritual and temporal needs.
• Obligations: duties of children, duties of parents, duties of civil authorities, and duties of citizens.

The Fifth Commandment

• The Fifth Commandment is "you shall not kill".
• Respect life and bodily integrity, as we are made in the image and likeness of God and loved by God.
• Prohibitions: willful murder, placing any action that intends indirectly the death of another person, and murder.