Sociology: Family in a Changing World

Family as the cell of society: the family is the first and vital cell of society.
Family as the domestic church: it shares in the life and mission of the church.

Effective communication:
- Listening: listening not only to the sound of spoken words but also to the sound of silence.
- Non-verbal signs: a good listener will perceive these in a positive way.
- Directness: does not resort to hazy suggestions and innuendoes that may contaminate the message.
- Clarity: should be concise and clear.
Husband-wife communication:
- Non-verbally: a powerful means to affirm one's spouse.
- As adults: maintaining time to find intellectual stimulation and newness.
- As children: bringing out the child in them to have a vibrant and fun 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 the fact that man can only reach his fullness in true love.
Conjugal love: love finds myriad of expressions but it normally 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's 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: known as the 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 the Sick: offers us Jesus' healing powers.

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 although not exclusively.
Sexual: everything that makes a man, man; and a woman, woman.
Sexual relationship: refers to our 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: it 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.

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.
This love requires total commitment.
Sex in marriage: the sexual act, also known as the conjugal act between married persons.