A letter from my bishop delivered to my doorstep
A week or so ago, I walked to the mailbox in front of my home in Tijuana’s middle class El Mirador neighborhood to discover a simple flier printed on a single piece of beige paper folded in threes to make six small pages. At first I thought it was just an announcement of Mass and Confession schedules at my parish, San Juan Bautista, less than two blocks away. But upon closer examination, I discovered it was actually a message from Tijuana Archbishop Rafael Romo Muñoz.The message, hand-delivered by parish volunteers to every home in the neighborhood, was about the family as the domestic Church.
Here is what the archbishop had to say:
“The family as the domestic Church is called to educate new generations in human and Christian values so that, oriented in your life according to Christ’s teachings, a harmonious personality is formed by them.
In these times, much is said of the dysfunctional family, which is to say, a family in conflict, where you find poor communication, inter-family violence (mistreatment, yelling, hitting); addiction problems; family members who do not perform their roles – their obligations; and excessive machismo.
This is a major worry of the Church.
What can we do to have a functional family, a healthy family?
Improve communication – Every family has differences and conflicts. Communication helps us resolve these differences. Good communication brings agreement and resolves conflicts.
The home is sacred – Eliminate hitting and yelling, and look for professional help.
Any addict is obligated to seek therapy.
Each member of the family is obligated to perform his duties: the father must be responsible in his work, and use his salary for the family, be loving and respectful to his wife and children. Mothers must keep the home clean, be loving and affectionate with her husband and children. Children must be good students, helping out with their household chores, and be respectful and obedient to their parents.
Men, for the good of their families, must eradicate machista ways of thinking.
Families must have a spiritual life – assistance at Sunday Mass is fundamental for the transformation of the family, since the word of God and its explication invite us to change our attitudes.”
-- Bob McPhail
