In practical Filipino life as actually experienced, three obstacles to honoring father and

mother are encountered. The first is the sad fact that not all fathers and mothers act as
loving parents. Though child abuse is still rare, child neglect in one form or another is not.
How many Filipino children have been gravely disturbed psychologically, or even ruined by
traumatic experiences suffered from parental action or neglect? Some parents impose on
their children unreasonable burdens that come close to enslavement. More often poverty
and destitution prevent even self-sacrificing Filipino parents from providing their children
with even the basic necessities of life.
A second obstacle arises from the particular stages of the children and youths natural
growth and development which demand a certain distancing from parents. These periods
of growing up are painful and potentially destructive, unless handled well with parental
patience and understanding.
A third obstacle is the generation gap that cultural history has always created between
parents and children, but which has become much more intense in contemporary times
because of the speed and extent cultural change. Today many traditional Filipino attitudes,
values and institutions are questioned so critically by the youth that ordinary, common
sense respect for authority is often gravely weakened. Again, this obstacle demands
enduring and loving patience on the part of both parents and children, especially through
the difficult years of growing up. Such patience is admirably fostered by an active prayer
life and openness to Christs spirit.
Qualities of a Good Family
Love and Compassion
o It means to have sympathy and desire to relieve the suffering of others.
It means to show kindness and tenderness toward another.
Unity and Strong Ties
o it is a link that shared as one family
o it is a shared bloodline or clan
o it ties between family members that bring them together
o social animals who trace our lines looking for the family
Celebration of Tradition/Keeping our Legacy
o a gift by will of money or real property.
o something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor
or from the past.
o it is a list of things that have been accomplished, or values and lessons
of life that were handed down to them.
Constant Communication
o refers to the way verbal and non-verbal information is exchanged
between family members
o Listen to the ear of your heart.

 Faithfulness and Commitment to each others well being

Familiaris Consortio
1. The family builds the communion of persons a community of love
2. The family must become what it is, a domestic church, through its proper acts. The
acts of the family, i.e., the mission of the family, correspond to the mission of the
Church.
o
o
o
o
o

The family exists to announce the Gospel

The family exists to discern vocations
The family is a communion of persons which builds up society and the Church
The family is an agent of pastoral care
The family is the means by which the child enters society and is introduced into
the life of the Church
o Conversely, the Church finds a way to the hearts of all people, especially children,
through the family
3. The marital union is total and therefore indissoluble
o This has implications on Sanctity and Centrality of Marriage, Abstinence,
Faithfulness, Polygamy, Divorce)
o Marriage requires refreshment through the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and
Penance
o Even couples without strong faith may be married in the Church because they are
conforming themselves to the will of God as expressed in Genesis
o The Church should support the newly married
o Older families should help the younger ones
o Civil marriages of Catholics are forbidden. Catholics in civil marriages cannot
receive the sacraments until the marriage is validated
o Divorced or separated spouses should receive the Church's constant support. They
are to be encouraged to forgive their spouses
o When the divorced and separated live without entering a new union, they give a
powerful witness to the whole Church
o The divorced and remarried cannot be admitted to the sacraments
4. The family serves society by giving society new members
o The family's obligation to serve life:
Fertility awareness and "Responsible fertility"
Abortion, Sterilization, and Contraception
The transmission of life
o The education of the children:
Parents should teach by word, but even more importantly, by example

 They should prepare the children for love, not neglecting education in
sexuality, i.e., in discipline and self-control according to Christian values
Parents have a grave obligation to ensure the Christian formation of their
children. They should teach the children prayer, assist them to grow in
holiness, and enable them to receive the sacraments at the proper times. They
should help their children exercise the Christian virtues
Church, state, and other Christian families should assist the family in its role of
education
Those families which do not have children witness to their fruitful love by reaching out to
others
5. The family must also take care of the elderly in the family, who have a special role
6. The family also serves society by reaffirming the dignity of each and every human
being:
o The family does this within itself when all members give themselves in love to all
the other members
o The family also does this by extending hospitality to all other human beings
7. Families should engage in political activity in order that the government would
support and defend family life
8. The state has obligations to the family:
o The government should not appropriate familial tasks to itself
o The state should assist families in shouldering their responsibilities
9. Christian families will offer a very special witness to human dignity by cultivating a
preference for the poor, the hungry, and those without a family
10. Some issues need to be solved on a worldwide basis. Christian families will unite
with other Christian families around the globe in defense of human dignity.
Christian families will give witness to human dignity primarily through education
11. The Christian family is a domestic church called to exercise the priestly, prophetic,
and kingly offices of the Lord
o The couple should exercise Christ's prophetic office throughout the marriage as
they give living witness to the Christian truths
o Once activated through the sacraments, the priestly office of the spouses is
exercised in prayer and through teaching the children to pray
The prayer of the family should include liturgical prayer
Family private prayer should include the usual prayers of the Church, and
especially the Rosary

o Spouses must govern themselves (integration) and this occurs through the exercise
of the kingship of Christ
12. Associations of families should act as agents of pastoral care
13. Those in the media should be mindful of their influence on families. Not only should
they discourage programming harmful to families, but they should strive to
incorporate family values in the development of new shows. Families should
encourage such programming
14. Families with special needs include: families of migrant workers, interfaith families,
families in special situations (e.g., birth, death, and marriage),and elderly families