Our strength as coordinators of the Family Life Ministry is drawn from the words of Pope St John Paul II - “the family is the first and most vital cell of society”. It gives us a compass to stay true to our ministry through the many layers of societal disconcerting demands.
Married for 40 years, God is the centre of our family. He made the family an avenue where we grow, discover ourselves more, where we learn and where we first become the persons that God has planned us to be. From young, God made our family the first school where we learned the values that we ought to take in facing the life that is ahead of us.
Inevitably, we faced the great challenge to make our home God’s home, for everything we receive comes from God. A decisive moment came to us when we wanted God to be in control of our family. We began to take His words seriously, “For I know that I have a better plan for you and [your families]” (Jeremiah 29:11).
This holds true for us - that only by inviting Jesus into our homes can we truly experience the fullness of God’s plan and experience His redeeming blessings.
To have a family according to God’s plan, we found that it is important to inculcate and exercise the following values in our families:
1. Family members should have real, open, honest and loving communication - verbally and non-verbally. They must learn to accept and see each other as gifts from God.
2. When there is a misunderstanding in the family, the members must be humble enough to ask for forgiveness and to forgive each other. They should always seek reconciliation instead of holding a grudge.
3. Family members should respect each member of the family, no matter what their age, and allow them freedom to be themselves bringing out the gifts each has to give.
BG and Wendy
SFX PJ Family Life Ministry