The Building Block of Society
by Fr. John Parks | 10/27/2024 | Weekly ReflectionWe live in interesting times. A time when it appears that everything has been politicized. There are forces in our culture that think the foundation of our culture should be the government. This is most clearly shown by those who advocate for socialism (or communism) and think that the means of production—the factories, the companies, the machines, etc. that produce the goods and services of our economy—should reside primarily (or exclusively) in the hands of government bureaucrats.
Against this push for government being the foundation of our society are those who advocate for individual rights (rights to speech, religion, property, etc.) to have that fundamental role. Although we certainly need some government intervention in our life and economy, and we certainly should protect individual rights—neither is an adequate foundation for culture. The building block of society is the family.
Notice what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about the family:
“The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. the family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society (CCC 2207).”
Nothing is more formative for a human person than the family they were raised in. The CCC says the family is the foundation for, “freedom, security, and fraternity within society.” Following the adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure” we will be fundamentally better as a culture if we tend to promote and protect the dignity and role of the family—the preventative “cure” to so many societal ills. It has been widely documented in social studies that the greatest “privilege” to have in life is “two parent privilege.” As it turns out, God’s plan is true and good.
The CCC goes on to say that the family is a “pre-political” reality that a just government simply recognizes and defends. For our part, we should be on the lookout for legislation or cultural movements that undermine the authority and goodness of the family while also being committed to our own family—that we would play our part in building up the goodness, unity, and faithfulness of those God has willed for us to walk with in this life.
May God bless you and your family!
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