FAMILY IS THE NATURAL FOUNDATION OF SOCIETY
His Eminence Virgílio Cardinal do Carmo da Silva
Archbishop of Dili and Pro-President of the Timorese Bishop Conference
I am deeply grateful for the invitation to participate in this conference and share some thoughts with you on the important theme of the family. Inspired by Scripture and Church teachings, I have chosen to speak on the topic: “The Family as the Natural Foundation of Society.”
Introduction
The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, in his work on modernity, particularly contemporary society, characterizes our era as “liquid modernity.” This concept describes a world of rapid change, fostering a “liquid mindset,” “liquid relationships,” and “liquid love.” Liquid modernity is marked by its fast pace, immediacy, inherent uncertainty, fluidity, and instability. This is the reality of today’s world, and it creates various crises in many aspects of people’s lives. For family life, the consequences of liquid modernity are twofold: crises of identity and crises of relationships.
- Identity Crisis: This liquid mentality pervades family life, eroding the traditional understanding of family and leading to a breakdown of family identity. This crisis of identity can also be understood as a crisis of values. Modern thought on the family, influenced by human rights ideology, has shifted people’s understanding of what constitutes a family.
- Relationship Crisis: Within families, parents may fail to fulfill their roles. Marital infidelity leading to divorce is increasingly common, with significant consequences for children’s development. We see children abandoned by their parents, and a lack of communication and dialogue within families as members are preoccupied with their phones and other devices.
Faced with these two crises in modern family life, we are called to reflect and reorient our paradigm based on values, respect, love, and responsibility. Moreover, as Christians, we believe in a supreme value that remains constant, immutable, and eternal, found in one Person: Jesus Christ. He is the foundation, reason, and identity of the Christian family. Christ’s love for his Church is constant, immutable, and abiding; this love should inspire family life.
Content
The Design of God
The concept of family is rooted in the Book of Genesis, which states, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). From a biblical perspective, the primary purpose of the family is to participate in procreation, thus ensuring the continuation of God’s grace. The union of man and woman, blessed by God, is intended to bring forth fertility, multiplication, and abundance (cf. Gen 1:27-28).
God’s Original Plan for Married and Family Life
Drawing upon the wisdom of the Bible, the Church recognizes the family as the fundamental natural society, possessing inherent rights, and places it at the center of social life. God’s original plan for marriage and family is revealed in two key passages: Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:18, 22-24. The first passage describes God creating humankind in His image, male and female, and blessing them with the command to be fruitful and multiply. This can be represented as follows: 1. God created humanity in His image, comprising the union of man and woman. This union forms the family. 2. God’s command to be fruitful and multiply reveals that the primary or initial purpose of the union between man and woman is the transmission of life—the essence of God’s blessing.
The sacred author, in recounting the story of creation, presents two distinct sexes designed to complement each other, providing a remedy for man’s loneliness. From man’s side, God created woman, granting her the same dignity as man.This highlights the complementary themes of procreation and unity, and underscores the equality of rights between men and women. The Hebrew terms ish (man) and ishah (woman) express both the unity and the distinctness of their natures. It is God’s will that these distinctions complement each other, and that their union leads to procreation. Thus, the principle of the union of woman and man balances the unitive and procreative aspects of conjugal life, ensuring the continuation of generations. This principle strengthens the identity of the Christian family in the face of ideological currents and new movements, often rooted in human rights discourse, that seek to infiltrate society and create confusion about the traditional understanding of family.
The New Testament affirms the fundamental values of marriage and family found in the Old Testament. Jesus, continuing God’s pedagogy from the old covenant, reaffirms the indissoluble union of man and woman, referencing God’s original plan for married life. He introduces a new element, elevating the dignity of marriage by establishing it as a sacrament.
Jesus’ Family
Modern psychological studies emphasize the importance of a positive and healthy family environment, with strong parent-child relationships, for a person’s development into adulthood. It was within such an environment that the infant Jesus grew and developed humanly.
Jesus was born in a concrete family, experiencing all its characteristics. He elevated the institution of marriage to the highest dignity by making it a sacrament of the new covenant (cf. Mt 19:3-9). It is within this new perspective that the couple finds the fullness of its dignity and the family its solid foundation.
The Son of God came into the world and lived within a real human family—the Holy Family of Nazareth, composed of Joseph and Mary. Within this humble family, God’s presence elevated the dignity of marriage and its values. This is the heritage of faith and life for God’s people. The Incarnation is a unique testament to God’s Son coming to live in the world, within a family. Nazareth was the city of Jesus’ childhood and youth, where he lived, grew, and learned within a context of faith and social interaction. Mary and Joseph fulfilled their responsibility in Jesus’ development, nurturing his growth in wisdom and grace.
Church Teaching on the Importance of the Family
The Church’s social doctrine emphasizes the crucial role of the family, stating, “A society built on a family scale is the best guarantee against drifting off course into individualism or collectivism, because within the family the person is always at the center of attention as an end and never as a means.” The family serves as the first school for teaching respect for human beings, individual persons, values, and principles of life. As the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church notes, “In the family, moral values are taught starting from the very first years of life, the spiritual heritage of the religious community and the cultural legacy of the nation are transmitted. In the family one learns social responsibility and solidarity.” For the Church, the family is the vital cell of society, and marriage is its foundation.
Pope Francis, in Amoris Laetitia, reflects deeply on this, stating that the family is the vital cell of society, the ideal place where individuals, with their unique characteristics, weaknesses, and strengths, are recognized. Within this fundamental social unit, each member learns about the duties and responsibilities that exist in society.
John Paul II, in Familiaris Consortio, articulates this beautifully: “In the plan of God the Creator and Redeemer, the family discovers not only its ‘identity,’ what it ‘is,’ but also its ‘mission,’ what it can and must ‘do.’ The tasks that the family is called by God to carry out in history spring from its very being and represent its dynamic and existential development. Every family discovers and finds within itself the irrepressible call that defines both its dignity and its responsibility.”
Timorese Concept of the Family
The Timorese concept of family typically encompasses an extended network, often quite large. Close familial relationships commonly include distant relatives, close neighbors, or friends. Children, affiliates, cousins, or those connected through traditional structures are considered direct relatives. This reflects the central and structuring role of family ties in Timorese society. As has been observed, “The kinship bond offers a long-term perspective, which our relationships often lack. The permanence of family relationships, usually guaranteed by the biological bond, allows, to a large extent, the building of trust and mutual commitment. Anchors—material and affective—are created between individuals and their families. This means, in a more extended family as exists in the traditional structure of Timor-Leste, that there is a strong bond in society that guarantees well-being between families. There is a family solidarity, especially visible in ceremonies, such as those of marriage, funeral, or in the ceremonies of feto san umane (relatives by affinity, on the part of the woman and on the part of the husband), which are traditional ceremonies still very preserved in our country society.” In this context that gives space to live our social life as a part of our culture. We learn to respect and love others starting from this extended family.
We also recognize these days that, with the influence of globalization and the rapid modernization that has been witnessed in recent years, there are already Timorese families who adopt a non-traditional lifestyle, where parents and children live alone, without the rest of the family. This change—inevitable—will have its impact on the social structure. One of the most immediate consequences is the breakdown of the bond of solidarity that has been practiced and developed over time.
And still fresh in our memory, the important message of Pope Francis during his visit to the Timorese people. In a short part of his homily, he emphasized that: “In every part of the world,” the birth of a child is a “shining moment of joy and celebration”, instilling “a desire for the good, … a return to purity and simplicity”. “How wonderful, that here in Timor-Leste there are so many children: you are a young country and we can see every corner of your land teeming with life.” At the end of Mass, Pope Francis returned to that theme in impromptu remarks with his final messages to conclude his speech: “I hope you continue to have many children”, “Take care of your children, but also take care of your elders, who are the memory of this land.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, we see that the reality of marriage and family has been integral to God’s design from the very beginning. Family identity is rooted in God’s desire to unite man and woman, blessing them with life, abundance, and multiplication, both generationally and morally. This life is meant to be lived in love, peace, harmony, and grace. The decline and degradation of family identity we witness today stems from the confusion surrounding the meaning of family, propagated by groups seeking to undermine our Christian understanding of family, which is based on the union and love exemplified by Christ’s love for his Church.
Jesus Christ, through his incarnation, lived and experienced life within a family. From the simple family of Nazareth, he learned much. The simplicity of Mary and Joseph’s lives became a source of strength for Jesus. From Joseph, Jesus learned a sense of responsibility, and from Mary, he learned the sensitivity of motherhood. Joseph and Mary’s obedience and faith in God were also transmitted to their son, Jesus. Jesus’ growth in wisdom and grace was undoubtedly influenced by the guidance and example of these two humble figures, Joseph and Mary.
In family life, it is essential to establish a firm foundation in the love of Christ. This is the only way a Christian family can withstand the waves of modernism that threaten to erode its identity. Love, fidelity, obedience, sacrifice, responsibility, active listening, and open dialogue within the home will strengthen family relationships. Above all, a family should cultivate a life of prayer, nurturing personal contact with God through Mass, praying together, and participating in spiritual activities. These practices help the family remain connected to God’s presence, filling it with grace and blessings.
Thank you for your attention.
BAUMAN, Zygmunt, Liquid Modernity., https://giuseppecapograssi.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bauman-liquid-modernity.pdf
COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH., https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html#Importance%20of%20the%20family%20for%20society.
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Chap.5., https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7215
East Timorese Culture, Family., https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/east-timorese-culture/east-timorese-culture-family
Importância da Família em Timor-Leste., https://timor-leste.gov.tl/?p=5520%26n=1%26lang=en
Pope at Mass in Timor-Leste: Children show us the importance of ‘smallness’., https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-09/pope-at-mass-in-timor-leste-do-not-be-afraid-of-making-small.html