Missionary Dimension of the Family

The missionary dimension of the family has never been as important as it is right now.

Saint John Paul II wrote, “The evangelical witness which the world finds most appealing is that of genuine concern for people.”

Authentic evangelizers are motivated by an altruistic concern for the well-being of others and that takes proximity.  Read again the words of Pope Francis from Evangelii Gaudium (EG):

“The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds!”

I believe Pope Francis’ call to heal the wounds is a special invitation to Christian families.  Let’s face it, many of the deepest wounds on the human heart are inflicted in the context of the four walls of the home.

Nowadays it is the norm for young adult children to be launched into the world with shrapnel on their souls, carrying emotional and spiritual baggage from their childhood into adult life. It’s hard enough to find your way in the world without the crippling impact of an unhealthy home to overcome.

Pope Francis has been inviting the Church to learn the art of accompaniment, a certain bedside manner by which we journey with souls and ultimately leads to their finding fullness of life in Jesus Christ. In the initial stages, accompaniment means a “steady and reassuring presence, reflecting our closeness,” and as having a “compassionate gaze” (EG, 169) on the other. The family is the perfect environment for this kind of accompaniment to begin.

With so many wounded in the context of unhealthy family dynamics, Pope Francis’ call to heal the wounds, surely involves healing hearts in the context of a healthy, Christ-centered family.

Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It will mean making room in your family life for the lives of others. Some ideas:

• Once a month intentionally think of who can join your family for the Sunday meal. Healing often begins around the supper table.
• Rather than going for a family-only-hike, invite some of your teenagers’ friends to join you. Your younger kids can be apostles of love when they take interest in their new friends, chatting along the path. I’m shocked at how few teenagers know how to relate to young kids these days. The genuine curiosity and interest younger kids show to teenagers often softens their hearts to more family contact.
• Family milestones (graduations, school plays, sports competitions) and birthday celebrations are another incredible opportunity to extend grace into the hearts of others who have perhaps never seen what its like to celebrate as a family. Including them in these significant events communicates that they are significant to you and that builds strong bonds.

Perhaps the most important element needed for accompaniment in the family context is listening.  “Listening, in communication, is an openness of heart which makes possible that closeness with­out which genuine spiritual encounter cannot oc­cur” (EG, 171). Communication is a dialogue of mutual sharing, not listening without speaking or preaching. Careful and caring listening allows one to speak personally to the deepest desires, fears, and questions in the heart of the other. Without such listening, one risks trying to answer questions that no one is asking.

Jesus was constantly making room for people’s lives in His life. When our families do the same, we are extending Christ’s hands and feet and voice.

As you go about your normal family life, consider the simplicity of family evangelization and the art of accompaniment by remembering two words: make room. Make room for people’s hearts, make room for their stories, their lives, their struggles and fears. Make room in your schedule, make room on your couch, make room at your table. Make room in your heart and embrace the call to be a missionary family.