(Feast of the Holy Family, December 29, 1996--This homily was given by Fr. Raymond Suriani at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I. Read Sirach 3:2-6,12-14; Col. 3:12-21; Luke 2:22-40.)

"What’s happening to our families?"

What is happening to our families? Why is it so difficult to keep families together these days? What are the forces that are undermining family life in the 1990’s? What, if anything, can we do to make our families stronger? Those seem like very appropriate questions to ask--especially on this particular Sunday of the year, as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.

In order to get some perspective on the present state of family life, I offer you this morning the insights of Dr. Peter Kreeft. Dr. Kreeft is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and a well known author and speaker. Several months ago, in a talk he gave in Ohio, he outlined what he calls, "Satan’s spectacularly successful seven step sexual strategy." This is his explanation of how the devil is working in our world right now to destroy families (and the whole human race). Personally, I think Dr. Kreeft is right on target in his analysis. Here it is:

Step 1 in Satan’s strategy--this is the devil’s ultimate goal--winning souls for hell.

Step 2: in order for Satan to win many souls for hell, society must be corrupted.

Step 3: to effectively destroy society, family life must be undermined--because strong families are necessary in order to have strong societies.

Step 4: in order to destroy the family, you must destroy it’s foundation--stable marriage.

Step 5: marriage is destroyed by loosening it’s glue, which is sexual fidelity.

Step 6: fidelity is destroyed by promoting and defending the sexual revolution.

Step 7: the sexual revolution is promoted and defended by the media--through which the seeds of destruction are sown into the minds of millions of people every day.

Recall the first three questions I threw out a few minutes ago: What’s happening to our families? Why is it so difficult to keep families together these days? What are the forces that are undermining family life in the 1990’s? I would say that Dr. Kreeft answers all those questions briefly but accurately with those seven satanic steps. And lest we think that the people in the media are becoming more responsible in what they’re putting on the air for human consumption, we had better think again. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago the TV people proudly informed us of their new ‘ratings system’ for television programs. I’m sure most of you heard about it. Of course, they said nothing about toning down the sex and violence. They said nothing about being more responsible in what they put on the air. All they basically said is that they will now rate their smut! Well, isn’t that nice!!! How helpful to parents!!! "No, mom and dad, we won’t clean up our act, we won’t stop putting violent, impure images into your minds and the minds of your children. But as a public service we’ll be more than happy to tell you how much garbage each of our programs contains. Aren’t we nice? So now you’ll now if it’s smutty, or smuttier or smuttiest!!!"

Given the present situation, what can we do? In the face of Satan’s very effective seven step strategy to destroy our families and society, what can we do? Other than turn off the TV?! The answer is, we can do a lot. And here’s what I really believe is key in the whole process. (I address myself here specifically to parents.) The very first thing that you need to do is to take what’s rightfully yours. If you really want your family to be strong, then you need to take firm hold of the authority and responsibility that’s rightfully yours! Don’t be afraid of it, and don’t be ashamed of it! In this regard, what does it say in today’s first reading from Sirach 3? It says, "the Lord sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority He confirms over her sons." You see, the primary responsibility for raising and forming young people does not lie with the media, or the state, or even with public educators. (Which is what many people today wrongly believe.) The primary responsibility for raising and forming children lies with parents. public educators at best are only supposed to assist parents, not replace them. And this INDISPENSABLE responsibility is given to parents by God, as Sirach tells us in that text. In this regard, I find it very interesting . . . Whenever I get very explicit in my homilies about moral issues (which is quite often), the negative comments always come back to me. Many of them take this form: "Fr. Ray, some parents of young children were really upset when you mentioned that issue from the pulpit the other day. They said that after Mass their children began asking them all kinds of questions about it."

My brothers and sisters, do you know what my response is to that? To that I say, "Great! Great! I’m glad they asked questions! That’s exactly what I want to happen! I want children to question their parents--so that their parents can teach them the truth. Because if parents don’t educate their children morally and spiritually on issues like this, the world will be more than happy to do it for them. And in most cases, the world will fill those little heads with some very big lies."

In today’s second reading from Colossians 3, St. Paul says, "Let the Word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you." If the Word of Christ--if the Word of God is taught by parents and lived in a family, then that family will be strong! Here we find the secret to the strength and harmony that was present in the Holy Family. Mary at the Annunciation said, "Be it done unto me, Lord, according to your WORD." Mary built her whole life on the truth of God’s Word. Think of St. Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus . . . Think of how responsive Joseph was to the Word of God spoken to him through the angel. The Lord says, "Joseph, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife." Joseph hears and obeys. The Lord says, "Get up, Joseph, take Mary and Jesus and go to Egypt." He obeys--immediately. Later the Lord says, "Go back to Israel, Herod is dead." He goes. God’s Word guided and directed him every step of the way.

And how about Jesus? Jesus, in his human nature, had to be educated in the Word of God. He had to be taught the commandments. Please notice that our Lord was not taught these important lessons by the public school system of Nazareth. Or by the Sanhedrin. Or by the Nazareth Daily News. He was educated in God’s Word by Mary and Joseph--by his mother and his foster father. They were the ones who taught him the truths of the Hebrew Scriptures. They obviously taught him very well!

So here we have a family formed in the Word of God. This formation in God’s Word is what made the difference. If more families today were firmly rooted in God’s truth in this way, then we can be sure about one thing--Satan’s seven step strategy would be a complete and utter failure.

Therefore, dear Lord, we pray, during this liturgy, that every member of every family on this earth will learn and live the truths contained in your Word. We pray that they will live the beautiful words of today’s second reading and be merciful, kind, humble, meek, patient and forgiving toward one another. May this happen, O gracious God, so that every family will be a holy family--and so that your peace will reign in every heart and in every home. Amen.