By Matthew MacDonald | Melbourne
1: Your apostolate/ministry
For eighteen years I have been involved in formation for marriage and family life, both as a volunteer and in full-time ministry. My work has principally been with young post-secondary adults, young couples and families.
2: Pandemic Impact
Having recently left full-time ministry, personally, my work isn’t impacted as directly as my family life and our engagement in our faith community.
The experience has reinforced to me the need for a well-developed practical plan of life for living as a “Domestic Church.” A faith that is entirely dependent on parish or community life has proven difficult to sustain. We need to be supported by, but not entirely dependent on a parish or lay community.
3: Priority Issues:
- Providing families with a plan of life to enable building a sustainable domestic Church including structures of prayer, catechesis, and connection to a like-minded community.
- Creating local faith communities that are of sufficient size that there can be an evangelically effective critical mass.
4: Plenary proposal
That bishops be empowered (in cannon law where necessary) to reshape the pastoral boundaries (parishes) of their diocese to meet the present evangelical needs. (probably need to think more about this)
5: Signs of Hope
That the present pandemic and the responses are a sign of our Heavenly Father at work – pruning his vine. We can be hopeful that with faithfully perseverance, we will be a more fruitful Church in due season.
Matthew MacDonald
We are always struck by how the Jewish people sustained their faith through the family over centuries. When the Temple was destroyed in 70AD, Temple sacrifice ceased and the people were scattered. Organised religion was crushed but the faith survived through family rituals, particularly the Shabbat (Sabbath) observance and Pesach (Passover). It’s a reminder that the strength of the Church depends on the faith in the family. Yet can we really say that our Church structures in Australia are orientated to support families, let alone capitalise on the extraordinary gift that families are to the evangelising mission? Thanks for the input Matthew.
We agree Matt, the faith of the family must be paramount in our Church. We would say that the basis of the family is the couple. That intimate relationship is challenging to live at times as well as providing for absolute joy. It needs to demonstrate the threesome in marriage to the family; God, Husband and Wife.
We all need to remember that we are role modelling constantly, decisions to love, forgiveness and healing, powerful listening, how we manage/celebrate our feelings, how we integrate with the outside world of jobs, education, and this is all done in the simplest of ways. Our children are soaking it all in. I guess we believe in working at the fundamentals first.
Our movement WWME seeks to support couples in doing this.
Thanks MAtt.