Living God's Word in our Life

“Let your house be a Church”. These words of St. John Chrysostom emphasize the importance of the family as a domestic Church, where the Word of God is present to accompany, proclaim and witness to the ongoing encounter with the Lord, renewing hope and pointing to the nature and mission of the Church. 

“When it enters us, the Word transforms our hearts and minds; it changes us and leads us to direct our lives to the Lord…Here is Jesus’ invitation: God has come close to you; recognize His presence, make room for His Word, and you will change your outlook on life.” `Pope Francis, Jan 22, 2023.

Make Scripture a part of everyday life this year. Here are some practical tips from the Dicastery of Evangelization (Vatican) to encourage the love of Scripture:

• Carry the Word with you, physically or on your phone (i.e., YOUCAT-Daily, Amen, Hallow, Living With Christ, The Bible in a Year)
• Read: Dei Verbum, the document of the Vatican II that deals with Divine Revelation through Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of the Church | Video
• When visiting a Church with mosaics or stained glass sacred art, ask children to identify the biblical episodes they recount, the details, or other aspects that may arouse particular curiosity
• Enthrone the Bible in your home
• Consider the practice of Lectio Divina
• Have this Biblical Examination of Conscience handy for a regular examen

The Word shared within the family
In order to grow in an authentically human way, God must be present in the family; as a domestic church, one learns to be father, mother, son, brother... to understand what it means to be part of the mystical body of Christ, to grow strong, respecting generational bonds and, as a community of faith, fostering prayer among members, regular participation in the sacraments, reading the Bible and Christian traditions. We know that it is not easy to spread the faith and love of the Word in the family because it is a process that never ends (cf. Rom 12:18). 

What challenges are we facing? Family, sexuality and marriage are increasingly seen as personal achievements, and the first to be affected are the children who should be provided with a home that ensures their physical, spiritual and emotional growth. If Jesus used parables to reach people, family life could be a great call: to be a parable, to the charism of encounter, to be an evangelical internet, and to form spiritual networks together with Jesus Christ, so that «the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere» (2 Thess 3:1).

The following are some guidelines for sharing the Word in the family:

• That the family be the central focus of the pastoral process of evangelizing action in our parishes, promoting the importance of family catechesis by participating in courses of Christian initiation, which celebrate the faith in the home and in the community.
• Promote the mission and identity of the family in the Church and in society.
• Participate in pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-family public affairs. -
• Strengthen Sunday in the family, the Lord's Day as a time of agape and prayer

Reading the signs of the times today in the light of God's Word could make the home a stronger domestic church, one that touches deep emotional and vital wellsprings, one that inspires all members of the household to live their relationship with God in a new way, to practice silence, to love, to obey, to welcome and to work. It is essential that the revealed Word be fruitful in the family. As reality changes, God's revelation is revealing a new face of God: while retaining permanent features - the core of Christian identity- at the same time, it is being transformed to offer responses to new family situations.

Source: ​Liturgical and Pastoral Resources from the Dicastery for Evangelization on Sunday of the Word of God