Family Life

May is the month of Mary and family. The family is the smallest community in society; the nation and society exist for the family. This teaching of the Church is emphasized, but sadly the family is not what we expect and desire. Families are old, have a low birthrate, divorces are many; single parent families, grandparents and grandchildren living together, make family life difficult. In the Catholic Times the columnist spells out the problems he sees in society and asks: Is your family life happy?

Society can't take care of all the problems families face. Families are  considered necessary for economic development, numbers being an important index. Labor and  education, with their competition are making life  difficult for students and our young people. Peace of mind, that God wants for these young people and a feeling of worth is difficult to achieve.

Not having a social safety net, the war of competition is the reality, and in many cases when they do have a job they have difficulty making ends meet which makes for a low birth rate. After the birth of the first  child they see the difficulties of raising a child and decide against any more. In a study that was made  at Oxford University in England: with the present birthrate,  Korea will no longer exist  as a country in 2300.

Confusion in society does not allow one to examine their condition. Emptiness is felt, and the family is of little help. Even over small matters their are conflicts and marriage is faced with the  possibility of divorce, and yet without the time to think over what they want in marriage, they feel pushed into marriage. Children are the  ones who suffer from this condition. 

Both father and mother have to work and the children because of the structures of society often do not have the love and warmth of family life. Loneliness is filled with the smart phone, computer games, or the violence and stimulation from images. Grandparents are tried beyond their ability in caring for the children. And we have those living alone in one room shelters who have to eke out a living.

All these are conditions of our society. It is not easy for the government to find where to begin their efforts. As the basic  community in society, in which  one is born in the image of God, we are to feel this dignity and called to live accordingly.

We don't as people of faith just look at our families and sigh, and worry about the future of the children, and the elders in society. We don't only want to pray  and worry about the future but also want to make  the next year's month of the family a better place in which to raise a family.