FAM CHURCH
The Domestic Church • Fam – most intimate experience of Church, place
• Christian home
- place where children receive the first
proclamation of the faith.
- domestic church
- a community of grace & prayer, a school of
human virtues and of Christian charity
CHURCH MISSION
• share the Good News of Jesus Christ
• (evangelize; children learn)
OUR COMMISSION
• “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all I have commanded you.” Mat 28:19
CONCEPTS OF DOMESTIC CHURCH
A. St. Luke
• “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,
you & your household … and he was baptized at
once w all of his fam .. and he rejoiced w all his
household that he believed in God.” Acts of the
Apostles 16:32-34
B. Second Vatican Council
• The church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a
sign & instrument both of a very closely knit union
w God and of the unity of the whole human race.
• Parents – first preachers of faith to children
C. Catechism of the Catholic Church
• In our modern world (often hostile to religion),
religious families are important centers of living
faith.
• Parents – first heralds of faith
• Home – parents & children exercise baptismal
priesthood
• Home – first school of Christian life, learn love,
repeated forgiveness & prayerful worship
D. St. John Paul II
• Family – proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel
of life.
• Married couples – givers of life
• Child – fruit of mutual gift of love, gift for and from
couple
E. Benedict XVI
• as you live your love for each other & for all w the
help of God’s grace à living gospel, true Domestic
Church
F. Pope Francis
• Fam are domestic church, where Jesus grows in
love of spouses and in lives of children
EARLY CHURCH
• began in house churches, fams: heart of the
communities.
• formed from believers and whole household
• new believers – wanted their fam saved
(persecuted by Romans)
where love, forgiveness and trust should first be
encountered
• Members – called to embody Christ in everyday life
DIGNITY OF MARRIAGE
• Vatican II: fam are genuinely “Church”
• restored ancient concept of domestic Church: “The
parents are to be the first preachers of the faith for
their children, by word & example.”
ROLE IN SALVATION
• Fam – specific role in God’s plan of salvation
• Fam – deeply associated w the Church, both in its
nature and its structure (also feed the soul)
FAM IS CENTRAL
• OT: fam – so central that w/o it, no covenant
• NT: fam – fulfilled through Christ; place where Holy
Spirit works out salvation & provides stability and
structure for life’s journey
CHURCH IN MINIATURE
• baptized fam – first place of teaching faith, prayer,
morality
• fam is Church in miniature, sharing nature of Christ
CHURCH AS HEAD
• Jesus – head of Catholic home & Church (Church
is the body of Christ, people of God, temple of Holy
Spirit)
• Fam’s week should be centered on the Mass, and
faith growth should continue at home
TOOLS FOR BUILDING A DOMESTIC CHURCH
• Lumen Gentium: “The fam is domestic Church”
1. Pray as a family & reading from Scripture daily,
before meals, in the morning, before bed.
2. Pray a family rosary
3. Have a crucifix at home in every bedroom
4. Make the Sacraments of Confession & Eucharist a
regular celeb
5. Begin fam traditions based on seasons of liturgical
calendar
6. Make vacation a holy pilgrimage by visiting shrines
7. Never miss Mass, even while traveling
8. Teach stewardship & charity, by word & example
9. Demonstrate love for spouse, children, world.
Remind that they are loved by God and given gifts
to serve others.
10. Talk about presence of God in joys & sorrows
11. Welcome and support priests, bros, sis, lay
12. Participate in activities of parish
13. Allow children to witness you pray. Encourage
them to pray daily.
SIGNS OF DOMESTIC CHURCH
a. Bible
b. Rosary
c. Crucifix
 d. Pictures of saints • Proverbs: ideal woman
e. Pictures of Mary • Wife
f. Holy cards ® Ba’al – husband
g. Bulletin of parish, Art of scripture verse, Christian ® procreative responsibilities
newspaper/magazine, Books about ® share in authority w husband over children
spirituality/history, Baptismal candle, Memorial of ® respected by children equal as father
First Communion • Covenant: Marriage of God & His People
h. Nativity scene at Christmas, Advent wreath,
® Yaweh + Israelites
Advent calendar, Blessed palms, St. Christopher
® God: compassionate & patient husband
medal
despite flaws & abuses
PRAYERS IN THE FAMILY ® Israel: adultery (sacrifices to other gods),
called for penitence through new covenant,
• Sign of the Cross, Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, Glory
exclusively God’s
Be, Bedtime, Meal, Prayer to Guardian Angel, Act
of Contrition

THINGS TO SUGGEST
Marriage in the Gospels
• Christ + Church (original intention)
• Talk about need to pray, find Christian books,
• marriage finds fulfillment in Jesus
celeb liturgical season
• John the Baptist
• One step: invite Jesus in the family
® best man (assist Jesus, the groom)
® says Jesus is the messiah and king
- Parable of Bridesmaids
Biblical Perspective of Marriage o wise bridesmaids bring extra oil for lamps
• Gift of marriage origins in Genesis - God‘s plan of o Jesus insinuates he is the bridegroom
including marriage in the center of the Creation, - Apostle Paul
Fall and Redemption of man. ® Jesus + Humanity
• It is not good for man to be alone. Animals are not ® husbands have to share love & affection like
suitable partners for man. So God cast a deep Jesus to humanity
sleep on man and took out one of his ribs and built
the woman. THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON MARRIAGE
• That is why man leaves his parents and clings to - Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
his wife and the two of them become one body. ® before a Manichean: body was created by
• Man – good. evil, so body is evil but has some goodness
o first: man‘s very nature [male and female] 1. Fides (Fidelity)
o second: from the male-female relationship - faithful
• Aloneness of man necessitated the creation of - mutual service to each other
woman. This provides equality and indivisible 2. Proles (Procreation)
union. - first & foremost good of marriage
- continuation of humanity
• Kinfolk – when God created women; strong and
3. Sacramentum (Sacrament)
indissoluble bond between man & woman
- indissolubility of marriage, even by physical
• Kinship – God’s existence; image & likeness
separation
• God Fam: Father, Son, Holy Spirit - monogamous
Man Fam: father, mother, son - marriage is sacred
• Mishpaha (Family) – application by Israelites for all - Thomas Aquinas
humans ® man as rational beings
® man to choose procreation that preserves
Marriage in the Old Testament humanity
® procreative & unitive end
• Ancient Jewish: marriage as defining institutions of
Judaism
PROCREATIVE END OF MARRIAGE
• Stages of Jewish Marriage in OT
- Bonum Prolis (Education of Children)
1. Contract or Betrothal Stage
o preserve their upbringing, state of virtue
o wedding dowry or engagement gift to father of
o proles not merely continuation of species
bride
2. Consummation or Chuppah
UNITIVE END OF MARRIAGE
o bridal chamber
- consortium of shared life for sharing of labors
3. Seven Blessings and Marriage Supper
- store treasures for children who are common good
o 7 blessings recited & 7 days of feasting
• choosing of wife is highly influenced by parents or
the groom by relationship w/ fam & welfare of tribe

Marriage in Second Vatical Council
• before, teachings lack participation of married
couples, thus away from reality of married life
• Pope Paul VI, “Humanae Vitae”
o acknowledge experience & insights of married
REINTRODUCING MARRIAGE AS A COVENANT
• “Gauium et Spes”
o intimate partnership of married life & love is
established by God & qualified by His laws
o rooted in the conjugal covenant of irrevocable
consent
REINTRODUCING MARRIAGE & ITS SPIRITUALITY
• Catechism of Catholic Church
o sacraments: sign & instruments
• “Lumen Gentium”
o the Church is a sacrament or a sign &
instrument both of a very close knit union w
God & of human race
AMORIS LAETITIA
• by Pope Francis, The Joy of Love
• expectations & concerns of future of family in
Catholic Church
• “Joy of love experienced by families is also the joy
of the Church”
• couple that loves & begets life is a true living icon
• fruitful love becomes symbol of God’s inner life
Christian Dimensions of Marriage
A. MARRIAGE IS A VOCATION
- came from the hand of God
- God created man out of love
- man: called to love the fundamental and innate
vocation of every human
- mutual love: an image of the absolute and unfailing
love of God
- “Humanae Vitae”
o union of two persons, perfect for one another,
cooperating w God in rearing new life
- “Amoris Laetitia”
o response to call to experience conjugal love
as sign of love of Christ + Church
- “Relatio Synodi”
o self-giving, faithfulness, openness to new life
o take seriously the mutual commitment in
God’s name & presence of Church
B. MARRIAGE IS A CONTRACT
- Family Code of the Philippines
o Marriage is a special contract of permanent
union of m&w
o foundation of family and whose nature,
consequences, and incidents are governed by
law and not subject to stipulation by spouses.
- “Casti Connubii”
o matrimony was by God, not by man
o laws: strengthen, confirm, elevate it
o God: author of nature
o Christ: nature was redeemed
o laws cannot be subject to human decrees
- Catechism of Catholic Church
o marriage can never be dissolved
o reality, irrevocable
o Church can’t contravene
C. MARRIAGE IS A COVENANT
- covenant of love between God + People
- “Familiaris Consortio”
o God established new covenant through Jesus
o Jesus: fulfillment of communion of God +
People
o Jesus: savior of humanity, uniting
- “Gaudium et Spes”
o Baptism: m&w are set in new covenant
o intimate community of conjugal life & love,
founded by the Creator
D. MARRIAGE IS A CELEBRATION
- Revelation 19:9
o Marriage: celeb of love open for all
o Wedding Feast of the Lamb: everyone is
invited to come for a joyous celebration: ―
Blessed are those who are called to the
supper of the Lamb.
- Catechism of Catholic Church
o Latin Rite of marriage normally takes place
during Holy Mass
o Eucharist: Christ + Church
o Marriage: liturgical act & introduces into an
ecclesiastical order, creates rights & duties
o witnesses/public character: protects “I do”,
help spouses be faithful
E. MARRIAGE IS A SACRAMENT
- Wedding at Cana: sees confirmation & goodness
of marriage and marriage is sign of Christ’s
presence
- Marriage: reveals mystery of Jesus Christ
- “Humanae Vitae”
o Sacrament effects grace when God gives
strength
o grace: helps to be loving & responsible
Theological Perspectives &
Fathers of the Church
1. St. Augustine
a. Proles
b. Fides
c. Sacramentum
2. St. Thomas Aquinas & Fathers of the Church on
Marriage/ Theological Perspective
EARLY CHIRSTIAN & PATRISTIC THOUGHT
To understand sexual attitudes expressed by the earliest
Christian writers, one must first of all be aware of the
context:
1) Age of Great Sexual Licentiousness
 2) NT Marriage, Virginity & Chastity were radically
opposed to the sexual outlook and pagan practice.
3) Prostitution were widespread
4) Divorce, contraception, abortion, and infanticide
were common.
5) Chastity for males were considered out of the
question.
6) Debauchery and disregard for human life (Greco-
Roman World)
7) Religious challenge of various Gnostic movements
– metaphysical dualist, human body and sexuality
were evil, despised marriage and procreation
Early Christian Writers drew their Teachings on the
Gospel and St. Paul
1) They taught that marriage is something good,
divinely instituted and blessed by Jesus’ presence
at the wedding feast of Cana (John 2)
2) The early Christians stressed the procreative
purpose of marriage and of human sexuality.
3) They introduced continent or abstinence from what
they describe as ‘animal-like’ behavior.
4) In their reading of the Genesis, they saw the good
of procreating children as the purpose of marriage.
5) The Fathers of the Church saw Adam and Eve’s
nakedness (ashamed) as a sign that sexual
appetite had been wounded by sin.
ST. AUGUSTINE
• once a Manichean
• fides, proles, sacramentum
1. wrote about sexual and marital issues more than
the other Fathers of the Church
2. influence in theology in Western Church was
continuously been profound
• marriage is to be held in honor, that the marriage
bed “be UNDEFILED”
o defilement – when desire is disordered, when
it is a “restless burning.”
• Concupiscence – source of restless burning, and
distorts our natural desire to do good
THREE GOODS OF MARRIAGE
1. Good of Offspring
- first & most obvious good
- giving of life to persons to surpassing joy &
friendship w God
- also:
a. receiving them lovingly
b. nourishing them humanely
c. educating them religiously
2. Good of Fidelity
- not only in sexual intercourse but also mutual
service in sustaining each other’s weakness
- Procreation is the:
1. primary
2. natural
3. legitimate purpose of marriage
- adultery & fornication: mortal sin
- Venial Sin: sin forgiven in reciting Our Father
- God gives us goods such as:
a. Wisdom
b. Health
c. Friendship
- others necessary:
a. food
b. drink
c. sleep
d. marriage
e. sexual intercourse
- rightly choose Marital Union as a way of
showing friendship
3. Good of Indissolubility
- Two Characteristics of Marriage
A. Symbolic representation: Jesus + Church
B. Grace: given to spouses in virtue
- Permanent and with moral obli
- Marriage: mystery of God’s love for man, a
love made real by Christ’s indissoluble union +
Church.
- Christian marriage symbolizes and draws
strength from union of Jesus + Church
- Natural Bond - reality touched by love of
Christ and His Church. Christian marriage
must be indissoluble as this love
CHALLENGES FACED BY MEDIEVAL THEOLOGIANS
1. Ideal of “Pure” and “Romantic Love” proposed by
the Troubadours – glorified sexual pleasure w/in
context of romance & romantic activity separated
from marriage & procreation; show no appreciation
for Procreation
2. Hedonism of the Heterodox Troubadours about
what is really good for human
EVIL ACTS THAT ATTACK GOOD OF MARRIAGE
1. Adultery: Disobedience of 6th Commandment
- w/in marital covenant
- gravely sinful violations:
a. Sexual act in contrary to purpose of
marriage
b. Sexual differentiation
2. Observance of the Natural Law and the Prohibition
of Any Forms of Sexual Activity
- examples:
a. Bestiality
b. Sodomy
c. Contraceptive Intercourse
d. Other “Unnatural Sex”
- violation to Natural Moral Law
3. Nature of Concupiscent Desire: (Morally Wicked)
- sexual union outside marriage, every kind of
“unnatural sex” act
- inclination to evil from original sin
END/PURPOSE OF EXERCISE OF GENITAL ORGANS
IS GENERATION & EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
• St. Thomas Aquinas: if against this, the right is
disordered
• St. Bonaventure: Singular Kind of Love (Amor
Singularis) – impossible to be shared w/ other;
husband jealous that wife can love no one, and
wife jealous of husband the he can love no one
else like her (di ko gets amp)
THE GOODNESS OF MARRIAGE
A) God instituted marriage by creating humankind
B) Jesus blessed it at the Wedding at Cana
§ Hugh of St. Victor: Jesus took part in the ceremony,
commending the nuptials w a miracle of changing
water into wine. Therefore, marriage is a good thing.
1) Progeny
2) Fidelity
- spouses to give & honor as they make free
consent
- violated by adultery & contraceptives
- but marriage cannot be dissolved by sin
3) Indissoluble Unity
- freely choose to be husband & wife
- moral obli
- Ontological Significance:
a. indissoluble unity w Christ + Church
b. participates in mystery of divine love
c. profound union – only death can dissolve
d. accompanied by graces to assist
spouses live faithfully & generously
e. true & living sacrament
SEXUAL EXPRESSION OF HUSBAND & WIFE
St. Augustine
A. Venial sin to seek sexual union to avoid fornication.
B. Spouse in marital union is free of all sin.
1. Spouses could choose to unite in order to express
the good of fidelity.
2. Marital Union – virtuous act, virtue of justice
3. Husband to give himself to sexual union w wife
St. Thomas Aquinas
§ Moral Goodness – goods to make right act (marital
act: fidelity & progeny)
§ Sacramental Goodness – act to not be good, but
also holy (Christ + Church)
§ wicked to act contrary to good of offspring (solely for
pleasure)
§ Highest Friendship – spouses
SUMMA FRATRIS ALEXANDRI 3 TYPES OF LOVE
1. Carnal Love
2. Natural Love
- carnal love w/o lust
- no obstacle to spiritual love
- perfected by spiritual love
3. Spiritual Love
- through natural love
Biblical Perspective of Marriage
PURPOSE OF MARRIAGE IN CREATION
• Sexuality – good thing
• 1 Man – 1 Woman; except: death of partner
• Marriage isn’t experimental
TWO DISTINCT ACCOUNTS OF GENESIS
1. Priestly Narrative 1:1-31
2. Yahwist Narrative 2:2-25
COMMON ELEMENTS
A. Written to combat myth of Baal
1. Fertility Cult – sex: divine
2. Sexual union of humans: divine
3. God as sexual being, capable of lust
- Hebrews: “these are irreconcilable w/
understanding of God”
- Genesis rejects this myth, presents alternative
account of origins of human & of sexuality
- Sex: human, not divine; good, gift of God
B. Man not an isolated individual, made in the image
& likeness of God; sexual differentiation
- God said it’s not good for man to be alone, he
needs another who he can share life w/
- God removed a rib frm Adam à Kinfolk:
God’s existence is eternal kinship
- God’s image & likeness: earthly kinship;
man’s kinship would be dependent on that
- Trinity = Family
God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Man: father, mother, son
- God in Creating the Man
1. Creates mankind – sexually differentiated
into male & female
2. Inherent complementarity & mutuality in
3. Differentiation is intended by God to
make a special friendship
- God’s Law of Marriage
o “man leaves his f&m and clings to his
wife, and they become one flesh”
- Clear Instructions
1. leave our f&m
2. cleave unto each other
3. become one flesh – intercourse: only for
married, creates new family
PRIESTLY ACCOUNT
• Procreative
• Sexual complementary is “very good”, “fruitful &
multiply”
• To affirm the goodness of human sexuality is not to
affirm that human sexuality lies beyond human
responsibility nor beyond God’s dominion
• “Thou shall not commit adultery” serves as a clear
reminder that the man lives his sexuality was
independent of relationship w/ Yahweh
YAHWIST ACCOUNT
• Sexuality – central to the reality of human beings
• Human – not composed of sexual undifferentiated
• Unitive, life-uniting, fundamental equality & comple
• God willed the unity & monogamy
• “bore Cain, ‘I have gotten a man w/ God’s help’”
• First Fam – sol’n to man’s need for social life & race
Marriage in the New Testament
God, through Jesus, is establishing his kingdom of:
A) Justice – ex: lepars accepted in the community
B) Peace – Judas Escariot pinagaling instead of may
gulo; accept those who hate you; peace to the
outcasts; scene of disciples the waves kahit may
 bagyo Jesus told them to stay calm because they
were panicking;
C) Love – accept everyone in his kingdom; Golden
Rule: Love God above all & love your neighbor as
you love yourself; sacrificing himself and offered
his life to humanity
D) Redemption – through Jesus’ reincarnation &
paschal ministry
E) Salvation
F) Intimate Friendship – lay one’s life to one’s friend
NT: showing how marriage, sexuality and everything
human are transformed & deepened by the new life by
Jesus, and revealed w the eschatological witness as
consecrated virginity.
Eschatological – end of the world; final events in the
history of humanity
MARRIAGE IN GOSPEL
OT: Yahweh + People
NT: Jesus (bride) + Church
It is often taught that Jesus: fulfillment of the OT & if the
covenant in OT has marriage, Christ fulfils marriage &
transforms it in the intended image & plan of God
- NT fulfils the OT
- Jews did not accept Jesus as messiah because
they expected their messiah as king, but Jesus is a
servant messiah
JOHN THE BAPTIST
- People thought he was the messiah
1. best man to the bridegroom in his ministry
2. link of the OT prophetic era to NT’s
Arrival of the Messiah (prepared Jesus, the last
prophet)
3. In the OT, Israel is bride of Yahweh, Jesus is the
awaited king & messiah
SIGNIFICANCE OF SEXUALITY IN THE GOSPEL
- Jesus teachings of divorce
o Moses allowed due to hardness of the heart of
people
o God did not really allow such
o Luke 16:18: Adultery to marry another after
divorce
o Only can remarry if h/w is dead
- importance of purity of thought & intention
- Sins: from Evil intention & makes person unclean
- Sexual immorality
2 FEATURES OF JESUS’ TEACHING ON DIVORCE
1. Condemns both divorce & remarriage, (adultery)
2. fundamental equality of woman – when man
remarries, adultery against the woman
- Adultery – v serious evil & a serious violation of
God’s will
- Why does the Church hate divorce? In the eyes of
God, even if divorced in paper, hindi pa rin
divorced
- concern for human dignity & fundamental equality
A) The Samaritan Woman
B) The Adulterous Woman
Sexual Morality
• not external but of person’s internal disposition &
will
• on the person’s heart
• immediate effects on one’s self
ST. PAUL’S TEACHINGS ON MARRIAGE
Ephesians 5: 21-32
- “Be subject to one another out of reverence for
Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as you
are to the Lord…”
- marital relationship = like how Christ + Church
- special love and concern between spouses
- transfiguration of marriage by the new life made
through Christ
- Husbands: love your wives
1 Corinthians 7:1-4
- “Wife doesn’t have authority over own body, but
husband does, viceversa.”
- reaffirms the goodness of marriage and of sexual
union w/in marriage
- proper Christian attitude on marriage
- Corinth – center of sexual licentiousness & anti-
sexual Gnosticism
- Fundamental point: those who received new life
through Jesus, everything is to be experienced “in
the Lord” including their sexuality and married life.
- Body – temple of Holy Spirit w/in you, not ours.
- Baptism – becomes one body w/ Christ
- Sexual immorality = abominable – sacrilegious
desecration of the body of Christ and the temple of
the Holy Spirit
- Paul (same as Gospels): Jesus (bridegroom) +
humanity (bride). Like Christ, husbands have to
share the same love and affection to their wives.
- “..gave himself up for her to make her holy” (Christ
to Church)
THE BIBLE
- unerring source for morality
- comes directly from God and we should follow it in
every detail
- says that women should be submissive to their
husband, they should therefore obey their husband
SUMMARY
- Marriage
o lifelong union of shared love open to the
blessing of children
o great & wonderful reality, participates in love
of Christ for Church
o Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is to be held in honor
by all, adulterers & fornicators will be judged.”
- NT: teaches chastity is a virtue required
- fullness of revelation through Jesus
- All God’s creation are good:
a. mankind
b. human body
c. human flesh
d. human sexuality
e. sexual activity
CHRISTIAN DIMENSIONS OF MARRIAGE
Separation of Church and State
- The state has no official religion
- The state should not discriminate any other religion
- The church should not control or dominate any
religious group, the police or around unit of the
state

GENESIS
• Hebrew title: Bereshit – taken from the first word
that appears in the book; “in the beginning”
• Greek: Genesij; the Christians adopted the
Septuagint as their bible and thus used the title
Genesij for the first book
• Gen 1-11: Primeval Legends
Gen 12-36: Patriarchal Tales
Gen 13-: Joseph’s Story
• Gen 1-11: Primeval Legends; not historial accounts
rather the aim is to proclaim, by means of myths &
legends the following religious truths: God created
the world and set humans as stewards of creation;
that God created a good world; but that
• 7 Days of Creation day & night, waters above &
below, land/seas & vegetation (first triduum od
creates Spaces; second triduum God fills the
spaces)