An important point for many is to sacrifice their careers for a successful Catholic Family Life. After all we have this one life to have a family for life. In the speed of our present urban life styles we often forget our responsibility for becoming sensible to our faith and practice. Children require the best attention in the house where one parent can always contribute with great sacrifice their needs of the questioning minds. The housewife becomes a homemaker, a home engineer, architect, mentor, guide and all, this being the greatest of all doctorates. Two minds in one body should be the theme as desired by our Sacrament. This sacrifice of sharing by the husband to the wife and vice versa would bring the children to see the promises of a good Marriage.
Careers, Ambitions, Opportunities, Wealth generation can be put to the back stage for a quality married/family life. Spending more hours to keep the family in unity, in prayer, in laughter, in plays, in decision making, must be in the highest priority specially on the Sabbath day. Increasing time for my family can be done easily but we need to avoid the likes of TV, unnecessary phone calls and interruptions - switch that mobile phone when not required, Internet timings - when children are given undue liberty by parents only to be linked to other people with unknown ideology, help with housekeeping which is a good ritual to improve responsibility and care.
Most important as I always have learnt is the treatment of money. Man made them but we must not fall victims to it after all it will never bring us happiness. Even if the husband and wife are working, the money has only one title - OURS. Many working family have the husband saying ‘it is His money’ or ‘it is Her money’ which becomes a sort of a mental barrier. The family should discuss, specially when children are grown up about their financial commitments, their investments, their affordable purchases, future planning, insurances and savings. I am sure anyone can live very happily provided he cuts his budget to the size of his purse with all the restrictive sacrifices.
Let us pray for having better families so that better mates may be found to improve our society and to alleviate decadence.
-Donald D'Cruz ddonalddcruz@hotmail.com Bethan Ville, Mundakkal West, Kollam-691001. 9846012411, 0474-2748422.