A happy Christian family has Christ as its centre and his teachings are the family guidelines. St. Paul enumerates some of them, such as “mercy, kindness, patience and forgiveness” (Col 3:12). The Christian values which must mark out a Christian family are summarised in more concrete terms by Dr. Paul Kelly, an orthopaedic surgeon and family counsellor, as “The Seven Cs”. They are:
-First, Commitment: a lifelong caring for the other, no matter what happens.
-Second, Communication: a willingness to take time to listen, dialogue and share one’s feelings.
-Third, Compatibility: an ability to get along, adjust and be flexible. [Understand and accept each other.]
-Fourth, Compassion: a capacity to understand weakness and sympathise with failure.
-Fifth, Confession: the readiness to say, “I am sorry”, to be reconciled and forgiven.
-Six, Conviviality: a sense of humour, to laugh at oneself and make others at oneself and to smile.
-Seventh, Children: one’s own, adopted, grandchildren or those of close relatives, with whom life and love can be shared.
-Second, Communication: a willingness to take time to listen, dialogue and share one’s feelings.
-Third, Compatibility: an ability to get along, adjust and be flexible. [Understand and accept each other.]
-Fourth, Compassion: a capacity to understand weakness and sympathise with failure.
-Fifth, Confession: the readiness to say, “I am sorry”, to be reconciled and forgiven.
-Six, Conviviality: a sense of humour, to laugh at oneself and make others at oneself and to smile.
-Seventh, Children: one’s own, adopted, grandchildren or those of close relatives, with whom life and love can be shared.