CFC SINGLES FOR CHRIST

FAMILY IS A GIFT

FAMILY – OUR GOD’S GREATEST GIFT

SFC Chapter Teaching (Family Month)

ANCHOR VERSE
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving
to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.” - Ephesians 4:2-3 NABRE

OBJECTIVES

1. To understand that family is essential in God’s plan for eternal happiness.

2. To empower SFC as a missionary in their own family, that SFC can create a change
for a better world by being loving and understanding.
3. To realize that we are called to serve and love our family being part of our CFC
community’s vision - Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth.

CORE MESSAGE

Family, the basic unit and fundamental institution of society, plays an essential role in God’s
plan for eternal happiness. It is created for us to experience a foretaste of heaven on earth
and our God’s greatest gift. We are called to love God through our family, understanding and
loving them with all that we are.

Sibling conflict and rivalry are not new, as this issue is present thousands of years ago in many
families. In fact, the first two parents, Adam and Eve, dealt with sibling rivalry that ended in
murder (Genesis 4:1-18).

Providing the needs to our family is important but building personal and close relationships
with our parents and siblings is a foretaste of heaven on earth .

SPEAKER’S PROFILE

SFC Couple Coordinator or SFC Leader who is living a life full of love and a healthy
relationship with his/her family. A witness of God’s transforming love into his/her family.

TENOR

Empowering and encouraging.

I. Introduction

Our family is a gift not only to ourselves and our siblings, but also to the entire Church. We
are a gift because our loving actions reflect God's parental and maternal love for each
individual. Every family is a blessing and a source of strength to the Church. Every family is
irreplaceable in the Church and in the society because of the beauty of the gift created within
families, the enthusiasm for life is formed and caring for the young and elderly is vitalized. This
is why the Church is a "family of families," strengthened by each family member's
contribution. As Pope Francis said in the Amoris Laetitia, “The experience of love in families
is a perennial source of strength for the life of the Church.” (AL no. 88)

Family, the basic unit and fundamental institution of society, plays an essential role in God’s
plan for eternal happiness. The Bible reveals that God created families in the early days and

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shows many examples of strong families. It also demonstrates to us that we have a loving and
happy family.

But due to the rapid changes in the world, the families in the modern-day are under attack on
different sides. Realizing how much the world is in disorder, the more it is becoming uncertain
about the truth – Family is the central core of happiness, for we start and end as a family.

II. Facing Today’s Challenges

We understand the lessons of life in a better perspective when we face challenges,

disagreements, hardships, and temptations. Thus, we should not fear the difficulties of our day
but view them as a situation in which faith in God is being strengthened and obedience
developed. It is also a journey of seeing how God works His wonders in our lives.

A. Hope in a crumbling world

Redefining the culture of family destroys the roles and encourages family brokenness
(Adultery, divorce, cohabitation, abortion, teen pregnancies, pornography, and
disobedient children). When the global pandemic hit, this led to financial stress within
families and problems related to being isolated together, issues managing work and
childcare, and general fear related to the sudden health threat that was poorly
understood. Tearing down the family, people are losing sight of what family can offer -
the joys and blessings of a loving and strong family.

Being faithful and obedient to the will of the Father in difficult times, we can be a beacon
of light that can change our family and the world. The call to be a beacon of hope is
much needed in this current time. With the power of the Holy Spirit, our light will shine
brighter to give light to the path of our family, attracting and guiding people in the
wilderness seeking hope and eternal happiness. May we also feel in our own homes
the living presence of the Holy Family of Nazareth, that it may fill our small domestic
communities with sincere and generous love, a source of joy even in trials and
difficulties.

“Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast
love…” Psalm 33:19

B. Sibling Relationship

Siblings are often a child's first playmate and an adult's oldest friend. On the other
hand, sibling relationships take on a variety of forms and produce a variety of
outcomes. Brotherhood and sisterhood may either teach us social skills, help us learn
to handle disagreements, or they can create long-term social problems. While many
children are blessed enough to become best friends with their siblings, it's common for
brothers and sisters to fight.

Sibling conflict and rivalry are not new, as this issue is present thousands of years ago
in many families. The first two parents, Adam and Eve, dealt with sibling rivalry that
ended in murder (Genesis 4:1-18).

The relationship between a parent and a child is often thought of as the strongest bond
humans can have with one another. What compounds sibling relationship problems?
Parental favoritism (can be perceived or actual). The love of a father and a mother to
their child is unconditional, genuine, and forgiving, but there are times when a child
feels that one sibling is treated differently in ways they deem unfair. The root of rivalry

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and conflict is often jealousy, and being a member of the CFC community, how do we
respond to this scenario?

We respond with love, understanding and prayer. Everything happens for a purpose;
we need to pray to God to understand matters that seem challenging to grasp and
seek God’s guidance and wisdom because human anger does not produce the
righteousness that God desires (James 1:20). In everything that we do, we must go
with a heart that seeks to understand. We let go of sibling rivalry - just pure happiness
for the success of each other. Our siblings are not just God’s gift to us but also a friend
for life, no matter what happens.

C. Balance in life

Due to the call of responsibilities, we sometimes forget to balance our life. We tend to
focus on enriching our career, achieving our goals to provide well for our family, and
we sometimes become so busy that we tend to neglect to nourish our family
relationship.
Balancing work-family life is one of the most common challenges that working SFCs
encounter today. In this time of pandemic where our homes become our virtual
workplace, it has become difficult to establish clear limits or boundaries between work
and family life. As a result, families are faced with the task of scheduling essential,
thoughtful, and uninterrupted family time during the lockdown.
As Singles for Christ, we are so passionate in our service that sometimes, we fall short
of living witness to Christ's compassion and mercy when it comes to our own family.
The call to bring God's light into our family is written in our covenant. To do so, we
must first begin at home. Our first mission is our family.

The story of Mary and Martha of Bethany reminds us to always have a balance in our
life – knowing our priorities right.
“The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about
many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it
will not be taken from her.” - Luke 10:41-42
It can become so easy for us to get busy in all the things we need to do and the things
that need to be accomplished that we lose sight of what matters most in our life.
Our family being the central core of our eternal happiness, should have a better priority
in our lives. We need to choose the good part in everything we do - having time in
everything. It is seeking the riches of wisdom and understanding from the throne of
graces in heaven led by the power of the Holy Spirit. As SFC, we are empowered by
the Holy Spirit to spread God’s love to our family, siblings, and society. Together as
one CFC community, our vision is: “Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the
earth.”
Providing the needs to our family is important but building a personal and close
relationship with our parents and siblings is a foretaste of heaven on earth.

III. Conclusion

Life is not easy. It will never be easy. But the Lord loves us so much that He gave us the gift
of family. Our Family is our God’s greatest gift. It reflects the overflowing love of the Holy
Trinity, allowing us to experience the truest form of love here on earth.

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Conflicts are normal, but we need to guard our hearts, for our family is a gift. Always seek for
love to overflow in our life. Whatever situation we are in our families right now, whatever
uncertainties we are going through, God has the power to touch, transform, and restore us to
our full potential. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 46:2;8, “God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress…The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of
Jacob.”
Pope Francis said, “Nobody can think of themselves as an island. Faced by the threat of
widespread individualism and faced by the need for a renewal of friendship and social
interaction, we can say that the family is par excellence the place for authentic human
relations.” Now is really the perfect time for the celebration and strengthening of family.
In another message, Pope Francis said, “Perhaps it is time to transform your house into a
wonderful place to stay, a place of peace and not of war, of embrace and not of distance.
Anyway, look with different eyes at the situation you are experiencing...make your house, your
family, a place of love. Make the best possible use of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Our families may not be perfect, and some may have experienced great hurt from a parent or
a sibling. God has placed them into our lives for a purpose. Our families are created to reflect
God's unconditional love. Let the wonders of God reign in our families. Let our families be a
beacon of love and mercy. It is truly a gift. Let us celebrate and treasure this God’s greatest
gift.

Reflection Questions:
1. What does Family mean to you?
2. How do you address conflicts with your siblings or with your parents?
3. How can my family be a gift to my community?

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