The Filipino family today is attacked on many fronts.

Various political ideologies and

global pressures continue to undermine the traditional teaching of the Church on the family. One
prominent issue is divorce. The Bible is clear: “So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:6). Despite this, the
Divorce bill has reached its farthest in Philippine legislative history as it passed through the
House committee level (Cepeda, 2020). Fortunately, efforts of conservatives still render its fate
uncertain, as the bill remains pending in the Senate. The Catholic Church is firm on its stand that
divorce is an affront to the Filipino family as it cheapens and desanctifies the Sacrament of
Marriage (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.d.-a). On this, the government should instead
focus on creating and promoting measures that strengthen the family, and not those that weaken
it. Other attacks include same-sex marriage and abortion, all of which are vehemently opposed
by the Catholic Church (Agence France-Presse, 2015). These said issues pertain to larger societal
conflicts, but there are issues in the Filipino family that are common yet not much talked about in
the news. One such issue is financial insecurity. In our family, we are in a constant struggle to
make ends meet, especially as we face the prospect of my sibling going to college in a few years.
Supporting his college fees together with mine will be a major challenge to our family. The
bigger problem behind this, financial insecurity, continues to plague many Filipino families
today. Another common struggle in the Filipino family is separation. It comes in many forms,
including parents going abroad for work, as well as fathers or mothers permanently leaving the
household. In our solo-parent family, we may not have enjoyed the benefits of having a father,
but our mother endured for us, as she managed to provide all our needs, whether it may be
physical, educational, moral, and emotional. However, we acknowledge that it is a privilege for
us to have a strong mother. Not all families are strong enough to survive with the departure of a
parent, and some are left permanently broken. Despite all these challenges, there are significant
victories that we can be proud of as a society. One is the Filipino culture of religiosity. In our
family, we were taught to pray the rosary every night; this is something we have been doing
together with our grandparents since we were kids. In addition to these practices, the Filipino
families are known for their celebrations of religious festivities. We celebrate feasts of saints and
other religious figures, not only as families, but together as a community. Another victory of
Filipino families is the culture of paying homage to the elderly. In the work-obsessed culture of
the West, the elderly are often handled by nursing homes while the family is expected to separate
and build its own. In the Philippines, it is an expectation that some of the children will be ‘left
behind’ to take care of the elderly, all while they build their own family at the same house. This
is the exact same arrangement that my family is in, and we are proud of it.

In view of these attacks and victories, it is vital to go back to the teachings of the Church,
so we may be guided on how to navigate the complexities of modern family life. One
foundational teaching of the Church on the family is that it is the building block of society
(Cardinal William Levada, 2006). This is because the principal values of the family—authority,
stability, and a life of relationships—are the foundations of society’s laws, values, and norms.
Thus, the way society is structured is based on how the family is structured. In addition to that,
the family is where moral education and Catholic faith is handed on and lived, both of which are
the essential foundations of the modern and humane society. This view is in contrast to the
current governing westernized ideological framework which focuses too much on the individual.
The Church’s view that it is the family — and not the individual — as society’s fundamental
cell, emphasizes the social dimension of human existence. Another foundational teaching on the
family is that it is a domestic church, or a church “in miniature” (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, n.d.-b). This is for three reasons: first, similar to the role of the Church in spreading the
gospel, the family is likewise called to become the “first catechists” for their children. Second,
since the family is a communion of persons, it also reflects the communion of the Father and Son
in the Holy Spirit as proclaimed by the Church. And third, the image of a domestic church is also
a role model for the family: the self-sacrificing love of Christ for the Church should be imitated
by the love of husbands for their wives and vice versa. Finally, another foundational teaching on
the family is that it is a social institution (Nam, 2004). A social institution is any organization
founded with a common purpose, fulfills a need, and has a public character, all of which are
satisfied by the family. The purpose of the family is to hand down the Catholic faith, ensure the
continuity of the human species, and promote values and ideals that are socially acceptable.
Moreover, the family fulfills the need for a social instrument capable of preparing the next
generation to the outside world. Finally, the family has a public and social character because all
of its primary functions ultimately serve and benefit society. Given these teachings, how then
does the Church reach out and ensure that its message are received by the masses? How does it
address the concern of the family today? In an increasingly modern world, the traditional
Catholic church grapples on how to send its message to families that cuts across physical and
cultural barriers. Thankfully, technology aids the Church in this mission. In addition to its
traditional channels, the Church now meets people where they are: at home (through the
television) and on the internet (through social media and online news). This arrangement is
especially helpful in a Filipino culture that is increasingly becoming fast-paced due to
modernization. Because of this, families can now access gospel teachings more easily than ever.
For example, Pope Francis (2016), through his twitter, proclaimed, “The divorced who have
entered a new union should be made to feel part of the Church. They are not excommunicated.”
This hints at the leadership of the Pope for his Church, one anchored in inclusivity, love, and
understanding, one that is made easily accessible to Filipino families. In addition to social media,
the Church utilizes other technologies to spread its message. In the Philippines, this is especially
evident through television, where various religious organization such as the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines expresses its stand on various political issues concerning the
family and gets reported on the news. Finally, the Church continues to address the concerns of
the family also through its traditional catechetical channels: local churches, missionaries, and
catholic schools, all of which continue to permeate and remain relevant in the Filipino society.

These teachings shall guide the modern Filipino family in its endeavors, as I commit
myself to be guided by them in my future family. I can prepare myself in building my family
through the following virtues and disposition: first, I shall endeavor to preserve the culture of
religiosity and strong family ties. Such culture can be strengthened by regularly doing religious
activities together such as attending the mass, praying the rosary, and having bible discussions,
and doing them not only as a nuclear family, but as an extended one. Another virtue I shall aspire
to instill is the value of guided independence. This means providing guidance to my children,
encouraging discussions where their opinion matters, and that the final decision rests on a
consensus within the family, especially matters that affect the children heavily. I shall make my
children feel that they are free to become who they want to be, that they are independent, that the
world is theirs for the taking, and that I as a parent am here to guide them away from its dangers
and pitfalls, moral or otherwise. This virtue is in congruence with another virtue that I aspire to
instill, which is personal responsibility. I would like to make my children believe that their future
is not set, that there is no such thing as destiny, and that with hard work and persistence, their
dreams, whatever they may be, are within reach. On the practical side, some strategies that I will
employ in building my family is first, I will educate myself psychologically and spiritually
beforehand. I can do the former by talking with my friends about the family experience, its
hardships as well as victories. Moreover, I would endeavor to seek professional psychological
help to prepare myself emotionally and mentally for what is to come. On the other hand, I can do
the latter by reading the Catechism on the family, regularly reflecting on how to apply it in my
family life, and attending mass regularly to seek how the Gospel can be applied in my family
experience. Finally, another practical strategy I will be employing is short-term and long-term
financial planning. Before building my family, I would be taking a good look at the major
financial expenses in the near future and estimate how much money should be saved monthly for
it. This way, I will have a concrete plan on how to deal with these issues before they come. For
long-term matters, I would lay out a general roadmap on how to prepare for long-term major
financial expenses such as college tuitions. A general roadmap would include different college
options, its educational as well as living expenses, and how to prepare for each of their worst-
case scenarios.

References:

Agence France-Presse. (2015, August 31). CBCP urges followers to oppose same-sex marriage.

Rappler. http://www.rappler.com/nation/104303-cbcp-urges-followers-oppose-same-sex-

marriage

Cardinal William Levada. (2006, July 7). The Family in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_

20060707_levada-valencia_en.html

Catechism of the Catholic Church. (n.d.-a). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Part Three: Life

in Christ, Section Two: The Ten Commandments, Article 6: The Sixth Commandment.

Retrieved April 28, 2020, from

https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm

Catechism of the Catholic Church. (n.d.-b). Catechism of the Catholic Church—The fourth

commandment. Part Three: Life in Christ, Section Two: The Ten Commandments, Article
 4: The Fourth Commandment. Retrieved April 28, 2020, from

https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a4.htm

Cepeda, M. (2020, February 5). Divorce bill hurdles House committee level. Rappler.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/251057-divorce-bill-hurdles-house-committee

Nam, C. (2004). The Concept of The Family: Demographic and Genealogical Perspectives. The

Official Journal of The North Carolina Sociological Association: A Refereed Web-Based

Publication, 2(2). http://www.ncsociology.org/sociationtoday/v22/family.htm

Pope Francis. (2016, April 11). Pope Francis on Twitter: “The divorced who have entered a new

union should be made to feel part of the Church. They are not excommunicated.” /

Twitter. Twitter. https://twitter.com/Pontifex/status/719434913661870080