The celebration of the World Family Day was established in 1993, following a resolution of the UN General Assembly.
Family according to Orthodox Theology
While the meaning of family is changing overtime, church comes to establish the term through the lives of our saints, our narratives and traditions.
According to the orthodox theology, family has a sacred status. It is not simply a social phenomenon; It promotes the well-being of humanity, as well as the transformation of each human into a spiritual being. On the one hand, family is based on love and harmonious coexistence of its members, while on the other, it is grounded on the recognition of the uniqueness of each person.
The family functions as a body that thrives in harmony and peace. At the same time, it recognizes the individuality of each person, the autonomy and personal space of its members. The love that unites them is required just as much as the respect that preserves their personal space.
According to the patristic model of family love and affection, it is not to be demanded or earned, but to be offered unselfishly. According to St. Porphyry,
" Today people ask to be loved and that's why they fail. The right thing is not to be interested in whether you are loved, but whether you love Christ and people. This is the only way to fill the soul"
The marital relationship
The mutual attachment and the constant affection of parents are the foundation and core of any family. Love and mutual respect form a role model for children. They ensure the harmonious state through which family is maintained.
However, it is not just a necessary practical requirement. The love of the couple forms a substance and an ontological quality which makes it in some sense 'impenetrable'. Patristic theology gives great importance to the complementarity of the spouses. They even state that the love between the couple is more fundamental than the love to their children. As St. John Chrysostom says,
"Tell her words of loveI value your love above all things, and nothing would be so bitter or painful to me as our being at odds with each other. Even if I lose everything, any affliction is tolerable if you will be true to me"
The devotion of the partners and the love that sustains them constitute the spiritual background of the family, in which children grow and "blossom" as fruits, rather that the sole purpose of the marriage.
In a way, family constitutes a second church, since the presence of Christ remains among its members. St. John Chrysostom states:
"Where husband, and wife, and children, and unity, and friendship, and the bonds of virtue are joined together, there is also Christ"
In this context, it is also mentioned that each family has its own Gospel, which is none other than the life of the parents. Their behavior indicates to children the path they should follow in life. (G. Gatt)
Our children
Children are the fruits of the marital relationship, of the love and affection of parents. They have a deep need to be protected by their parents, while at the same time they need autonomy, gradual emancipation and the formation of their own independent personality.
The path to the adulthood is not an easy job. Holy fathers emphasize that childbearing is not as difficult as upbringing and educating a child. In their way to reveal their own identity and balance their behavior, children often waver between love and anger.
Parents should often keep the necessary distance, giving their children enough space, showing trust to God and to his divine providence. After all, Apostle Paul himself advises both children to obey their parents and parents not to exasperate their children, but to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Eph. 6:1-4).
