In writing to the people of Colossae, St. Paul gives a very impressive list of virtues, and he talks about them as if they were the clothes that we wear in everyday life. Every day we have to put these clothes on – compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. Do you wear these clothes every day? He goes on telling us to teach and advise one another in daily life. We have a lot of learning to do. And finally he points out that parents must be as good to their children as they expect their children to be themselves. Virtues are not simply “nice things†to have in your life. They are vital to your well-being and to your happiness. They are vital to the peace of the world. Jesus said, “If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.†You will never know what the joy of God is. And the point is that every day your virtue will be tested by members of your own family, as well as by people in the street. But the first battle will be fought not in your home but in your heart, because it is there that virtue and vice battle for supremacy.
Some people have nothing but happiness to relate when they think of their family. Others have nothing but sorrow and sadness to speak of. The family in our experience, can be a place of joy, or a nightmare. If our experience of family is good, then give thanks to God for it. Where people’s experience of family is bad, then let us save people from the ruins.