Healing the Family by Fr. Joey Faller, ‘healing priest’ of the Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, Lucban, Quezon

Fr. Faller arrived late and with a seriously hoarse voice. He apologized, explaining he got stuck in traffic, and he got so tired from preaching The Seven Last Words on Good Friday at the shrine, which he said was attended by around 500 thousand people.
Excerpts:

The meaning of family lies in the letter of the word itself: father, mother, I love you.

My talk is about four things about the family.

1. The situation of the family today
2. What is a family, according to the Bible and to the encyclicals
3. The Holy Family as a model family
4. My personal experience of family

The situation of the family today

The family is in crisis. It is under attack due to the inner erosion of values and norms. But as in the Chinese language, a crisis or problem is also a great opportunity for growth.

There are four indicators that the family is in crisis. First, there is the reality of broken families. Why? Because everything is instant in the computer age – instant girlfriend/boyfriend, instant spouse, instant offspring, instant separation.

The norms of morality are under attack.

There is also the attack of drug addiction. This is the reason why there are seven-year-olds being raped and murdered.

In mass media, there is glorification of sex and violence.

There is a loss of the sense of sin due to peer pressure.

The OFW (overseas Filipino worker) phenomenon has often resulted in adultery and separation.

The family, according to the Bible and to the encyclicals

In Familiaris Consortio, the Christian family is defined as the first community to announce the gospel. Family is the microcosm of human society where the seeds of love, faith, etc. are sown and nurtured, the first school of evangelism, prayer, holiness, spiritual communion.

The Holy Family as a model family

The Holy Family models for us a family centered on the word of God, on following the good news, following the will of God.

My personal experience of family

I came from a well-to-do family. My father was a doctor, my mother a nurse. But we were always busy – no time for each other.

I had a sister strangled herself to death after getting pregnant out of wedlock and aborting her child. She once approached me, but I was of no help. I have a brother who disappeared for 15 years. Nobody cared to listen to their problems. Here I was busy saving the whole world, but not my own flesh and blood.

Have you listened to your children with love? ‘That family that prays together stays together.’

But our parents are not God. They can commit mistakes. We need to forgive our parents.