WEEKLY VALUE FOCUS

CONCERN FOR THE FAMILY

AND FUTURE GENERATIONS

We must understand that God’s concern for the family is in God’s priority list, as
depicted by Him saving Rahab and her family in the battle against Jericho, by Joshua’s
declaration of him and his household serving the Lord, and by Peter’s pronouncement
to the Roman soldier how he and his household shall receive salvation, among others.

A family is the best place of refuge, strength, inspiration, example, and source of love
for today’s youth at risk and couples whose values and virtues are challenged daily by
the principles of covetousness. More than ever, as parents, we should work harder to
teach and guide our children in the ways of good values and responsibility as they are
more vulnerable to negative influences brought about by the advent of high technology
and worldliness, giving them freer access to activities that potentially undermine their
good values and virtues.

Meanwhile, by giving due respect to our elders and caring for them, we demonstrate a
testament of our enduring value of respect for our family as a people, confirming our
love and deference to the people from whose lives and labor we owe our own. Thus, we
should make it a point to spend quality time with your family as this will unite us more
closely and bind us in understanding and love.

In a world constantly assailed by immorality, violence, and materialism, the family is the
person’s best refuge, as only here can one find love, acceptance, and respect. Such
refuge, however, lies on its values and the commitment of its members to responsibility,
hard work, and morality. When families are shattered, menaces of society also multiply.
Thus, we can say that family as the basic unit of society is at the forefront of the battle
against graft and corruption.

ACTION PLAN

1. Evaluate your own life more deeply. You can specifically look into how your own
family cultivates love, understanding, and mutual respect. You can also asses and
appraise your role in the family (e.g., as a spouse, parent, or child) and devise ways to
be better family members.

2. For teachers, conduct classroom practices that stress the value of respect for elders,
parents, and siblings. You can also encourage parents to assume more active roles in
their children’s development by formulating activities (e.g., projects and homework,
father-and-son camp-out) that promote direct parents’ involvement and participation.
You may also encourage your students to form peer groups and arrange for the school
to have regular family counseling where students can obtain good advices and maintain
a channel where they can exchange views on how to become good and responsible
children and/or siblings.

3. For community leaders,implement programs that encourage the development of

unity, harmony, sharing, love, and work in the family. You can also establish a channel
where family members of the community can express their concerns and obtain quality
advice.
DECLARATION

My family is my great source of strength and inspiration and I understand that in the
midst of a harsh world, it is constantly confronted with things that tend to destroy its
values and sense of unity. I also know that my family is fragile. An uncaring and
unloving parent or an irresponsible child can easily destroy it; the temptations presented
by a world obsessed with material gratification and convenience can just as easily
obliterate its values and virtues; and that my own complacency and indecision to be a
better family member can lead to the destruction of unity, harmony, and the prospect of
prosperity for my family.

I shall make it a point to spend quality time with my family, enjoying the beauty of the
love, unity, and faith that bind us as we face the challenges of the world together.

I hereby make a personal promise to be a loving and responsible family member and
work towards strengthening the bonds that unite my family.
As a parent, I shall strive to be a paragon of good values worthy of my children’s
emulation. I shall work hard to assure them of a good future and arm them with a strong
sense of moral conviction so that they may grow to be persons of worth and integrity.

As a child, I shall strive to be responsible in my studies and in my role as a member of

my family. I shall give my elders due respect and appreciate their sacrifices by
exhibiting hard work in my tasks. I shall be prudent in my ways and discerning when I
face the realities of the world. I shall honor my parents and elders in their old age and
continue to be inspired by their example.

As a person, I shall be an advocate of life and vanguard of its preservation. I shall resist
any proposal or intent that potentially undermines the sanctity and value of the family.
PRAYER

Heavenly Father, give me the grace to keep my family in love and in unity. Teach me to
be more loving, forgiving, and understanding of my fellow family members’
shortcomings. Allow me to see my family as the station through which you are preparing
me to serve the society. Amen