THE FAMILY AS A PRIVILEGED PLACE FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF FAITH

Premda hrvatski biskupi imaju visoko mišljenje o obitelji, smatrajući je žarištem civilizacije ljubavi, ipak priznaju da suvremeno ljudsko društvo na nju snažno utječe pa je u stanju poremetiti njezinu stabilnost. Premda je obitelj žarište svih vrednota, dogodio se određen pomak koji je izazvala prenaglašena individualnost bračnih drugova, a također djece u odnosu prema starijima, tako da kršćanska obitelj danas sve teže obavlja zadaću prenošenja vjere na mlađe generacije. Budući da je ona po svojoj naravi ipak sposobna za tu zadaću, ona ju može obavljati i danas, ali tek uz pomoć drugih koji, prije svega, podržavaju njezinu stabilnost i zatim ju prate u njezinoj odgojnoj zadaći. Stoga obitelj jest «privilegirano mjesto prenošenja vjere», ali tu zadaću može ostvariti kad pastoral obitelji, kao osobit oblik kategorijalne pastve, pruži pomoć roditeljima u rastu vjere do te mjere da oni budu sposobni biti i odgojitelji u vjeri svoje djece.The Bishops in Croatia nurture a high opinion of the family, defining it as a focal point of the civilisation of love; nevertheless they admit that the contemporary society strongly influences the family, in a way that destabilises it. Although the family is the centre of all the virtues, it has gone through extensive changes, caused by the excessive individuality of spouses, and by the individuality of children in respect to the elderly, so that today a Christian family hardly manages the task of the transmission of faith on young generations. Since the family is by its nature capable for this mission, it can accomplish it today too, but with the supportive help in the process of upbringing and education. Therefore the family is “the privileged place of the transmission of faith”, but it can only accomplish this mission if the organised pastoral ministry of the family helps the parents supporting the faith, to the extent that they themselves become capable to be the educators of faith of their own children