The celebration of the liturgy by the family in building the domestic church

Abstract

This dissertation will scrutinize and look into the fundamental contribution the family has towards the transmission of faith to its members and also the important impact it has towards the greater community of faith. This dissertation will present the family as not solely a place in which one grows physically together, but also as being a replica of the Church. The family’s mission in the Church is very important. Echoing the words of John Paul II, this dissertation will delve into the struggles, the mission and the building of the domestic church through the liturgy in the post-conciliar period. Consequently, one can see clearly the mission the family has in strengthening the Church and continuing its mission. Although throughout the centuries, the transmission of faith has always been important, it is much more relevant in the contemporary age, especially when taking into consideration the lack of interest many individuals have towards the Church as an institution. Therefore, it is vital for the family to safeguard the transmission of faith, consequently assisting the Church in evangelization. Thus, the family becomes a light to the world. This dissertation will be subdivided into three chapters. The first chapter will analyse the domestic liturgy in the Jewish faith and the domestic liturgies in the early Church; the second chapter will present what the Magisterium proposed in order to re-build the domestic church in the contemporary world after Vatican II; the third chapter will study the challenges that the family as a believing community faces today. Thus, all three chapters are inter-related in highlighting how the family serves as a domestic church and thus, as a great means of evangelisation.