ARTICLE XV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation and requires the State to strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its development. It declares marriage an inviolable social institution, protects the rights of the family, and mandates care for children and the elderly.
The family is considered the fundamental unit and bedrock of society, essential to social stability, continuity, and the early socialization of individuals. It shapes personalities, instills values such as honesty and love, and provides essential emotional and practical support. Strong family units contribute to greater social solidarity and can help reduce crime and poverty.
Having lived permanently in the Philippines since 1999, I have come to understand this more deeply. I have learned many things from being part of a Filipino family. I was born in a parish house in Germany, but years later, I also experienced what it meant to survive in a broken family.
My Philippine mentor, Hermogenes E. Bacareza, former chaplain of the Philippine community in Berlin and author of German-Philippine Relations, taught me in 1988 that the Christian family is also called to be a sacrament. Like the Church, family members are called to be Christ to one another as well as to the broader community. By becoming what they are called to be, families live a sacramental life, allowing the sacred to emerge through the ordinary things of everyday life.
What on earth can be a greater sign of God’s grace than the authentic, self-giving love of a fully committed married couple whose love for each other brings forth life, embraces their children, and ultimately reaches beyond the family? This, I believe, is the new vision of the Christian family for the 21st century.
Authority, stability, and a life built on relationships within the family provide the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity in society. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and learn to use freedom responsibly.
Families are central to God’s plan for His children. They are the fundamental building blocks of strong societies. Families are where we experience love and learn how to love others. Life can be tough, and we all need people we can lean on.
What, then, is the purpose of family? Family bonds are important because they help us through both the most difficult and the happiest moments of our lives. Family can provide support, security, and unconditional love. Family members can also see and bring out the best in us, even when we cannot see it ourselves.
Since residing in the Philippines, I have experienced how important family is to Christians. Family bears witness to the Lord’s faithful love for the Church and for all humanity. It makes present, in a concrete and daily way, the reciprocity and beauty of the love that characterizes God’s life. Family is a rich school where we learn to be humane and generous, patient and steadfast, just and merciful, faithful and committed. It teaches us how to live together and remain connected.
Whether headed by a single parent or by a mother and father; childless or with children; living in big cities or in the countryside; in harmony or struggling with conflict and domestic violence; living in their home country or as refugees; at peace or caught in war; married, cohabiting, separated, or remarried; healthy or dealing with illness or addiction; free or in prison; living in a house or experiencing homelessness; able-bodied or disabled; working locally or away from home; with or without pets — whatever form a family may take, all families are precious in the eyes of God.
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