The Domestic Church & the Catholic Homeschool

In his Letter to Families, Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “The Fathers of the Church, in the Christian tradition, have spoken of the family as a ‘domestic church,’ a little church.” In the first century AD, gatherings of the faithful were called, “ecclesiola,” the Greek word for “little church.” These gatherings took place in the home, and it is our home that becomes our own domestic church.

In his book, A Civilization of Love, Carl Anderson writes, “Today, it is increasingly common to speak of the family as the ‘domestic church.’ This is not merely rhetorical. The ideal of the family as a domestic church goes back to the Old Testament. It was stated most simply and eloquently, perhaps by Joshua: ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ It was developed in the New Testament: ‘Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.'”

In Lumen Gentium 11, Pope Paul IV explains:

 “Christian spouses, in virtue of the sacrament of Matrimony, whereby they signify and partake of the mystery of that unity and fruitful love which exists between Christ and HIs Church, help each other to attain to holiness in their married life and in the rearing and education of their children. By reason of their state and rank in life, they have their own special gift among the people of God. From the wedlock of Christians, there comes the family, in which new citizens of human society are born, who by the grace of the Holy Spirit received in baptism are made children of God, thus perpetuating the people of God through the centuries. The family is, so to speak, the domestic church. In it, parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children. They should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of the, fostering with special care vocation to a sacred state. Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect.”

The family is the smallest unit of believers gathered together in Christ. What we do in the home influences not just our families, but the world outside our walls. All that we do begins with God and should be based in prayer and love for God and each other. In our homes, we choose to live our faith fully, exercising our spiritual life and making our home a “little church.” 

Pope Francis writes in Amoris Laetitia, no. 315:

“The Lord’s presence dwells in real and concrete families, with all their daily troubles and struggles, joys and hopes. Living in a family makes it hard for us to feign or lie; we cannot hide behind a mask. If that authenticity is inspired by love, then the Lord reigns there, with his joy and his peace. The spirituality of family love is made up of thousands of small but real gestures. In that variety of gifts and encounters which deepen communion, God has his dwelling place. This mutual concern brings together the human and the divine, for it is filled with the love of God.”

And just as we build brick-and-mortar churches and support them through service, so are we called to do the same for our domestic church. We build  each other up and offer support and love to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. We are called to evangelize, and there is no better way for us to evangelize each other and the larger culture than to live our faith fully, beginning in the home. This evangelization begins first between husband and wife and then extends to the children, all within the sanctuary of the home. 

Pope St. John Paul II wrote in Familiaris Consortio:

“The family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God’s love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church His bride.”

“Family, become what you are!”