My Domestic Church: Catholic Culture at Home
“The world is thy ship and not thy home.”
-St. Therese of Lisieux
These words are a stark reminder from a saint who knew this message all too well. Therese lost her beloved mother to cancer at the age of four. She lived knowing four of her siblings never made it past childhood or infancy. Finally, she watched her father lose his faculties to dementia after suffering a stroke. All from the confines of her cloister.
“The world is thy ship and not thy home.”
In other words, we are pilgrims, travelers, sojourners in a strange land. We are passing through to our heavenly home, don’t get too comfortable!
In many ways, the church exists to remind us of this reality and to offer us the tools in which to get to our true homeland – heaven. But before the church, the family, the domestic church, is the place where this lesson must be lived and learned in the depths of our hearts. The domestic church is that first ship that will lead us home.
If all this is true, it is worth asking: how do I build up this culture at home? How do I create such an environment that reminds everyone who resides there that this Earth is not our final reality?
Creating Catholic Culture at Home
The culture we create at home, from the artwork on the walls to the conversation we share around the dinner table, to the activities we do in our free time, set a tone. Not only for those who enter into our homes, but the family that lives there.
Catholicism can and should feel like home. Stepping into a church can and should point us to heavenly beauty and remind us of our true home. And our domestic church should be no different. Does your home foster this catholic culture in any of these ways?
Regardless of where you’re at on this journey of building up the domestic church by way of building catholic culture at home, there are several things to consider. This list is not exhaustive, but can be a great starting point. Perhaps you find one item that is attainable for you. Perhaps you already do all of these things, but would like to focus more greatly on one of them.
Some Practical Ideas
- Everyone’s home glorifies something or someone. How about yours? What fills the walls? Family? Religious art? Nothing? It’s great to have pictures of family, I know we do! But does your family include your heavenly family, the saints, Jesus, Mary? Does your home point your eyes heavenward or does it keep them focus on Earth? If someone steps into your home, is it clear that your identity is deeply rooted in your Catholic faith?
- What do you talk about at home? Is there intentional conversation around God, faith, prayer, etc.?For many, this doesn’t happen naturally and conversations must be guided. It does, however, become much more natural with time when the Catholic faith becomes a deeper part of a family’s identity. If this is something that you struggle with, here are some conversation starter ideas:
- Discuss the weekend’s homily – what stuck out at you? What resonated with you?
- Share a high, low, and God moment from the day
- Pick a specific topic regarding the faith and discuss
- Discuss the daily gospel readings, or even try doing Lectio Divina together
- Share the story of any feast or solemnity the church may be celebrating that day. Stories are a great way to draw your children in!
- How does the liturgical season come alive in your home? Do you celebrate Advent? Sometimes it’s as simple as an advent wreath lighting and prayer each Sunday. Do you celebrate Lent together? The possibilities are endless here! You can make family sacrifices, raise money for a charity, do a service project, and more. One great resource for Liturgical living is Catholic All Year by Kendra Tierney. She goes through the Liturgical year offering different ways to celebrate any given feast day or solemnity.
- How and when do you pray together as a family? Do you pray before all meals? Does it extend beyond meal prayers?
- The ultimate question is how do you as parents witness to the faith at home? I cover this topic in this post, so I won’t elaborate here.
Where to Begin?
This is a great thing to pray about. Take some time in silence, before the Blessed Sacrament, and ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you and guide you. Ask and you shall receive! Try focusing on one way to improve. Set a goal and make it attainable. I will pray for you!