Image above: the family of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre; he is pictured on the far left.
We offer for the edification of our readers this poem composed especially for SSPX.ORG to honor the Catholic family.
The Catholic Family
What is a Catholic family?
A marriage bond that lasts till eternity,
indissolubility;
despite what the world
and progressives say;
we hold fast to the Way
—JESUS CHRIST—
Who is the same: yesterday and today,
always and forever.[1]
For, the Truth does never sway.
What is a Catholic family?
Father, mother,
sister, brother,
united in… charity,
the bond of perfection,[2]
which God has poured forth into our hearts
by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us,[3]
to be His children of predilection:
one Faith, one Hope, one Baptism,
one Lord and God of all,[4]
striving to attain sanctity.[5]
For, to this we all are called,
and should be, the children of God;[6]
the raising up of saints[7]
for God’s kingdom,
both here on earth, and in heaven,
to be the salt, the light, the leaven[8]
in a corrupted and morally bankrupt world;
to embrace the cross,[9]
to count all things as loss;[10]
to restore all things in Christ,[11]
to be a living and holy sacrifice.[12]
What is a Catholic family?
the raising of little girls and boys;
the sharing of hopes and joys,
fears and tears,
sorrows and sadness,
smiles and gladness,
all centered on the Primacy…
JESUS and His Royalty:
His mother Mary, our august Queen
of Apostles, Martyrs, and all Saints;
Saint Joseph, Pillar of families
and Protector of Holy Mother Church
Triumphant, Militant, and Suffering,
all for Jesus Christ our King…
the Head of the Catholic family.
What is a Catholic family?
One that works together,
sharing burdens one for the other,[13]
bearing the yoke, so sweet and light;[14]
dedicated to the life of God,
to the Kingship of Jesus Christ;
to pouring forth their sweat, blood, and tears;[15]
to live their lives with all their might
for the Way, the Truth, and the Life;[16]
to be the subject of ridicule and spite;[17]
to be a sign of contradiction,[18]
to remain steadfast in opposition
to the flesh, the world, and the devil,[19]
which seek to divide, conquer, and destroy
the beauty of the human soul
made in the image and likeness[20]
of the spotless Lamb of God.[21]
What is a Catholic family?
One that prays religiously,
Our Lady’s Holy Rosary;
which denies itself
the false and transient luxuries;
which sets its heart and mind
on the things above,
where Christ is seated
on the right hand of God;[22]
which fixes its eyes on the things unseen,[23]
which pierces through shadows mean;[24]
which walks by faith, not by sight,[25]
which trusts in our Lord’s guiding Light;[26]
which offers itself a sweet oblation,
in the one and only Ark of Salvation,
holy and pleasing to Almighty God;
which says each and every day,
who on their knees do pray:
Father, into Thy hands, we do commit
our minds, and bodies, and spirit.[27]
What is a Catholic family?
One that exhibits an unflinching and unfailing
trustful surrender to the Divine Providence,[28]
which utters its daily, faithful fiat:
Behold the servants of the Lord,
be it done unto us according to Thy Word[29]
Made Flesh, Who dwells among us.[30]
For, all other things are meaningless;
them, we count as loss,
save for our Savior Jesus Christ,
His Holy Name,
His Precious Blood,
and His sacred Cross[31]…
the one and only true way
to eternal life.
What is a Catholic family?
A union of souls
with our Lord Jesus Christ;
partaking of His nature,[32]
of His divinity,
through sanctifying grace,[33]
sharing in the life
of the Holy Trinity.[34]
O Lord, grant us Catholic families!
Scripture references
1 Hebrews 13:8.
2 Colossians 3:14.
3 Romans 5:5.
4 Ephesians 4:4-6.
5 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 1:15-16.
6 1 John 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:7.
7 Romans 8:28.
8 Matthew 5:13-16, 13:33.
9 Ibid. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23.
10 Philippians 3:8.
11 Ephesians 1:10.
12 Romans 12:1.
13 Galatians 6:2.
14 Matthew 11:29-30.
15 Luke 22:44.
16 John 14:6.
17 Matthew 5:11.
18 Luke 2:34; John 15:18-20.
19 Romans 12:2; James 4:4, 7; 1 Peter 5:8-9; 1 John 2:15-16.
20 Genesis 1:27, 2:7; Romans 8:29.
21 1 Peter 1:18-19.
22 Colossians 3:1-2.
23 2 Corinthians 4:18.
24 Adoro Te.
25 2 Corinthians 5:7.
26 John 8:12, 12:46.
27 Luke 23:46.
28 Psalms 26, 36:5.
29 Luke 1:38.
30 John 1:14.
31 Galatians 6:14.
32 2 Peter 1:4.
33 John 17:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30.
34 John 14:16, 23, 6:57.
