By Dr. John Boakye
A nuclear family is a unit consisting of a father, mother and their children. Catholic families in addition have some ‘marks’; they pray and worship together. They are called to intimacy and put the family first. They are witnesses and signs of God’s love. Pope St. John Paul II sees the family as a sanctuary, a place where life is nurtured and protected. The family is therefore the greatest gift of God and a blessing to humanity. However, when God gives us a gift, He also gives us a responsibility.
Leadership in the family
Our God is a God of order and gives us order for the family. Christ is the head of every Catholic family and the Father is under Christ. Simply put, the Father is the Chief Executive Officer of the family to direct, influence, provide, protect, organize and influence the activities in the family. The role of the father is therefore the most important determinant of the health of a Catholic family because as a Ghanaian Professor puts it, leadership is cause, everything else is effect. The Akans also say that if you cut the head of a snake what is left is a harmless rope.
