In this lecture, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the importance of the family as the core of society, explaining that the success of society depends on the family’s strength, love, and righteous upbringing of children.

Formation of the family:
He begins by affirming that marriage must be based on wise choice and spiritual and emotional harmony between man and woman, not on haste or social or economic pressure. He warns against excessive parental interference that can lead to forced or incompatible marriages.

The engagement period:
He explains that engagement should be a period of preparation, friendship, and affection, not of outward appearances or material preparations, but a time to know each other’s character, self-control, and compatibility.

Foundations of a sound marriage:
A successful marriage, as His Holiness teaches, is built on mutual trust, giving, sacrifice, and humility. He warns against selfishness and excessive jealousy that destroy peace at home, affirming that trust between spouses is the secret of happiness.

Life inside the home:
He points out the need to avoid sadness and constant complaints, because a Christian home must be full of joy and cheerfulness. Simple happiness is a real blessing. He also encourages kind words and mutual praise between husband and wife, considering encouragement and gratitude as seeds of love.

Raising children:
His Holiness offers profound guidance on raising children, noting that the child is “a soft clay” shaped in the early years. Parents should plant values and virtues with tenderness, not fear. He stresses the importance of fairness among children and avoiding comparisons or favoritism.

The family’s role in faith:
The family, he says, is accountable before God for raising a faithful and upright generation. The first five years of a child’s life shape his personality, and it is during this period that faith and virtue must be planted in the heart.

Spiritual conclusion:
Pope Shenouda concludes that marriage is not merely an emotional union but a holy mission and divine responsibility toward oneself, one’s partner, and one’s children. When the family is righteous, the whole society is healed.

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