Dear brothers and sisters in Mary,
To form a family is to form a religious order in the temporal sphere. The patriarch, its crown, by his sacralized personality gives the family its unique cultural tone or "charism" like a religious order's founder. While the lady resonates his tone in a unique and moderate manner like the acoustics of a Cathedral to the children.
Together they form a "mythical" ambience that stimulates good taste, refined manners, and elevated ideas. These in turn are applied by the children to every aspect of their practical endeavors. If one becomes an architect the cultural tone will be reflected in his project, if another is a diplomat we will see it in his policies, or if a musician in his compositions. The cultural tone at home, indeed, is like the charism of a religious order that cascades into every aspect of the family's life down into the generations.
This said we see that traditional family life is civilizational, not so much therapeutic. It is an institution that participates with the other noble organs of the body of Christ in bringing heaven down to earth rather than making of this earth a temporary heaven. Therefore those considering marriage should not do so starry eyed but with eagles eyes set upon the restoration of Christendom.
In Domina,
Michael Alejandro Aguilera
Sources
The Natural Candidate to Exericise Power by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
Painting: After Gerard van Honthorst (1628), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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