This summer, between diapers, laughter and short nights, I have been struck by a conviction that I find it hard to understand why it does not occupy headlines or homilies: the vocation of a father and mother of a family is, in merit and dedication, as high as that of any consecrated person. Yes, I say it that clearly. And it surprises me - it scandalizes me, in a good way - that the Church, and society in general, still does not fully recognize it.
At Mass, we hear petitions for "those who dedicate their whole life to the Lord" and we automatically think of nuns, priests and missionaries. And I, sitting there, can't help but ask myself: what about us? Doesn't a young father or a young mother, who gives his or her all to carry out a generous family project, also dedicate his or her life to the Lord? Isn't this dedication - without reserve, without timetables - a daily heroism that glorifies God in a radical way?
Celibacy is precious, most eminent, with its raison d'être in the life of the Church. But marriage lived as a true vocation is no less precious. A Christian family is not a minor renunciation: it is a daily oblation. It is love that is incarnated in early mornings, discussions that heal, embraces that heal, economies that are adjusted so that children grow up in a home open to life and to God.
Today, while some choose more comfortable couple projects or postpone the commitment until everything is "under control", there are young people who get married early, who bet on having children, who consciously complicate their lives for love. And that, no matter how we look at it, is worthy of a pedestal.
Luis Argüello, Archbishop of Valladolid and President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, shared that, when he presented the proposal of the National Vocations Congress to Pope Francis, he said: "Be concerned about promoting the vocation to marriage and the family," highlighting the value of marriage in times of demographic and cultural crisis.
Perhaps the time has come for bishops and priests to say it bluntly: the vocation to marriage, truly lived, has a supernatural value of the first category. It is not a second-rate "natural choice". It is a narrow and glorious path which, in the mystery of God, carries as much merit as that of those who give their lives in celibacy. And perhaps, if we were to recognize it more, not only our families would be strengthened, but also the Church itself.
