40 Years Since June 26: #JuneForFamilies

On the 26th of June, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Josemaria, who died on this date in 1975. In this year of special prayer for families, we offer each day in June some advice of his on the family, both for the web and the social networks.

June 26, 2015 is the 40th anniversary of the death of Saint Josemaria, and is also now his feast day. At his canonization Saint John Paul II called him “the saint of ordinary life." A large part of his priestly effort was aimed at fostering the good of families.

#JuneForFamilies will offer each day in June some advice of Saint Josemaria on human love, courtship, marriage, family life and raising children. His words can be passed on to many others via Twitter and Facebook with this hashtag.

#JuneForFamilies is a way of uniting ourselves to Pope Francis' petition that we pray especially for all families in the world this year and for the upcoming Synod on the Family.

Some resources on the family:

“Take a Chance on Happiness" : Video clips from Saint Josemaria's preaching and testimonies from British and Irish couples on the challenges and rewards of marriage and family life.

"Novena for a Faithful and Happy Marriage" : A novena that draws on quotes from Saint Josemaria's writings.

"eBook on the Family and Raising Children"

"eBook: Pope Francis' Catechesis on the Family (Vol. I)"

"eBook: Pope Francis' Catechesis on the Family (Vol. II)"

"eBook: Pope Francis' Catechesis on the Family (Vol. III)"

Quotes from Saint Josemaria for each day in June:

Courtship

1. You need a heart in love, not an easy life, to achieve happiness. (Saint Josemaria, Furrow, no. 795)

2. Never forget that the love of God puts our affections in order, and purifies them without diminishing them. (Saint Josemaria, Furrow, no. 828)

3. Those in love do not know how to say good-bye: they are with one another all the time. (Saint Josemaria, Furrow, no. 666)

4. Engagement should be time for growing in affection and for getting to know each other better. As in every school of love, it should be inspired, not by a desire to receive, but by a spirit of giving, of understanding, of respect and gentle consideration. (Saint Josemaria, Conversations, no. 105)

5. A trial marriage? How little anyone who uses the term knows about love! Love is a much surer, more real, more human reality. It cannot be treated as a commercial product that is tested and then accepted or rejected on the basis of whim, comfort and interest. (Saint Josemaria,Conversations, no. 105)

6. You and I know from experience that people in love surrender themselves unhesitatingly. Their hearts beat in a wonderful unison, with a single love. (Saint Josemaria, Friends of God, no. 220)

7. Love each other, spend time with each other, get to know each other. And have mutual respect for each other, as if each of you were a treasure that belongs to the other. Don't forget that God our Lord is present, that he sees you, that he hears you. (Saint Josemaria, Caracas, February 11, 1975)

Love in Marriage

1. Avoid pride. It is the greatest enemy of your married life. (Christ is Passing By, no. 26)

2. You laugh because I tell you that you have a “vocation for marriage"? Well, you have just that: a vocation. (Saint Josemaria, The Way, no. 27)

3. Both husband and wife should try to renew their love day after day and that is done through sacrifice, with smiles and also with ingenuity. (Saint Josemaria, Conversations, no. 107)

4. Torrents of worries and difficulties are incapable of drowning true love because people who sacrifice themselves generously together are brought closer by their sacrifice. (Saint Josemaria, Conversations, no. 91)

5. Try to be always young. Keep yourselves wholly for one another. May you come to love one another so much that you even love the defects of your spouse, as long as they don't offend God. (Saint Josemaria, Valencia, November 18, 1972)

6. The secret of married happiness lies in everyday things, not in daydreams. It lies in finding the hidden joy of coming home in the evening, in affectionate relations with the children, in good humor in the face of difficulties. (Saint Josemaria, Conversations, no. 91)

7. Love, my children, is sacrifice. A married man has to love his wife, and to show her that he does. Don't be stingy. Throughout your married life, you have to keep courting one another; if not, things don't go well. Coming home tired, with a long face—that's not the way! Your wife needs a couple of kisses when you arrive, but without routine, with naturalness and affection. (Saint Josemaria, Lisbon, November 3, 1972)

8. It is important for married people to acquire a clear sense of the dignity of their vocation. They must know that they have been called by God not only to human love but also to a divine love, through their human love. (Saint Josemaria,Conversations, no. 93)

Raising Children

1. Let your children see that you are trying to live in accordance with your faith. Let them see that God is not only on your lips, but also in your deeds; that you are trying to be loyal and sincere, and that you love each other and you really love them too. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 28)

2. Imposing things by force, in an authoritarian manner, is not the right way to teach. The ideal attitude of parents lies more in becoming their children's friends—friends who will be willing to share their anxieties, who will listen to their problems, who will help them in an effective and agreeable way. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 27)

3. Parents should make an effort to listen, to pay attention, to understand, to recognize the fact that their children are sometimes partly right—or even completely right—in some of their rebellious attitudes. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 27)

4. It's only right that your children should also make you suffer a bit. If a child's a bit rebellious, go for a walk together, or go out to get a bite to eat, and say, “Do you know that when I was your age, I made your grandparents suffer? I pulled this or that trick on them, and they forgave me right away. Now I'm very sorry for having made them suffer. What a shame." Your child will realize that you understand him, excuse him and love him, with his defects. Including his defects! He'll correct himself bit by bit. (Saint Josemaria, Oporto, Portugal, October 31, 1972)

5. Please echo these words for me: it is no “sacrifice" for parents when God asks them for their children. Neither, for those he calls, is it a sacrifice to follow him. It is, on the contrary, an immense honor, a motive for a great and holy pride, a mark of predilection, a very special affection. (Saint Josemaria, The Forge, no. 18)

6. Treat them as you would have wanted to be treated when you were their age. Above all, show them the greatest possible trust. It's better to be fooled by them once than to make them think you don't love them very much or trust them. Let yourselves be fooled once in a while; it's no big deal! (Saint Josemaria, Oporto, Portugal, October 31, 1972)

7. Don't forget that it is impossible for husband and wife to avoid at least some arguments. But never quarrel in front of your children; you would make them suffer, and they would take sides in the argument, contributing unwittingly to the lack of unity between you. But quarrels, so long as they don't happen often, are also a proof of love, and they are almost a need. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 26)

Family Life

1. When I think of Christian homes, I like to imagine them as being full of the light and joy that were in the home of the Holy Family. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 22)

2. The unity between the parents is transmitted to their children, to the whole family, and to everyone who is involved in their life. In this way, every truly Christian family reproduces in some way the mystery of the Church, chosen by God and sent to be the guide of the world. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 30)

3. We must steep ourselves in this new logic brought down to earth by God. In Bethlehem, no one reserves anything for himself. There we hear nothing of my reputation, my time, my work, my ideas, my preferences. (Saint Josemaria, February 14, 1974)

4. The aim is this: to sanctify family life, while creating at the same time a true family atmosphere. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 23)

5. Every Christian home should be a place of peace and serenity. In spite of the small frustrations of daily life, an atmosphere of profound and sincere affection should reign there together with a deep‑rooted calm, which is the result of authentic faith that is put into practice. (Saint Josemaria, Christ is Passing By, no. 22)

6. It is in the simplicity of your ordinary work, in the monotonous details of each day, that you have to find the secret, which is hidden from so many, of something great and new: Love. (Saint Josemaria, Furrow, no. 489)