When we speak of the Church as a family, we’re not using a poetic image—it’s a deep reality of who we are in Christ. Many people have asked me, “Father, how can millions of people from every nation be one family?” The answer begins in the heart of God Himself. Through baptism, each of us is reborn as a child of God and united to His Son, Jesus Christ. This means that every Christian, whether in our parish or across the world, becomes our brother or sister in faith.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). Here, Christ reveals something extraordinary: belonging to God is not about bloodlines or geography—it’s about living in communion with His love. The Church is the place where that communion takes flesh—where the divine life of the Trinity is shared among believers through prayer, worship, and charity.
The early Christians lived this so vividly that others said, “See how they love one another.” That same love still defines the Church today. We gather around one table, the Eucharist, where Christ feeds us with His Body and Blood. In that sacred meal, God knits our hearts together, forgiving our divisions and calling us to love as He loves. Every parish, however small or large, is a reflection of this one great household of God.
Being part of this family also means carrying one another’s burdens. The Church is not perfect—families rarely are—but it is holy because Christ dwells within it. When we forgive, encourage, or pray for each other, we make visible the face of God’s mercy. We don’t walk this path alone; the saints and the faithful who have gone before us remain our family too, interceding for us and reminding us of our shared home in heaven.
In the Church, we discover that love is not an idea but a shared life. May we learn to see every believer as our brother or sister in Christ, and together walk toward the Father’s house, where all His children belong.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
