Sacramentum is a series devised by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, exploring the sacraments of the Catholic Church and other aspects of parish life and Catholic devotion. In this reflection, Rudy Jerome Mallannao draws from the OEC’s past three years of work in parish renewal. He reflects that the family home is where the movement from a ‘maintenance to missional church’ must first take root. This also demonstrates the crucial role of the laity in all parish renewal efforts.

In this April issue, I would like to talk about the powerful message of renewal that the Easter season brings through Jesus’s resurrection. His story of transformation, moving from death to life, offers us a chance to reflect on how we, too, can experience our own transformation and renewal. This season encourages us to look at how we can make that change, not just in our lives, but in our homes and families, the place where faith is nurtured and passed down.

The home is where it all starts. “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces,” George Santayana once said. The family is the place where faith is first learned, shared, and lived out. It’s in our homes that we begin to understand God’s love, and it’s here that we pass on that love to the next generation. This is the foundation of transformation—the renewal we celebrate at Easter begins in our homes.

The Home: The Central Catalyst for Transformation

In a world often focused on just keeping things going, the message of Easter calls us to something more. It’s about moving beyond just maintaining our faith and actually living it out in a way that transforms us. This kind of change doesn’t happen overnight. It starts in the place that is most personal to us—the home.

“Faith is not about everything turning out okay; it’s about being okay no matter how things turn out,” says Laura Story. In our homes, we learn to embrace faith even in the hard times. The family is where we can live that faith most authentically, where we come together to comfort, support, and strengthen each other. It’s a place where we can grow, not only as individuals but as a family united in Christ.

From Maintenance to Mission: The Shift in Mindset

Shifting from a maintenance mindset to a missional one means moving from simply “keeping things as they are” to actively sharing our faith with others.

This change doesn’t just happen in the church building—it begins in the hearts of families. When families realize they are more than just guardians of their faith but active participants in God’s mission, everything changes.

As we think about this, we remember that “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate transformation. May our families be the place where that renewal takes root.” It’s in our families that we begin to understand the true meaning of Easter. By living out our faith in small, everyday ways, we bring that transformation to life.

This isn’t about faith being something we keep in our homes to protect it, but about living it out loud. It means sharing our faith in everyday moments—praying together, talking about Scripture, showing love to each other, and reaching out to others in need. The home becomes not just a place of refuge, but a place where God’s love is shared with the world.

Renewal through Family

The Easter message is one of hope and renewal. Just as Christ’s resurrection brings new life, our families can reflect that renewal by embracing faith together. It’s not just about what we do individually, but what we do as a family—working together to show God’s love to those around us.

“A missional family lives with open hands and hearts, ready to extend the love of God to everyone they encounter.” This isn’t just about grand gestures. It’s about small acts of kindness and love that reflect God’s heart. It’s about inviting others into our homes, offering help to those in need, and praying for the world around us. These simple acts make a difference.

Practically, this means we create spaces in our homes for prayer and Scripture reading. We talk about how God is moving in our lives and in the world. We model the values of the Gospel—love, forgiveness, and service—in our daily interactions. And from our homes, we extend that love to our communities.

Our families can be the heartbeat of a Church that doesn’t just maintain the status quo but is actively living out its mission in the world. Whether it’s through inviting someone over for a meal or helping someone in need, our families can live out the transformative message of Easter in ways that have a lasting impact.

Conclusion: Embracing the Call to Renewal

As we celebrate Easter, we are reminded that Christ’s renewal is not just for us individually, but for our families, our Church, and the world. Easter calls us to move beyond simply maintaining our faith and to fully embrace the transformative power of Christ. It’s not enough to just remember what Jesus did; we are called to live out His resurrection every day, starting in the place where our faith is first nurtured—our homes.

“Home is where our story begins,” as Annie Danielson so beautifully puts it. Our families are the first place where the story of faith is written, where the seeds of love and grace are planted. The shift from a maintenance mindset to a missional Church starts here, in the heart of our homes. When families embrace their role in God’s mission, they become powerful agents of renewal in the world.

Let this Easter season be a time of new beginnings. Let it be a season when our families move beyond simply holding onto faith and begin to live it out boldly. May our homes become places where the message of Easter is not just heard, but actively lived. In doing so, we become part of the greater transformation of our Church, our communities, and our world.

“As the family goes, so goes the Church. The mission of the Church begins at home.” Let us answer the call to be the change we want to see in the world, starting right at the heart of our homes.

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