Theology of the Home

November 1, 2018

By Megan Schrieber

My people will live in a peaceful home, in peaceful houses, tranquil dwellings . -Isaiah 32:18

A welcoming home is a beacon of warmth in a world full of noise and busyness. As we gear up for the holiday season, we begin to transform our homes with seasonal decorations, large meals, and times of celebration furthering this welcoming atmosphere.

Yet, when the holidays pass and the decorations come down, we are reminder that our homes are a place of community and love no matter the season. Our earthly home points toward our eternal home and becomes the ground where forgiveness is learned and mercy is discovered. It is where creativity flows and love abounds and it is the place where life is created and death is mourned.

Home is the place where we learn to steward well the gifts bestowed on us. It is a place where creativity should flow, respectful discussions take place, and where one can learn to disagree respectfully. Home is where one learns to feed the soul of another through heart to heart talks or a gastronomical delight. It is where a marriage rides the tide of unpredictability and emerges stronger through the grace of God.

Ironically, the making of a home can be quickly overlooked as passe and yet it is the most pivotal key in the way a great society is grown. The successful society starts at home, it is the practice arena before we are launched out into the world. As Pope Saint John Paul II wrote,, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

The theology of home is the movement by which we open our eyes to God’s presence and power within our home. God’s omnipresence in our lives also means that he dwells within the walls of our homes and as St. Teresa of Avila said, “God lives among the pots and pans.”

Our rich Catholic heritage provides us with countless ways to remember God, the saints, and those who were instrumental in our faith within our homes. From the way in which we design and decorate our home to the way we tend to our garden, we can be reminded of God’s presence in every aspect
of our life.

As faithful people, we seek to daily live the gospel and most of us long to make a deep impact in the lives of others, if not the whole world. The seemingly mundane tasks of home life are opportunities to offer thanksgiving to God, but also to create an atmosphere of truth, beauty and goodness in family life.

The building of a home life in communal love for God is a powerful grace. Let us open wide the doors of our home and heart to all those longing to know the welcoming love of Jesus.