Families have the obligation to maintain their social standing and family name at all levels in society. They have a duty of honor to themselves never to lower their standards, except when necessary to avoid sin.
Therefore, families have a duty to save money, work and keep themselves at a level that befits them and honors the traditions of their forefathers. All high and noble things must preserve their elevation.
This maintenance of a social standing is not for the enjoyment or advantage of those who hold it, but it is a service to the ideal of nobility that strives to keep high standards for its own sake.
Seeking a Temperate Advance
Families should preserve their standing as much as possible by always pushing upward. One must rise, not like a rocket in a fireworks display or an adventurer through tricks and unseemly maneuvers, that give rise to an unimaginably rapid ascent.
One must rise through honest, gradual work. One must always push forward, and, if one is intelligent and capable, take this effort as far as possible. Carrying on the family name is an obligation that must be upheld.
The Highest Priority is Living a Catholic Life
However, none of this activity is the most important thing in family life. The most important thing is to be a truly Roman Catholic family. The family must serve God first, and all obligations toward the family name and tradition are secondary.
Thus, happiness lies in leading a noble, pious and tranquil life that satisfies the desires of the soul. It consists of enjoying the simple, unpretentious and ordinary pleasures of existence.
Finding True Happiness in Daily Life
Happiness is not found in grand celebrations, but in the orderly conduct of daily life. Happiness is not found in grand travels, but in making the most of ordinary leisure activities. Happiness is not found in great fortunes, but in imbuing the enjoyment of money with spiritual and moral meaning. This is happiness.
Above all, it is a happiness of the soul. It is a happiness of living in circumstances that results in a temperate, tranquil, modest happiness.
Happiness Also in Misfortune
This happiness is even felt in misfortune, because if misfortune befalls a man and he is brought down, nothing essential has been affected by the hardship as long as he is not to blame for the downfall.
Why? Because he is not at fault and preserved the essential part of life intact, he enjoys the happiness of a clear conscience before God and a spiritual life that makes life worth living.
The article above was adapted from an informal talk for TFP members on June 24, 1973, by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.
First Published on TFP.org