The family can be those things, but hopefully it is much more. Primarily, the family is the God-chosen group of persons with whom I most intimately live the life of Christ, that is, the agony of the Cross and the joy of the Resurrection, simultaneously at times. To Be a Sign of Contradiction Jesus' life was a sign of contradiction and, likewise, so must mine be. As life unfolds I realize I am called, within my family, to love as God loves. As this is progressively more understood, the power of the insight can be quite disarming, threatening to dismantle my defense system.
Basic questions begin to change.
Now I begin to realize that I am called to give in some areas which will be quite unrequited, or so it will seem. This might be financial, social, sexual, occupational, educational, religious, psychological, or spiritual. Of one thing I can be rather sure, that it will seem to me that in certain ways I will be giving to my family members and it is quite unreciprocated. As the God-life grows within me toward my family members, I can also be rather certain that I will come to the point where I feel I have no more to give. Maybe I feel I'm getting older.