Introduction: Why be concerned with the ordinary? -- Resources from the Catholic tradition. A Catholic theological understanding of marriage. Cultural understandings of marriage ; Liturgy : the personal and social dimensions of Christian marriage ; Scripture and the social import of family life ; Marriage as sacrament : beyond relationship to communion ; Conclusion : Family as primary Christian community -- Between the personal and the political : families as agents of social change. Early documents and movements : 1891-1931 ; Early American Episcopal documents and Catholic Action Groups : 1919-1965 ; Contemporary reflections : changing hearts and structures ; Conclusion : Families and social change -- Grace, sin, and holy families. The limits of a theology of ideals ; O'Connor's gift to theology ; Seeing : acknowledging the importance and difficulty of faith ; Sin and finitude ; Grace, sin, and finitude in Christian marriage ; Sin, grace, and solidarity ; Conclusion : Beginning with imperfection, moving toward solidarity -- Practices. Practicing sexual fidelity. Why practices? ; Sexual ethics : moving beyond controversy ; Sex, fidelity, and infidelity : the situation ; Sex as practice : seeking the good ; Conclusion : From intimacy to community -- The practice of eating : love, justice, and eating. Family meals in the twenty-first century ; Eucharist : communion and calling ; Eating with/as sinners : practicing mercy at the table ; Love and justice at the table : practices within a practice ; Conclusion : The priority of mercy -- How much is enough? The practice of tithing. Are we rich yet? ; Foundations : Hebrew and Christian Scriptures ; Christian tradition on wealth and charity ; Application : tithing in a contemporary Christian context ; Conclusion : Why tithing matters -- Serving : re-imagining a central practice of middle-class family life. Contemporary Catholic family life : a rough sketch ; Pre-Vatican II American parishes ; The changing shape of parish life ; Reshaping parish life to support Christian families ; Service as family practice ; Conclusion : Community, practice, and service -- Family prayer as practice of resistance. Prayer : beyond platitudes ; A brief history of Christian thought on parental religious duties ; Interfaith families as models ; Praying as church in contemporary families ; Conclusion : Practices of resistance as ordinary morality.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.