A leading Church official in Singapore called on families to reclaim prayer, shared work, and mutual support this Christmas, warning that weakened family life is contributing to a confused and divided society.
Cardinal William Goh, archbishop of Singapore, said the birth of Christ is a reminder that family life is central to human formation and social well-being, pointing to the Holy Family as a concrete model rather than a distant ideal.
“The birth of Christ into the home of Joseph and Mary underscores the importance of protecting and strengthening the family for our happiness and well-being,” the cardinal said, stressing that Jesus was intentionally raised within a family setting.
Cardinal Goh noted that God could have chosen a different way for the Incarnation, but instead placed Jesus in the care of Mary and Joseph. He underscored the family’s role in nurturing children through shared joys, struggles, and responsibilities.
Reflecting on the Gospel accounts, he recalled that Jesus’ early life was shaped by parents who protected and guided him amid danger and uncertainty. When “Herod wanted to kill Jesus,” he said, “His parents took Him and fled to Egypt, migrants in a strange land with a different culture.”
He also highlighted the Holy Family’s faithfulness to religious practice, noting that Jesus was raised by “devout Jews, faithfully making their pilgrimages to Jerusalem to celebrate the holy feasts every year.” This formation, he said, continued through daily life in Nazareth, where Jesus spent decades “growing in maturity, learning and working alongside His foster father Joseph as a carpenter.”
According to the cardinal, Mary and Joseph demonstrated that “work and prayer always go together,” and that genuine love for God is expressed not through sentiment but through obedience and charity. He said this stable upbringing enabled Jesus to relate deeply to human suffering during his public ministry.
Turning to present-day realities, Cardinal Goh warned that modern lifestyles are placing increasing strain on family life. He cited “travel, entertainment, a demanding schedule of work and social life, community involvement, and distractions from social media” as challenges that make it difficult for families to remain united.
“Society and the world today is so confused and divided because families do not pray, work, and play together,” he said. Many people, he added, are “dysfunctional and lack a holistic upbringing,” leading to “a broken society which lacks the capacity to love beyond oneself.”
While emphasizing the household as the primary place of formation, the cardinal broadened the understanding of family to include spiritual and communal bonds. “Having a family to belong to is a great blessing – even if not a biological one, at least a spiritual one,” he said.
As the Jubilee Year of Hope approaches its conclusion, Cardinal Goh urged Catholics to treat Christmas as a moment of renewal and responsibility. “Let our Christmas hope be that Christ’s birth inspires us to pray, work, and build a family in imitation of the Holy Family,” he said, extending the call to families found “within our community, workplace, or group of friends.”
He invited believers to welcome Christ anew into their relationships and communities. “May the Lord be born once again in our hearts and unite us all in one big family of God, where all are brothers and sisters in Christ.”
