During St. John XXIII's brief pontificate, he felt compelled to address a number of issues facing the world at that time, going so far as to inaugurate the Second Vatican Council.
He began his pontificate by writing an encyclical, Ad Petri Cathedram, that touched on many of these pressing issues.
One issue that he addressed was family strife and the need for peace within the home.
St. John XXIII firmly believed that when there is peace within the family, it will naturally spread to the world:
We have called nations, their rulers, and all classes of society to harmonious unity. Now we sincerely urge families to achieve and strengthen this unity within themselves.
For unless peace, unity, and concord are present in domestic society, how can they exist in civil society?
This harmonious unity which should exist within the family circle rises from the holiness and indissolubility of Christian marriage. It is the basis of much of the order, progress, and prosperity of civil society.
Guide to family peace
He then presented a kind of litany that is meant to encourage and guide family members to work for peace:
Within the family, the father stands in God's place. He must lead and guide the rest by his authority and the example of his good life.
The mother, on the other hand, should form her children firmly and graciously by the mildness of her manner and by her virtue.
Together the parents should carefully rear their children, God's most precious gift, to an upright and religious life.
Children must honor, obey, and love their parents. They must give their parents not only solace but also concrete assistance if it is needed.
St. John XXIII then pointed to the Holy Family for inspiration:
The charity which burned in the household at Nazareth should be an inspiration for every family. All the Christian virtues should flourish in the family, unity should thrive, and the example of its virtuous living should shine brightly.
Without peace in the family, peace will never spread into the world.
