Six Sacred Rules for Families: A Spirituality for the Home

Liked the inspiration of this book. It provided methods for prayer as well as tips on raising a solid Christian family. I was inspired by the way Tim and Sue change their course of action to follow the Holy Spirit and adopted their children.

I read this book and I keep going back to it so the wisdom in it will sink into my psyche. It empowers the reader to being spirituality into their home and family. Beautiful yet practical exposition on what it takes to simultaneously be a spritual seeker and guide within the family context. It is Catholic-Christian based but I really think that anyone who wants to bring the sacred into thier family experience can benefit. Ground is broken here that I have not encountered anywhere else in religious or secular family functioning books. The wise words in this book are certainly the fruit of the authentic faith of this couple.

This is a wonderfully thoughtful book. There's so much wisdom contained within and given we parents do not have an abundance of time, chapters are just the right length. The personal real life family stories combined with a practical understanding of bible passages make this truly a gem that I highly recommend. Thank you Tim and Sue Muldoon for sharing your sacred rules!

I wish my parents had this book back in the 60's when were going up. Heck I wish I had it when my kids were growing up. This is a must for all Catholic and Christian families to lead and guide children to the Lord. Makes a lot of sense.

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You know what I find myself struggling to read? Self-help books. Especially of the parenting kind.I suspect it has more to do with my pride than it does with me having any clue about what I'm doing. And I haven't read many of them (aside from Dr. Ray, who I follow like he's a rockstar), because, well, there are so many OTHER books to read.So when Six Sacred Rules for Families: A Spirituality for the Home arrived, I braced myself. "Nice cover," thought I, "and I'll reward myself by whipping through that book I AM going to finish by the end of the month."You see, despite the fact that Elizabeth Scalia (who does not give faint praise, EVER), is quoted on the cover as saying, "I loved this book and couldn't put it down.", I wasn't expecting a good read.Parenting self-help type book = fight off the snoring tendencies.Boy, was I wrong.(When will I learn? Not today, apparently.)I was on page ix when I realized I was going to love this book:"Now, full disclosure: our family doesn't perfectly reflect these rules every day--we doubt that anyone's family does or even can. We are not perfectly pious people, living blissfully conflict-free lives according to a preordained divine plan. Any parent understands that raising children is about living within the tension of knowing what is good for them (and ourselves) while at the same time negotiating the basic reality of what is happening right now."[...]"Still, the rules (whether for nutrition, good psychological health, or--in this case--a strong faith life) help give us a compass point, both when the skies are clear and when there are storms."The rules, when I saw them on the next page, seemed...well, a bit more theoretical than I would ever be able to pull off, catechist and writer though I may be. And yet they embody a set of guidelines that I would do well to remember myself.And maybe that's really the key. My children can't help but be influenced by the way I live MY life, right?There is theory and theology in these pages, but this book is also full of practical wisdom and ways to apply the rules.The book isn't just about these rules and explaining how to apply them and integrate them into your family life. There's an introductory section that lays the foundation, a description of the rules, and a section of application.This is the kind of book I'll be dipping back into, reminding myself of my priorities and the helps I have, encouraging myself on this parenting journey. Having another soul entrusted to you is a huge responsibility, and if I'm not careful, I'll curl up in a fetal position and just give up.Thanks to Tim and Sue Muldoon, though, I have a toolbox between the covers of a slim red book.

Why should your family have sacred rules and what should they be? Those are the questions Tim and Sue Muldoon set out to answer in “Six Sacred Rules for Families: A Spirituality for the Home.” As the Muldoons state, “Rules keep everyone on the same page; rules help us plan for the future and enjoy the present . . . [They] help one another grow in love.”The six rules they have established for use in their own family of three adopted children, and which they share on these pages, are based on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s “The Spiritual Exercises.” Those rules are: 1) God brings our family together on pilgrimage, 2) Our love for one another leads to joy, 3) Our family doesn’t care about ‘success,’ 4) God stretches our family toward his kingdom, 5) God will help us, and 6) We must learn which desires lead us to freedom.The Muldoons begin by emphasizing the role of faith and prayer in one’s life. Parents cannot hope to pass on faith to their children of they don’t cultivate it first in themselves. “For followers of Jesus, it’s about faith that God is in charge, that our lives have meaning, that love is a window to eternity.” This does not meant that we will be spared suffering, but rather that we will be able to see both joy and pain as “moments in a much longer story.”The Muldoons then examine each of the six rules, offering concrete examples of how these rules are put into practice in their own family life.The last part of the book offers four examples of lectio divina that can be used with a family and the lesson that those stories contain for family life. The biblical stories that are examined are those of Zaccheus, The Prodigal Son, The Good Samaritan, and The Wedding at Cana. There is also a section on discernment and reasons why going to Church is important.“Six Sacred Rules for Families” offers a blueprint for establishing a guiding plan for family life. These rules will help all members of a family “to live life to the full as God intended.”