CFCA Vic’s Pastoral Formation Teaching on Rebuilding a Civilization of Love: Our Mission from the Domestic Church

The Burnside Community Centre was filled with a spirit of reflection and hope on Saturday, 11 October 2025, as our community gathered for the third Pastoral Formation Teaching. The session, focused on "Rebuilding a Civilization of Love from the Domestic Church," was powerfully delivered by our speaker, Bro Bong Sales.

Bro Bong began by illuminating the family as the "Domestic Church"—the primary cell where faith is first nurtured and lived. He described it as the first school of love, forgiveness, and worship, and the essential "seedbed" from which a true Civilization of Love can grow. "The health of our entire society," he emphasized, "flows from the health of our families."

At the heart of his talk was a compelling connection between worship and culture. He explained that what we worship (cultus) directly determines what we cultivate (culture). When we worship the God of Love and Truth, our lives and relationships naturally reflect dignity, justice, and self-gift. Conversely, worship of power, money, or the self leads to a culture that is transactional, isolated, and oppressive.

To guide us in this rebuilding project, Bro Bong outlined the four essential pillars of a Civilization of Love:

1. Love in the Family (The Domestic Church)

2. Love in Community (Koinonia)

3. Love in Society (Social Justice and Evangelisation)

4. Love through Personal Conversion (Holiness)

He reminded us that the Church’s call to build this civilization is a call for humanity to be rightly oriented, bound back to God who is Love Himself, with self-giving love (agape) as its core principle.

Ending with a stirring encouragement, Bro Bong charged all members of Couples for Christ to be courageous in this mission. "Let us make our homes lighthouses of love," he urged. "Let our community be a beacon of hope. Let our actions in society be seeds of transformation. We are building a civilization that will outlast any earthly kingdom because it is founded on the eternal love of God."

It was an afternoon that left attendees inspired and re-committed to the vital work of building God’s kingdom, starting within the walls of their own homes.