The Goal

What is the goal of a Christian family?

For M. B. Reston, it is simple to name and impossible to accomplish by human effort alone: he wants his wife and children to reach heaven. He wants them to be saints. He wants to become one himself. And he hopes the love of Christ will be handed on to generations he may never meet.

The Goal asks what those hopes look like in ordinary family life. Reston begins with his own conversion, then considers a marriage shaped by patient attention, a home that prays, children free to ask difficult questions, Sunday Mass and the Eucharist, apologies that repair harm, and mercy when a family story bears wounds.

Drawing on Scripture and Catholic teaching, this pocket guide explores how to:

• Keep heaven in view amid the demands of daily life
• Grow in holiness as a husband, father, and disciple
• Pass on a living faith without trying to control another person's response
• Make room for prayer, forgiveness, service, and the sacraments
• Tell the next generation how the love of Christ reached your family

Each chapter closes with reflection questions and one practical next step. A letter to the next generation and a simple family rule of life help carry the conversation beyond the page.

The goal is heaven. The path is Christ. Begin where you are.