Family Dynamics (Tony Hasaballa) | Adult Bible Class (2026-10-24)

*Family Dynamics: Calling, Connection, and Healing* Marriage and family life are presented as a natural calling rooted in humanity’s creation for relationship: God is Trinity, and people made in God’s image are made for connection. The study explores how unhealthy family patterns can wound relationships and contribute to addiction, and how flexible boundaries, honest communication, responsibility, and support can foster healing. • Callings and marriage as a vocation [0:26] → Priesthood, monasticism, and consecrated life are discerned with the Church; marriage, too, can be a natural calling [0:39] → Rather than fixating on which path leads to God, focus on Christ and seek guidance from a spiritual father [54:10] • Created for relationship [4:09] → The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reveal God as relational; humanity, made in God’s image, is likewise made for connection [4:57] → “It is not good that man be alone”; isolation can harm people emotionally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually [7:48] → Solitude differs from isolation: isolation is about lacking belonging and acceptance, even when surrounded by others [11:41] • Sin, addiction, and relational disconnection [9:19] → Addiction can be understood as a relationship or attachment disorder; sin means “missing the mark” in our relationship with God [9:21] → Spiritual practices are not merely obligations but ways of spending time with God [10:31] → Addiction is often less about what someone is running to than what they are running from [36:44] • Understanding family patterns without blame [14:04] → The Fall damaged relationships with God and one another; blame appears in Adam’s response to God [14:16] → Families can have both healthy and unhealthy dynamics; the goal is understanding that leads to healing, not judgment or a “witch hunt” [15:13] → People make sense in the context of their stories, and hurt people can hurt others [17:06] • Boundaries and unspoken family rules [18:57] → Loose boundaries allow harmful interactions; rigid boundaries block needed care and connection [19:28] → Like a garden, families need boundaries that protect without preventing growth [20:09] → Unhealthy rules can include “we don’t talk,” “we don’t feel,” blaming others, and minimizing or denying problems [22:21] • Roles that emerge in unhealthy dynamics [26:30] → The hero is expected to excel; the scapegoat is blamed and expected to fail [27:29] → Other roles include the mascot, lost child, doer/martyr, enabler, prince or princess, and “saint” [29:02] → Roles may overlap or change as family circumstances shift [33:24] • Wounds and addiction [34:13] → Wounds of invasion are things that should not happen but do; wounds of abandonment are things that should happen but do not [34:24] → Wounds may be emotional, physical, sexual, or spiritual; addictions may involve substances or behaviors such as gambling, gaming, shopping, sex, work, or eating [34:49] → Trauma can shape implicit memory and the “window of tolerance”; substances or behaviors may provide quick escape from distress [42:39] • What healthier family dynamics look like [37:04] → Flexible boundaries, honest communication, emotional acceptance, responsibility, and asking for help [37:13] → Family roles can be shared appropriately; care should support people without enabling harmful behavior [38:10] → Affirmation, safety, respect, spiritual formation grounded in love, and healthy self-care support a healthier sense of self [39:13] • Growing in healing and discernment [40:23] → Humans need connection with God and others; marriage and family life are a natural calling [40:27] → Healing may involve spiritual practice, therapy, physical care, and learning to accept life’s struggles [48:59] → A path may begin under social pressure, but a person can take ownership of it as a path of sanctification [55:40] → Empathy recognizes another’s feelings without approving harmful actions; avoid both dismissing feelings and over-identifying with them [58:39] • Closing [61:29] → Final questions, then prayer [61:34]