Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Why be concerned with the ordinary? -- Resources from the Catholic tradition. A Catholic theological understanding of marriage. Cultural understandings of marriage ; Liturgy : the personal and social dimensions of Christian marriage ; Scripture and the social import of family life ; Marriage as sacrament : beyond relationship to communion ; Conclusion : Family as primary Christian community -- Between the personal and the political : families as agents of social change. Early documents and movements : 1891-1931 ; Early American Episcopal documents and Catholic Action Groups : 1919-1965 ; Contemporary reflections : changing hearts and structures ; Conclusion : Families and social change -- Grace, sin, and holy families. The limits of a theology of ideals ; O'Connor's gift to theology ; Seeing : acknowledging the importance and difficulty of faith ; Sin and finitude ; Grace, sin, and finitude in Christian marriage ; Sin, grace, and solidarity ; Conclusion : Beginning with imperfection, moving toward solidarity -- Practices. Practicing sexual fidelity. Why practices? ; Sexual ethics : moving beyond controversy ; Sex, fidelity, and infidelity : the situation ; Sex as practice : seeking the good ; Conclusion : From intimacy to community -- The practice of eating : love, justice, and eating. Family meals in the twenty-first century ; Eucharist : communion and calling ; Eating with/as sinners : practicing mercy at the table ; Love and justice at the table : practices within a practice ; Conclusion : The priority of mercy -- How much is enough? The practice of tithing. Are we rich yet? ; Foundations : Hebrew and Christian Scriptures ; Christian tradition on wealth and charity ; Application : tithing in a contemporary Christian context ; Conclusion : Why tithing matters -- Serving : re-imagining a central practice of middle-class family life. Contemporary Catholic family life : a rough sketch ; Pre-Vatican II American parishes ; The changing shape of parish life ; Reshaping parish life to support Christian families ; Service as family practice ; Conclusion : Community, practice, and service -- Family prayer as practice of resistance. Prayer : beyond platitudes ; A brief history of Christian thought on parental religious duties ; Interfaith families as models ; Praying as church in contemporary families ; Conclusion : Practices of resistance as ordinary morality.