Pope Francis ushers in the “Amoris Laetitia Family” year with a message to attendees of a webinar on the theme “Our Daily Love”, urging everyone to support families and join them on the journey of a lifetime.
By Vatican News Staff Writer
Five years after the publication of Pope Francis’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, The joy, the Vatican inaugurates the “The joy of life” Year. To mark the start of the year-long celebration, Pope Francis sent a message to participants of a webinar on the theme on Friday.Our daily love
Pope Francis opened his message by greeting the participants, and in particular Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicaster for the Laity, Family and Life; Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, Grand Chancellor of the John Paul II Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and the Family – who organized the event.
The Pope recalled the publication of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation The joy on the beauty and joy of conjugal and family love, inviting everyone to “live a year in which we reread the Document and reflect on the theme, until the celebration of the tenth World Meeting of Families to take place, God willing, in Rome on June 26, 2022. “
World gathering of families
According to the Dicasterie for the Laity, Family and Life, 1994 was declared “International Year of the Family” by the United Nations. Pope John Paul II wanted the Church to also celebrate this Year of the Family, so the first World Meeting of Families (WMF) was held. It took place in Rome on October 8 and 9, 1994 under the direction of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which subsequently organized all subsequent WMFs.
Since then, a World Meeting of Families has been held every three years in various places around the world, along with an International Pastoral Theological Congress. It usually ends with a family festival in the presence of the Pope and a final Eucharist.
A new look at the family
Pope Francis noted that “the main purpose of the Document is to communicate … that today a new view of the family is needed on the part of the Church.” He emphasized that it is not enough to repeat the value of doctrines. Rather, we must become “guardians” of the beauty of the family, caring for its vulnerabilities and wounds with compassion.
Pope Francis went on to say that there are two aspects at the heart of all family ministries: “the sincerity of the preaching of the gospel and the tenderness of guidance.”
He explained that on the one hand, “we proclaim to couples, husbands and families a Word that helps them understand the authentic meaning of union and love, the sign and image of Trinitarian love and of the covenant between Christ and the Church. “
On the other hand, the Pope noted, “this proclamation can and should never be given from above or without.” He explained that the Church has incarnated in history, just like her Master. So when she preaches the gospel of the family, she does so by immersing herself in real life, knowing firsthand the daily struggles of husbands and parents, their problems, their sufferings, all those small and big situations that make their journey difficult and sometimes hinder it. . “
Our Daily Love
In this context, daily love is lived, the Pope said, referring to the title of the webinar. He noted that the title is an important choice because it is “about the love generated by the simplicity and quiet work of a couple’s life, through that daily and sometimes exhausting dedication of husbands, mothers, fathers and children. “.
He said that if the gospel is presented as a “doctrine from above” without entering the “flesh” of everyday life, it runs the risk of remaining just a beautiful theory and even perceived as a moral obligation.
“We are called to guide, listen and bless the journey of families,” said the Pope. Not only to map out the direction, but also to make the journey with them; to enter the house with discretion and love, to say to the couple, the church is with you; the Lord is close to you; we want to help you secure the gift you have received.
Finally, the Pope insisted, “Let’s support the family! Let’s defend it against anything that compromises its beauty. “
And he invited everyone to “approach this mystery of love with wonder, discretion and tenderness. And let us work to protect its precious and delicate bonds: children, parents, grandparents … We need these bonds to be good. to live and to live, to make humanity more fraternal. “