Pope Francis inaugurates the Year of the “Amoris Laetitia Family” with a message addressed to the participants in a webinar on “Our Daily Love”, in which he urges everyone to support families and to accompany them throughout their journey of life.
By Vatican News writer
Five years after the publication of Pope Francis’ post-synodal apostolic exhortation, joy, The Vatican inaugurates “The joy of life” Year. Marking the beginning of the one-year celebration, Pope Francis sent a message on Friday to participants in a webinar on “Our daily love”.
Pope Francis opened his message by greeting the participants and, in particular, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Department 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 Marriage and Family Sciences – who organized the event.
The pope recalled the publication of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation joy about the beauty and joy of conjugal and family love and invited everyone to “live a year of rereading the Document and reflecting on the theme, until the tenth World Meeting of Families which, God willing, will take place at Rome on June 26, 2022. ”
World Meeting of Families
According to the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, 1994 was declared the “International Year of the Family” by the United Nations. Pope John Paul II wanted the Church to celebrate this Year of the Family as well, so the first World Meeting of Families (WFTU) took place. It took place in Rome on 8 and 9 October 1994 under the guidance of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which continued to organize all subsequent WMFs.
Since then, every three years, in different parts of the world, a World Meeting of Families has taken place, together with an International Pastoral-Theological Congress. It usually ends with a family festival in the presence of the Pope and a final Eucharistic celebration.
A new look at the family
Pope Francis noted that “the main intention of the document is to communicate … that today a new look at the family from the Church is needed.” He stressed that reiterating the value of the doctrine is not enough. Rather, we must become “keepers” of the family’s beauty and take care of its fragility and wounds “with compassion.”
Pope Francis went on to say that there are two aspects at the heart of any family ministry: “the sincerity of preaching the gospel and the tenderness of accompaniment.”
He explained that, on the one hand, “we proclaim to couples, spouses, and families a Word that helps them understand the true meaning of union and love, the sign and image of Trinitarian love and the covenant between Christ and the Church. ”
On the other hand, the Pope mentioned that “this proclamation can and should never be given from above or from without.” He explained that the Church is embodied in history, just like her Master. So when he proclaims the gospel of the family, he does so by immersing himself in real life, knowing directly the daily struggles of spouses and parents, their problems, their sufferings, all those small and big situations that hinder and sometimes hinder their journey. . ”
“Our daily love”
In this context, daily love is lived, the Pope said, referring to the title of the webinar. He mentioned that the title is a significant choice, because it is “about the love generated by the simplicity and the silent work of a couple’s life, by that daily and sometimes tiring commitment carried by spouses, mothers, fathers and children”.
He said that if the gospel is proposed as a “doctrine from above” without entering the “flesh” of daily life, it risks remaining only a beautiful theory and even being lived as a moral obligation.
“We are called to accompany, listen and bless the journey of families,” the pope said. Not only to draw the direction, but 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 near you; we want to help you protect the gift you received.
Finally, the Pope urged: “Let’s support the family! Let’s protect him from anything that compromises his beauty. “
And he invited everyone to “approach this mystery of love with wonder, discretion and tenderness. And to commit ourselves to keeping its precious and delicate ties: children, parents, grandparents … We need these ties to live and live well to make humanity more fraternal. “