Tuesday, June 28, 2016

The lion roars—who will not be afraid!

John, Chapter 7, verse 13:

¹³ Still, no one spoke openly about him because they were afraid of the Jews.

The people were divided over Jesus and he was either loved or hated. Even today you must decide to follow Christ or follow the world for there is no middle ground.

Amoris Lætitia[1] Looking to Jesus: The Vocation of the Family- Seeds of the Word and imperfect situations (76-79)

The Gospel of the family also nourishes seeds that are still waiting to grow, and serves as the basis for caring for those plants that are wilting and must not be neglected. Thus, building on the gift of Christ in the sacrament, married couples may be led patiently further on in order to achieve a deeper grasp and a fuller integration of this mystery in their lives.

 Natural marriage, therefore, is fully understood in the light of its fulfillment in the sacrament of Matrimony: only in contemplating Christ does a person come to know the deepest truth about human relationships. It is particularly helpful to understand in a Christocentric key… the good of the spouses (bonum coniugum)”, which includes unity, openness to life, fidelity, indissolubility and, within Christian marriage, mutual support on the path towards complete friendship with the Lord. We can readily say that anyone who wants to bring into this world a family and teaches children to be excited by every gesture aimed at overcoming evil – a family which shows that the Spirit is alive and at work – will encounter our gratitude and our appreciation; whatever the people, whatever the religion or region to which they belong!

 Seeing things with the eyes of Christ inspires the Church’s pastoral care for the faithful who are living together, or are only married civilly, or are divorced and remarried. Following this divine pedagogy, the Church turns with love to those who participate in her life in an imperfect manner: she seeks the grace of conversion for them; she encourages them to do good, to take loving care of each other and to serve the community in which they live and work; when a couple in an irregular union attains a noteworthy stability through a public bond – and is characterized by deep affection, responsibility towards the children and the ability to overcome trials – this can be seen as an opportunity for Christ to enter into their lives, where possible, to lead them to celebrate the sacrament of Matrimony.

 “When faced with difficult situations and wounded families, it is always necessary to recall this general principle: ‘Pastors must know that, for the sake of truth, they are obliged to exercise careful discernment of situations’ (Familiaris Consortio, 84). The degree of responsibility is not equal in all cases and factors may exist which limit the ability to make a decision. Therefore, while clearly stating the Church’s teaching, pastors are to avoid judgments that do not take into account the complexity of various situations, and they are to be attentive, by necessity, to how people experience and endure distress because of their condition. We must remember the tenderness of Christ.

Today runner Terry Fox died in 1981.

---

[1] Pope Francis, Encyclical on Love.