The Christian Family: concept and importance.

The Amoris Laetitia Family Year

The Church celebrates 5 years since the publication of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia on the beauty and joy of family love. On the same day, Pope Francis will inaugurate the "Amoris Laetitia" Year of the Family, which will end on June 26, 2022, on the occasion of the 10th World Meeting of Families. in Rome with the Holy Father.

The first Christian family

Both the great human familyand each of the families that were to compose it, is one of the natural instruments willed by God to cooperate in his creative mission.

God's will to count on the family in his saving plan will be confirmed with the fulfillment of the divine plan. When Jesus is born, in Nazareth, of Mary, by the work of the Holy Spirit. And God provides for his Son a family, with an adoptive father, Joseph, and with Mary, the virginal Mother. The Lord wanted that, also in this, the way in which He wishes to see His children born and grow up, the human beings, be reflected: within a family.

"What does the simple and admirable life of the Holy Family teach us?" To this question suggested by St. Josemaría, we can answer with words from the Catechism, pointing out that the Christian family, in the image of the family of Jesus, is also a domestic church. because it manifests the family and union nature of the Church as God's family.

The family of Nazareth is the model family in which all the families of the world can find their solid point of reference. and a strong inspiration says Pope Francis

The importance of the Christian family

Every family has a sacred entityand deserves the veneration and solicitude of its members, of civil society and of the Church. Both by its natural and supernatural mission, by its origin, by its nature and by its end, the dignity of the Christian family is great.

The home must be the first and principal school where children learn and live the human and Christian virtues. The good example of parents, siblings and other components of each Christian family is reflected in the configuration of the social relationships that each of the members of that family establishes. The family reality establishes rights and duties.

At the time of the life of the companyis especially urgent re-instilling a sense of Christianityor in the heart of so many homes. The task is not a simple one, but it is an exciting one. To contribute to this immense task, which is identified with that of giving a Christian tone to society, each one of us must begin by "sweeping" our own house.

The "Amoris Laetitia" Year of the Family

This is why this initiative of Pope Francis, which aims to reach out to all the families of the world through different proposals, has arisen. It arises from the experience of the pandemic. It highlighted the central role of the Christian family as a domestic Church and the importance of community ties between families, which make the Church a "family of families". AL 87.

Bishops' Conferences, Dioceses, Parishes, Ecclesial Movements, Family Associations, but especially Christian families from all over the world are invited to participate and are the protagonists with new proposals.

The Pope also recalled that, in imitation of the Holy Family, "we are called to rediscover the educational value of the family nucleus, which must be based on love that always regenerates relationships, opening horizons of hope.".

An opportunity to deepen Amoris laetitia and its content

This feast "presents us with the ideal of conjugal and family love, as underlined in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia" (Amoris laetitia).

Amoris Laetitia summary

1. "To make you experience that the Gospel of the family is joy that fills the heart and the whole of life" (AL 200). A family that discovers and experiences the joy of having a gift and being in turn a gift for the Church and society, "can become a light in the darkness of the world" (AL 66). And today's world needs this light!
2. Announce that the sacrament of marriage is a gift and has in itself a transforming force of human love. For this, it is necessary that pastors and families walk together in a pastoral co-responsibility and complementarity among the different vocations in the Church (cf. AL 203).
3. To make families the protagonists of the family ministry. This requires "an evangelizing and catechetical effort aimed at the family" (AL 200), since a Christian family also becomes a missionary family.
4. Raising awareness among young people of the importance of formation in the truth of love and self-giving, with initiatives dedicated to them.
5. Broadening the vision and action of family pastoral care to become transversal, to include spouses, children, young people, the elderly and situations of family fragility.

"Christian family life is a vocation and a path to holinessan expression of the 'most beautiful face of the Church' (Gaudete et exsultate 9)".

Recommendation for living as a Catholic family

The Pontiff has recommended a series of actions so that the family can experience a sincere communion and live deeply this year Amoris Laetitia

• Maintain "deep and pure affections"
• To prevail "forgiveness over discord"Never end the day without making amends
• May "the daily hardness of life be softened by mutual tenderness and by serene adherence to the will of God".

In this way, Francisco pointed out, "the family is open to the joy that God gives to all those who know how to give with joy."But she also "finds the spiritual energy to open herself to the outside world, to others, to the service of her brothers and sisters, to collaboration in the construction of an ever new and better world; capable, therefore, of being the bearer of positive stimuli; evangelizing by the example of her life".

Likewise, he re-stated the three words that must always prevail in a family: permission, thanks and apology. "Permission not to be invasive in the lives of others", then thanks, thanks for the many helps and services we do in the family, thanks always, but gratitude is the blood of the noble soul" and then "the most difficult to pronounce: apology". Because as the Pope said: "we always do ugly things and someone can feel offended".