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.
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 united and familial nature of the Church as the family of God.
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
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 society, it is particularly urgent to 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.
Amoris laetitia is the second post-synodal apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis, signed on March 19, 2016 and made public on April 8 of the same year.
This is why Pope Francis has launched this initiative, which aims to reach out to all the families of the world through different proposals. It arises from the experience of the pandemic. It has highlighted the central role of the Christian family as a domestic Church and the importance of community bonds 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.".
This feast "presents us with the ideal of conjugal and family love, as underlined in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia" (Amoris laetitia).
"Christian family life is a vocation and a path to holiness, an expression of the 'most beautiful face of the Church' (Gaudete et exsultate 9)."
The Pope recalls the importance of making peace in the family. On the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis invites us to follow the model of the family of Nazareth and gives some advice for a healthy family environment:"if you argue, make peace the same day, the cold war the next day is very dangerous".
The Pontiff has recommended a series of actions so that the family can experience a sincere communion and live deeply this year Amoris Laetitia
In this way, Francisco pointed out, "the family se abre a la alegría que Dios da a todos aquellos que saben dar con alegría"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".
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