{"id":714,"date":"2017-01-10T09:14:01","date_gmt":"2017-01-10T09:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/equipes.nelsoncardeira.com\/?p=714"},"modified":"2017-01-10T09:14:01","modified_gmt":"2017-01-10T09:14:01","slug":"something-new-in-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equipes-notre-dame.com\/en\/something-new-in-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Something New in 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

A monthly commentary on \u201cThe Joy of Love\u201d by Father Jacinto Farias<\/h2>\n

With the publication of Amoris Laetitia, the synod effort undertaken by Pope Francis has reached a decisive stage.\u00a0 But the journey is not over and we must continue upon this path and remain concerned with the evangelisation and support of families.\u00a0 It is in this spirit that Father Jacinto Farias has chosen to guide us each month in order to help us to accurately discern the scope of this text.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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THE JOY OF THE CHURCH<\/h3>\n

Pope Fran\u00e7ois published two documents, The Joy of the Gospel (2013) and The Joy of Love (2016), that contain a programmatic value and are both calls for joy.\u00a0 In truth, we can say that both are on the same subject, because if the Gospel is a source of joy, human and Christian love is true only if it is lived in the light of the Gospel, that is the story of God\u2019s love revealed in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 It is a love that is totally committed and gave itself up to die of love, \u201c\u2026having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.\u201d (Jn 13:1)<\/p>\n

I am now going to start a series of meditations on Amoris laetitia, The Joy of Love.\u00a0 It is going to be a simple contribution to help couples enter in to the spirit with which the Holy Father wrote this exhortation.\u00a0 The document echoes and represents the recommendations formulated during the two synods of bishops on pastoral challenges for families in the context of the new evangelisation that took place in Rome in October 2014 and 2015.\u00a0 The Pope\u2019s concern is to stimulate and help families \u201cin their daily commitments and challenges\u201d (Amoris laetitia, 4), and for the document to be a guide \u201cin building sound and fruitful homes in accordance with God\u2019s plans.\u201d( Amoris laetitia, 6)<\/p>\n

We can forget neither the beauty nor the grandeur of Christian families who live the joy of love in the midst of ordeals and difficulties that the path of love entails. We all know that the most beautiful thing in life is to feel welcome, respected and valued and to be able to respond in a similar way.\u00a0 We can never highlight enough the classic definition of friendship, which is to want the other person\u2019s good for what they are and not for what they can give us.\u00a0 This friendship is the cause for joy in families as well as in the Church.\u00a0 As Pope Francis put is so well, \u201cfamilies are not a problem; they are first and foremost an opportunity.\u201d (Amoris laetitia, 7) The future of the Church, and therefore of humanity, depends on the fact that \u201call will feel called to love and cherish family life.\u201d (Amoris laetitia, 7)<\/p>\n

Pope Francis invites us to have \u201cmercy and discernment when faced with situations that fall short of what the Lord demands of us.\u201d (Amoris laetitia, 6) In my opinion, this means that firstly, we are all invited to examine our consciences in order to see if we live according to what the Lord demands of us and secondly, we ought to do our utmost to find the means and help in the areas of human relations and of grace to reconcile our lives and our lifestyles with God\u2019s thinking.\u00a0 It is not a matter of adapting God\u2019s will to our will, but, on the contrary, acting like the Virgin Mary, who replied the following to the angel, \u201cLet it be done to me according to your word.\u201d (Lk 1:38)<\/p>\n

Father Jos\u00e9 Jacinto Ferreira de Farias, scj<\/em><\/strong><\/b>
\nSpiritual Counsellor to the International Leading Team<\/em><\/p>\n

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