The recent post-synod apostle exhoration Amoris Laetitia, “On love in the family”, is not extraneous to social issues.  The family is the domestic institution formed by the union of a man and a woman, according to natural law.  Pope Francis highlights that parents must educate on liberty (n.265), for excess of it is the epicenter of social corruption.

Young people prefers to defer their final decision: a form of lack of institutional interest regarding family is perceived.  Coupled with this, not few think that the Church has made systematic catechization a priority, above the education of conscience.  Much has been said about the activity in parishes, schools, apostleship, etc., but many of us have learned to obey precepts, rather than to discern and to respond freely to life.

Personal interest constantly prevails over the interests of a possible couple or over those of one’s children.  As an alternative to this crisis, the Holy Father exhorts the State to create conditions to guarantee the future of youth and help them materialize their project of forming a family.  Also, it is mentioned that in the Gospel, when the crowd questioned “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Simon?  Are not his sisters here with us?” (Mark 6, 2-3), we see a family embodied in daily life, recognized by their neighbors and not one enclosed in a «bubble» (n.181).

Regarding the question of sacramental communion for divorced persons who have married again, the Pope is clear and he does not make big changes. «Their participation may be expressed in various ecclesiastic services […].  It’s not just that they must not feel they are excommunicated, but they may also live as active Church members» (n.299); or, as he said in Chiapas, «we are in communion with our weak brother, the sick, the needy, the prisoner».  In other words, we are instilled with the presence of God when we assist the most unprotected.

The Pope proposes a family atmosphere with abundant signs such as tenderness and listening, a place where everyone discovers that others are not his, because they have a much higher owner, their one and only Lord, only this way we will recognize Christ in others (nn.314-324).  He exhorts all Christians to listen to their conscience and avoid ideologies that are against Church and man, so that family continues to be the salt of earth, because «no one can think that weakening the family as a natural society, founded on marriage, is in favor of society » (n.52).  This is Pope Francis’ invitation: to come back to the basis.

By: José Noé Cárdenas Zamarripa, seminarian, Theology second year

An article published with the authorization of IMDOSOC           

http://www.imdosoc.org/web/amoris-laetitia-del-papa-francisco-una-lectura-desde-la-dsi/