Amoris Laetitia! This is the new name of the recently published, Post-Synodal, Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis. That was a mouthful! 🙂 Amoris Laetitia (AL) translates as the…Joy of Love which focuses on “love in the family.” You may remember that Joy of Love, the name of this concluding document, came about initially through a meeting by the bishops, also known as a synod, that took place over the past two years. The main topics that are dealt with in AL are marriage and family, two strong pillars of society, both of which are critical issues in our time. Marriage and family are realities in our world that have recently been wounded and are in need of healing through Jesus, the Divine Physician. If we would only turn to Him. These wounds range anywhere from divorce to the attempt to redefine marriage. But marriage and family are also a source of hope, joy, and love always rooted in Christ.
While Joy of Love covers 325 points in 256 pages over the span of nine chapters, it is not an easy read that one can just comb over in one evening over a cup of coffee. Having read only a few small parts of the document myself, it’s going to take some time, and a lot of it, along with further reflection and prayer. Below is a chronology of the chapters:
Chapter 1 – In The Light of the Word
Chapter 2 – The Experiences and Challenges of Families
Chapter 3 – Looking to Jesus: The Vocation of The Family
Chapter 4 – Love in Marriage
Chapter 5 – Love Made Fruitful
Chapter 6 – Some Pastoral Perspectives
Chapter 7 – Towards A Better Education of Children
Chapter 8 – Accompanying, Discerning, and Integrating Weakness
Chapter 9 – The Spirituality of Marriage and The Family
Wisdom, mercy, and compassion can be gleaned from reading some of our Holy Father’s insights. It would be quite helpful to follow up the reading of the exhortation with a parish-group discussion aided by prayer and our response to it. One specific topic I would like to highlight in this lengthy but inspired document is the “pro-life” aspect. Without life, one of the basic building blocks of society, a couple cannot get married and have a family, and without God’s incredible and powerful design for marriage, a married couple cannot beget life, all three (life, marriage and family) of which, are the necessary ingredients for a healthy, thriving society. Pope Francis makes two, key, pro-life points on the topics of abortion, adoption, euthanasia and the death penalty that I would like to bring to your attention.
First he says, “…The choice of adoption or foster parenting can also express that fruitfulness which is a characteristic of married life. With special gratitude the Church supports families who accept, raise and surround with affection children with various disabilities” (#82).
In addition, he states: “…If the family is the place where life is conceived and cared for, it is a horrendous contradiction when it becomes a place where life is rejected and destroyed. So great is the value of a human life, and so inalienable the right to life of an innocent child growing in the mother’s womb, that no alleged right to one’s own body can justify a decision to terminate that life, which is an end in itself and which can never be considered the ‘property’ of another human being. The family protects human life in all its stages, including its last. Consequently, those who work in healthcare facilities are reminded of the moral duty of conscientious objection. Similarly, the Church not only feels the urgency to assert the right to a natural death, without aggressive treatment and euthanasia, but likewise firmly rejects the death penalty” (# 83).
(Conscientious objection means that a person, who for reasons of conscience objects to serving, for example, in the armed forces. Specific examples would be 19 year-old, Nazi soldier, Otto Shimek, a Catholic, who was executed for refusing to kill Polish peasants in World War II, or Blessed Franz Jagerstatter, a Catholic, Austrian soldier, who refused to fight for Hitler, and was also executed in WWII by the Nazis. Source: Pax Christi).
While affirming life issues, are there are any issues to be raised with AL? Some legitimate questions have been brought forth to the document. Canon lawyer, Dr. Edward Peters for example, whom I was blessed to have as a Latin and canon law professor at Sacred Heart Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, responded to a few points in the document. See his article, “First thoughts on the English version of Pope Francis’ Amoris laetitia” in his Canon Law Blog. Dr. Peters responded to the issue of “same-sex marriage” and also commented on the issue of Holy Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics. To read AL, go to the Vatican website. To buy the document in book-form, go to the U.S. Bishops website. Currently, it is out of stock. But check back again periodically. In the joy and love of this Easter season, may we always respect, hold dear, and lift up the dignity given to us by God in the great gifts of marriage, family, and human life. Amen.
In Jesus, Our Risen Life!
Fr. Jeff
"Speak The Truth with Love," A Catholic Blog by Fr. Jeff Allan 