Posted November 28, 2014

See the daily excerpt from the preparatory catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”

59. In response to the range of possible worries and fears, the Church offers Jesus, the sacraments, and the support of her own members in mutual fellowship, confident that for all its challenges the Christian way of loving is possible and will reveal our true selves. The Church promises her sons and daughters that marriage is a sacrament, that the bond and practice of Catholic marriage makes sustaining grace real, present, and efficacious. In response to our fears and anxieties, the Church insists that to promise love in the manner of the covenant is not a hypothetical for mythical saints who are perfect, but a real and possible commitment for actual sinners who are on the way. As Pope Francis puts it: “The Sacrament of Marriage … takes place in the simplicity and also the fragility of the human condition. We know the many trials and difficulties that the lives of a married couple encounter…. The important thing is to keep alive the link with God, which is the basis of the marital bond.”

***

In its introduction, the document says its aim is to present “Catholic teaching in a way that is fresh, insightful, and accessible to contemporary Catholics and all people of good will.” The catechesis “offers a narrative beginning with our creation, soberly noting our fall and the challenges we face, but emphasizing God’s plan for our salvation. Love is our mission, and it is by loving God and one another that we will be fully alive.”

Each day in CatholicPhilly.com’s World Meeting of Families section you can reflect on the official Catholic teaching on the family presented in the catechesis, pray a special prayer together as a family or individually, and stay on top of breaking news about the events coming Sept. 22-27, 2015.

Order the catechesis for your home via Our Sunday Visitor, and visit WorldMeeting2015.org for more information on the events.

Sign up for our newsletter so you won’t miss any development about the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.