Posted September 30, 2014

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

16. As Vatican II noted in its discussion of human dignity, many atheists believe that “scientific reasoning alone” can tell us all we need to know about ourselves, without reference to anything beyond the natural world. But Catholics hold that theology is essential for anthropology; in other words, we believe that an understanding of God and his purpose for creation is vital to any complete account of human beings. Catholics believe that God’s revelation of himself in Jesus gives us back to ourselves, revealing the truth of who we are, disclosing that — most essentially — we belong to God. God’s love is basic to our identity, and more fundamental than any anxieties, ambitions, or questions we may have. As Saint John Paul II taught early in his pontificate, “The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly — and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial, and even illusory standards and measures of his being — he must with his unrest, uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ.”

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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.

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