Posted October 15, 2014

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

27. This marital imagery begins in the Old Testament. Here we learn that God loves us intimately, with tenderness and longing. “The Prophets, particularly Hosea and Ezekiel, described God’s passion for his people using boldly erotic images.” In Hosea, God promises to “allure” Israel, speaking “tenderly to her,” until she will “respond as in the days of her youth” and call me “my husband.” (Hos 2:14-16) In Ezekiel, God speaks to Israel in sensuous imagery: “I spread the edge of my cloak over you, and covered your nakedness; I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water … and anointed you with oil…. You grew exceptionally beautiful, fit to be a queen.” (Ezek 16:8-13, NRSV) We find similar language in Isaiah,  Jeremiah, and the Psalms. The Song of Songs has also sparked centuries of sermons using marriage to explain the intensity of God’s love for his people.

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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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