Posted December 17, 2014

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

72. As with any vocational question, the question of whether and when to have children is not something to decide simply according to self-focused human criteria. There are real and legitimate human “physical, economic, psychological, and social conditions” which husbands and wives should consider in their discernment. But, in the end, the question of becoming parents rests on the same rationale as sacramental marriage itself: love in the shape of service, sacrifice, trust, and openness to God’s generosity. Catholic marriage is premised on the sacraments and the support of Christian community, and so, when Catholic spouses consider becoming Catholic parents, they continue in this same spiritual and community context.

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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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