Posted February 4, 2015

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

107. Since marriage and celibacy are complementary vocations for adult Catholics, we should raise our young people to see that a romantic partner is not essential for human happiness. If marriage itself takes shape from Jesus’ covenant with us, and if that same covenant makes celibacy a viable alternative as well, then the life of young people who are not married is better understood, not so much in terms of courtship or “dating,” but as a time of discernment and cultivating friendships. The habits and skills of true friendship are basic to either life in marriage or celibate community. The question about vocation which faces adolescents and other young people today needs to involve more than romantic preference. Young people need to acquire certain internal spiritual skills regardless of what their future life holds.

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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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