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

181. The Church’s basis in Christ means that sin in the Church, even sin in her ordained ministers, cannot invalidate the identity of the Church or her holiness, because the identity of the Church does not come from any of us. It comes from Christ. In the Old Testament, the people of God, Israel, were defined by their covenant with God, and no amount of sin on their part could invalidate that “chosenness” or the identity it gave them as the people of God. Wherever they went, God did not abandon them. Whoever encountered them always encountered the people of God, no matter how sinful any of the members of the people may have been.

***

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.