Posted June 15, 2015

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

200. The Church has never been far from the family home. Christ himself was born, raised, and formed “in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary.” Mary, as virgin and as mother, uniquely and beautifully recapitulates both the vocation to celibacy and the vocation to motherhood. In their life together, the Holy Family of Nazareth is an example and intercessor for all families. During his own public ministry, Jesus would frequently visit or stay in the homes of families, especially the family of Saint Peter in Capernaum. Saint Paul, in his greetings, would also acknowledge particular disciples, especially the couple Prisca and Aquila, and the “church at their house.” As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: From the beginning, the core of the Church was often constituted by those who had become believers “together with all [their] household.” When they were converted, they desired that “their whole household” should also be saved. These families who became believers were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world.

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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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