Synod on Pastoral Care of Marriage and the Family. An Overview of both Synods Parish Public Mee9ng March 23 rd 2015

Transcription

1 Synod on Pastoral Care of Marriage and the Family An Overview of both Synods Parish Public Mee9ng March 23 rd 2015

2 Contents Background to Synod Rela2o Sinodi Document Part 1 Rela2o Sinodi Document Part 2 Rela2o Sinodi Document Part 3 Next Steps for our Parish Your Opinion MaDers!

3 Background to Synods 2014 Bishops held Synod on The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the context of Evangelisa8on Pope Francis decided to make public the document which concluded the synod This document is intended to raise ques2ons and indicate points of view that will later be developed and clarified through reflec2on in local churches This document will also form the basis of the 2015 synod to be held in October on The Voca8on and mission of the family in the Church and Contemporary World It is a mader of re- thinking with renewed freshness and enthusiasm, what revela2on, transmided in the Church s faith, tells us about the beauty, the role and dignity of the family.

4 Background to Synods cont d The synod turned its thoughts to all families of the world, each with its joys, difficul2es and hopes. The synod gave thanks to the Lord for the generosity and faithfulness of so many Chris2an families in responding to their voca2on and mission. It also recognised that the family can be a place of loneliness, of shadered dreams and broken plans; a place of abandonment, resigna2on and resentment. Within the family are joys and trials, deep love and rela2onships which, at 2mes, can be wounded. The family is truly the School of Humanity. The family is uniquely important to the church The family needs to be rediscovered as the essen2al agent in the work of evangelisa2on.

5 RELATIO SINODI - Part I: Listening Listening: The Context and Challenges of the Family Intended to address ALL families of the world in their joy, struggles and hopes Effec2ve proclama2on of the Gospel MUST begin with the family Must start from life s periphery and engage in pastoral ac2vity of encounter The Socio- Cultural Context Anthropological and cultural changes in our 2me require an analy2c and diversified approach We have seen Posi2ve changes in rights of women and children (some parts of world) Growing changes in individualism which deforms family bonds (each member as isola2ng unit) 1 There is a growing crisis of faith oden underlies the crisis in marriage & family Symptom of this great poverty is Loneliness arising from the absence of God in person s life Social Cultural reali2es crushing people: unemployment / financial concerns / feelings of abandonment 2 Divorce / blended or recons2tuted family / children born outside of marriage

6 RELATIO SINODI - Part I Listening Cont d The Importance of Affec9vity in Life People feeling a great need to take care of themselves / know themselves beder Can lead to a desire to put greater effort into rela2onship building suppor2ng However, Individualism and living only for one s self can be a real danger Narcissis2c unstable or changeable affec2vity does not lead to maturity 3 Pastoral Challenges We need to offer a word of truth and hope which is based on Man comes from God People need to be accepted in the concrete circumstances of life We need to know how to encourage and support them

7 RELATIO SINODI PART 2: Gospel of Family Looking at Jesus and the Divine Pedagogy in the History of Salva9on We need to pause and contemplate on how God communicates with humanity Reflect on Sacrament of Marriage in God s saving ac2on of crea2on and Chris2an Life All things were made through Christ and for him (Col 1:16) Bap2sm brings believers into the Church via the domes2c church (the family) Jesus reaffirms the indissoluble union between man and woman (MaD 19:8) Union is to be understood as a gid (and not a yoke) Jesus was born into a family and began his public ministry at a wedding feast He also taught us the true meaning of mercy through the Samaritan Woman (Jn 4:1-30) The Family in God's Salvific Plan Jesus teaching to his disciples included teaching on marriage and family Here we dis2nguish 3 basic stages: Adam & Eve, A man leaves his parents..., union wounded by sin Jesus restored marriage and family to its original form (redeemed by Christ Eph 5:21-32) The spousal covenant receives its full meaning in Christ and his Church

8 RELATIO SINODI PART 2: Gospel of Family Cont d The Family in the Church s Documents Throughout the centuries the church has maintained constant teaching on marriage and family The Indissolubility of Marriage and the Joy of Sharing Life Together Mutual self- giving in the sacrament of marriage is grounded in grace of Bap2sm In accep2ng each other the couple promises to a total self- giving and faithfulness Couple recognise marriage as a gid offered to them by God Church looks at married couples as the heart of the en2re family In line with Va2can II the church recognises non- Chris2an natural marriages 1

9 RELATIO SINODI PART 2: Gospel of Family Cont d The Truth and Beauty of the Family and Mercy Towards Wounded and Fragile Families Church looks to families to remain faithful to the teachings of the Gospel It encourages and thanks them for their faithful tes2mony The Holy Family of Nazareth is a wonderful model 1 The Gospel of the Family nourishes those seeds wai2ng to grow and cares for those trees that have withered everyone needs to by the comfort and love of God The church is a sure teacher and caring mother that recognises the marriage bond of the bap2sed as sacramental Any breach of Marriage is against the Will of God. The church is conscious of the weakness of many of her children who are struggling in their journey of faith Consequently (without detrac2ng from ideal) Church needs to accompany with mercy and pa2ence Church needs to consider a pastoral approach to those who are in civil marriage, divorced, re- married or simply living together and in doing so helping to promote the divine pedagogy of grace in their lives A new aspect of family ministry is requiring aden2on today that will enlighten those who have lost their way or who are in the midst of a storm

10 RELATIO SINODI PART 3: Confron9ng the Situa9on: Pastoral Perspec9ves Proclaiming the Gospel of the Family Today in Various Contexts Proclaiming the Gospel of the Family is urgently needed. The Church needs to carry out with tenderness of a mother and clarity of a teacher Evangelising is a shared responsibility of all God s people, our task is to cooperate in the sowing (MaD 13:3) This calls for missionary conversion by everyone in the church beyond mere theory but crea2ng an experience for those concerned based on the deepest expecta2ons of the human person Pastoral work must allow people to be interiorly fashioned through prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture A more posi2ve approach needs to be adopted to the richness of various religious experience (with greater cultural diversity). Chris2an marriage is a voca2on, undertaken with due prepara2on and discernment and not merely to be considered a cultural or social requirement. A thorough renewal is required in the Church s pastoral prac2ce and training of priests, deacons, catechists and other pastoral workers. Evangelisa2on needs to denounce cultural, social and economic factors that prevent authen2c family life.

11 RELATIO SINODI PART 3: Cont d Confron9ng the Situa9on: Pastoral Perspec9ves Guiding Engaged Couples in Their Prepara9on for Marriage Greater effort is needed on the part of the whole community in preparing those who are to be married. Specific training and programmes are needed that create a true experience of par2cipa2on in ecclesial life. Accompanying Married Couples in the Ini9al Years of Marriage The ini2al years of marriage are a vital and sensi2ve period. Pastoral accompaniment needs to beyond the actual celebra2on of the sacrament Experienced couples are of great importance in this regard The importance of family spirituality, prayer and par2cipa2on in the sacraments needs emphasis Pastoral Care of Couples Civilly Married or Living Together A new element in today s pastoral ac2vity is a sensi2vity to the posi2ve aspects of civilly celebrated marriages It was recognised that an increasing number of people are op2ng for cohabita2on Pastoral dialogue is needed to help dis2nguish elements in their lives that can lead to greater openness to the Gospel of Marriage in it s fullness

12 RELATIO SINODI PART 3: Cont d Confron9ng the Situa9on: Pastoral Perspec9ves Caring for Wounded Families (Separated, Divorced and Not Remarried, Divorced and Remarried, Single- Parent Families) Married couples with problems should be able to count on assistance and guidance of the church Pastoral work of charity and mercy seeks to recover and restore rela2onships There is a necessity for courageous pastoral choices and an urgent need to embark on a new pastoral course based on the present reality and weaknesses within the family. Due to complexity of issues at hand, solu2ons need to be considered in a variety of ways All families must be treated with love and respect and accompanied on their journey The church will have to ini2ate everyone in the art of accompaniment Special discernment is indispensible for pastorally guiding those who are separated, divorced or abandoned There is a need to make the procedure of nullity more accessible and less 2me consuming Divorced people, not re- married, ought to be encouraged to find nourishment in the Eucharist to sustain them in their present state of life People who are divorced and re- married require careful discernment and an accompaniment of great respect

13 RELATIO SINODI PART 3: Cont d Confron9ng the Situa9on: Pastoral Perspec9ves Pastoral A]en9on towards Persons with Homosexual Tendencies The synod reiterated that there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions but that men and women of homosexual tendency ought to be received with respect and sensi2vity The Transmission of Life and the Challenge of a Declining Birth Rate The diffusion of a mentality that reduces the genera2on of life is easily observable Openness to life is an intrinsic requirement to married love Pastoral work in this area needs to start with listening to people and acknowledging the beauty and truth of uncondi2onal openness to life There is a need to respect the dignity of the person in morally assessing methods in regula2ng births The adop2on and fostering of children must be recognised as a specific form of family apostolate Upbringing and the Role of the Family in Evangeliza9on One of the most fundamental challenges facing families today is undoubtedly that of raising children The church assumes a valuable role in suppor2ng families

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