88. The experience of love in families is a perennial source of strength for the life of the Church. "The unitive end of marriage is a constant summons to make this love grow and deepen. Through their union in love, the couple experiences the beauty of fatherhood and motherhood, and shares plans, trials, expectations and concerns; they learn care for one another and mutual forgiveness. In this love, they celebrate their happy moments and support each other in the difficult passages of their life together...The beauty of this mutual, gratuitous gift, the joy which comes from a life that is born and the loving care of all family members - from toddlers to seniors - are just a few of the fruits which make the response to the vocation of the family unique and irreplaceable",103 both for the Church and for society as a whole.
103 Ibid., 49-50.
© LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA.
