Saturday, January 28, 2017

Amoris Laetitia - Par. 181


181.  We also do well to remember that procreation and adoption are not the only ways of experiencing the fruitfulness of love.  Even large families are called to make their mark on society, finding other expressions of fruitfulness that in some way prolong the love that sustains them.  Christian families should never forget that "faith does not remove us from the world, but draw us more deeply into it...  Each of us, in fact, has a special role in preparing for the coming of God's kingdom in our world".203  Families should not see themselves as a refuge from society, but instead go forth from their homes in a spirit of solidarity with others.  In this way, they become a hub for integrating persons into society and a point of contact between the public and private spheres.  Married couples should have a clear awareness of their social obligations.  With this, their affection does not diminish but is flooded with new light.  As the poet says:

"Your hands are my caress,
The harmony that fills my days.
I love you because your hands
Work for justice.

If I love you, it is because you are
My love, my companion and my all,
And on the street, side by side,
We are so much more than just two".204

203 Address at the Meeting with Families in Manila (16 January 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 178.
204 Mario Benedetti, "Tus manos so mi caricia / mis acordes contidianos / tequiero porque tus manos / trabajan pr las justicia.  / / Si te quiero es porque sos / mi amor mi cómplice y todo / y en la calle codo a codo / somos mucho más que dos.



© LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA.