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It has received praise as well as criticism from different sectors of the Church and society. Amoris Laetitia (Latin: The Joy of Love), is Pope Francis’ post-synodal exhortation on love in the family which was released last April 8, 2016. Dated 19 March 2016, on the Feast of St. Joseph, it follows the Synods on the Family held in 2014 and 2015. In this issue, we feature 10 take-aways from the document, including what Pope Francis has to say about contentious issues and challenges faced by families today. We also share about the Marriage Educators Conference held in Auckland last May, as well as the life of our featured saint of mercy, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. We are delighted to begin a regular column for Grandparents and bring you news of the official announcement of the IX World Meeting of Families! Read on and enjoy this issue of the Magnificat and share it with your family and friends.

10 Take-aways from Pope Francis’ document on Love in the Family (including what he has to say about hot button issues confronting families today)

1) Marriage Amoris Laetitia affirms Church teaching that marriage is

between a man and a woman, who have committed

themselves to one another in permanent fidelity,

expressing their mutual love and openness to children,

and abiding as a sacrament of Christ’s love for his Church

(52, 71). He states that society requires families based on

"a stable commitment that bears fruit in new life”:

“As a social institution, marriage protects and shapes a shared commitment to deeper growth

in love and commitment to one another, for the good of society as a whole. That is why

marriage is more than a fleeting fashion; it is of enduring importance. Its essence derives

from our human nature and social character. It involves a series of obligations born of love

itself, a love so serious and generous that it is ready to face any risk.” (par. 52)

The Magnificat

Quarterly Newsletter of the Centre for Marriage and Family (CMF) April-June 2016 ISSUE

“His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.” (Lk. 1:46-47)

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2) The Preciousness of Life

Amoris Laetitia upholds the necessity of protecting human life from beginning to its natural end. On Abortion, Pope Francis felt it urgently to state that “if the family is the sanctuary of life, the place where life is

conceived and cared for, it is a horrendous contradiction when it becomes a place where life is rejected and destroyed. So great is the value of a human life, and so inalienable the right to life of an innocent child growing in its mother's womb, that no alleged right to one's own body can justify a decision to terminate that life, which is an end in itself and which can never be considered the 'property' of another human being.” (par. 83)

3) Contraception

Children are a gift. The love of married couples is expressed in their total giving of themselves to each other which includes being open to life. "From the outset, love refuses every impulse to close in on itself; it is open to a fruitfulness that draws it beyond itself. Hence no genital act of husband and wife can refuse this meaning, even when for various reasons it may not always in fact beget a new life." (par. 80)

4) Same sex attraction

People with same sex attraction must be given respect based on their human dignity. They should also be given the support they need to fulfil God’s will for their lives.

"...we discussed the situation of families whose members include

persons who experience same-sex attraction, a situation not easy either for parents or for children. We would like before all else to reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration, while 'every sign of unjust discrimination' is to be carefully avoided, particularly any form of aggression and violence. Such families should be given respectful pastoral guidance, so that those who manifest a homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to understand and fully carry out God's will in their lives." (par. 250)

5) Gender roles

Man and woman are equally important and complement each other. The reciprocity of this dance between masculine and feminine can be seen, particularly in the roles of father and mother.

"There can be a certain flexibility of roles and responsibilities [of a mother and a father], depending on the concrete circumstances of each particular family. But the clear and well-defined presence of both figures, female and male, creates the environment best suited to the growth of the child." (par.175)

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6) Gender ideology

God created humans male and female (Genesis 1:27; 5:2). For Pope Francis,

“It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life, and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality. Let us not fall into the sin of trying to replace the Creator. We are creatures, and not omnipotent. Creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift." (par. 56)

7) Love in Marriage Pope Francis gives a beautiful and detailed reflection on St. Paul’s

passage on love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. For Pope Francis, the kind

of love that must be at the heart of a couple’s relationship is not

primarily a feeling (94), but rather a commitment of the will “to be

patient, to bear with one another, to put away envy and rivalry,

ceaselessly to hope.”

8) Pastoral Care for wounded families

The Church is a field hospital designed to care precisely for the wounded (292), for those “failing fully to integrate all of the dimensions of what the Church means by matrimony”. As a field hospital, Pope Francis traces out the path the Church is to follow in 3 words, which has mercy as its guiding principle: Accompany, Discern and Integrate. The Church is fully committed to staying close to all its members, to accompanying them throughout all of life, in all

circumstances; and it is committed to their full integration into the Christian life. The role of discernment is to discover, wherever they are, the “signs of love that reflect in some way the love of God” (294) in order to “integrate all” (297) into the Body of Christ.

9) Looking to Jesus

Jesus is the key to understanding what marriage and family is all about. The Gospels clearly present the example of Jesus who… proclaimed the meaning of marriage as the fullness of revelation that restores God’s original plan (cf. Mt 19:3)”.1“Jesus, who reconciled all things in himself, restored marriage and the family to their original form (cf. Mt 10:1-12). Marriage and the family have been redeemed by Christ (cf. Eph 5:21-32) and restored in the image of the Holy Trinity,

the mystery from which all true love flows. The spousal covenant, originating in creation and revealed in the history of salvation, takes on its full meaning in Christ and his Church. Through his Church, Christ bestows on marriage and the family the grace necessary to bear witness to the love of God and to live the life of communion. The Gospel of the family spans the history of the world, from the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:26-27), to the fulfilment of the mystery of the covenant in Christ at the end of time with the marriage of the Lamb (cf. Rev 19:9)”.

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10)Mission of the Family

Christian families are called to be missionary families going forth from their homes in a spirit of solidarity with others. “Christian families should never forget that “faith does not remove us from the world, but draws 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”.

Marriage Conference in Auckland By: Patricia Sison

Over 100 marriage educators from different dioceses in New Zealand converged in Auckland from May 20-22 to attend “The Art of Marriage: Crafting Marriages for Life, which also served as the theme for this year’s conference organized by the Catholic Network of Marriage Educators (CNME).

Patricia with Catholic Marriage Educators Millie and Jojie Ocampo, and Fr. Simon from Christchurch

Hosted by the Auckland diocese, the conference began with a Report by Cardinal John Dew on the Synods on the Family in 2014 and 2015, which were called by Pope Francis to discuss the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the context of Evangelization, and the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world respectively. In his report, Cardinal John Dew also shed light on the post-synodal exhortation of Pope Francis following the 2 synods on the Family, Amoris Laetitia, or The Joy of Love.

Cultural Night w/ Monsignor Bernard Kiely , Therese and Simon Roughan Among the various workshops in the conference were talks by keynote speakers Aaron Ironside, popular host of the Drive Show for Rhema Media who spoke about the Psychology of Forgiveness. The delightful husband and wife tandem of Scott and Jennie Milne gave practical tips on the Dynamics of Presenting as a Couple.

The Conference ended on a high note with the celebration of Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. In the homily, Bishop Patrick Dunn spoke about a Change of an Era in which the Mainstream Culture in Western countries are disconnected from Gospel “like the shifting of tectonic plates”. It is in this religious terrain in which we are called to image “God’s presence in the world and to share the gift of matrimony. Together with the beautiful singing led by Grace Ministries, the Eucharist on this special day devoted to the Holy Trinity (in whose image the family is made) served as a fitting end to this conference on marriage and the family.

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Featured Saint of Mercy

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina By: Diana Mascarenhas

Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, Italy is a well-known Saint of our times. He was born on 25 May 1887 and died on 23 September 1968 leaving for us a model of holiness and love for God which he best expressed during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the many long hours he would sit at the confessional. Padre Pio celebrating Mass with the stigmata in his hands

At the tender age of five, he dedicated himself to God and at the age of fifteen, he entered the Capuchin monastery in Morcone, Italy. He was ordained a priest at twenty three and ever since, he radiated the love of God which he shared in all humility and reverence despite tremendous challenges in his poor physical condition. On 20 September1918, while praying before the crucifix, Padre Pio received the wounds of Christ on his hands, feet and side, thus becoming the first stigmatized priest in the history of the church. Padre Pio possessed many spiritual gifts and charisms that included the gift of prophecy, gift of conversion, bilocation and healing. He tirelessly worked for the Lord almost nineteen hours a day. He continuously offered his physical sufferings to God as a sacrifice for the conversion of souls. Through his life of austerity, prayer and humility he won thousands of souls to Christ and continues to attract men and women today to San Giovanni Rotondo, the monastery where he spent all his life. He had said “My real mission will begin after my death" From this great Saint who glorified God in his life and in death, we learn the meaning of sacrifice, humility and service to the poor. In this extraordinary Year of mercy, let us endeavor to follow the precepts he followed and become true disciples of Christ and co-workers with Him in the field which is ripe and ready for harvest.

Grandparents By: Ewen and Gillian Laurenson

What a joy it is to be a grandparent. What a joy it is to see our grandchildren responding to the love of family, of teachers, of coaches, of friends and growing into fine young people displaying a range of abilities and skills. What a joy it is for us grandparents to contribute to the love that surrounds our grandchildren and to build our own special relationship with them. What a richness our grandchildren bring into our lives. Ewen and Gillian with their five grandchildren This year a group of grandparents have been meeting once a month to celebrate and to nurture the special relationship we have with our grandchildren. As a group of grandparents meeting together we are in the preliminary stages of forming a Grandparent Association under the banner of the Centre for Marriage and Family. At our meetings we share about our families and ourselves and then come together in prayer. Through our prayer we uphold our children and grandchildren, and other wider family members as well, seeking God’s grace and favour on their relationships and all that is happening for them. A wonderful role that we have as grandparents is to pray for our grandchildren with a special desire that each one of them will grow up with Jesus as their Saviour and Friend. In doing this we

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realise the unique responsibility we have to reflect Jesus to our grandchildren through our prayers and our love so that they see and experience Jesus in us. The vision of the Grandparents Association is to ensure our grandchildren embrace the flame of faith. It is a beautiful vision for grandparents to hold to their hearts.

IX World Meeting of Families The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World

It’s official! The IX World Meeting of Families will be held, in Dublin, from 22 to 26 August 2018. The official announcement was made by the Archbishop of the Ireland’s capital, H.E. Msgr Diarmuid Martin and the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, H.E. Msgr Vincenzo Paglia during a press conference at the Vatican, on Tuesday, May 24. The theme chosen by Pope Francis is: "The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World." This title is programmatic indicating that the Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, will guide the preparation for the IX World Meeting of Families.

We are moving! From July 16, 2016, the Centre for Marriage and Family’s new postal

address will be at 31 Bassett Road, Johnsonville, Wellington 6037.

Join Mary’s Song! Together, let us proclaim the mercies of God for families!

Would you like to make a difference and leave a legacy for families and future generations of New Zealanders? Join our ministry of mercy to families by joining Mary’s Song. Members of Mary’s Song pray regularly and make monthly contributions to the CMF to further its work for marriage and the family. No matter how small, your prayers and regular giving will go a long way to advance the work of the CMF for New Zealand families. To join, please fill in the form below and email to info@marriageandfamily.org.nz.

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