Walking together
The year “Amoris Laetitia Family” is launched! Already, on the dedicated website (link below), videos are published; they are short and beautifully illustrated with family photos from all over the world and the Pope welcoming them with a smile !
In Video 1 « Walking together », we go on a trip to Asia and discover a couple, Michael and Hun CHING, accompanied by their two children, who testify how the Church has helped them to grow in faith.
At the same time, from his office, the Pope tells us about Amoris Laetitia: “Today we will begin a 10-month journey undertaken together to talk about the beauty of being a family. Everyone is called to lovingly care for the life of the family, because families are never a problem, they are always a gift and, in terms of the future, they are an opportunity”.
Booklet No. 1
Along with Video n1 (about 3 minutes) is accompanied by a downloadable booklet – Guide n1- , in which the text of Amoris Laetitia is illustrated by the testimony of the couple and family photos in their daily life. Then, Guide n1 proposes a method for pastoral care for the family: with first an invitation to reflect, followed by a time of “family dynamic”, and a proposal for action in your parish or community. The proposal ends with a short prayer.
Four themes are proposed to start the journey:
- A missionary conversion to build an alliance among families
- To recognize the gifts of marriage and the family
- The family: a sign of mercy and nearness
- To care for every family
Then we are invited to read specific parts of Amoris Laetitia:
- Amoris Laetitia nn. 1-7.
- Amoris Laetitia, nn. 31-57 The experiences and challenges of families
Family Prayer
Finally, the Family Prayer is given:
“Family Love: Vocation and Path to Holiness”
Heavenly Father, We come before You to praise You and to thank You for the great gift of the family. We pray to You for all families consecrated by the Sacrament of Matrimony. May they rediscover each day the graces they have received, and as small domestic churches, may they know how to witness to Your presence and to the love with which Christ loves the Church. We pray to You for all families faced with difficulty and suffering caused by illness or circumstances of which only You know. Sustain them and make them aware of the path to holiness upon which You call them, so that they might experience Your infinite mercy and find new ways to grow in love. We pray to You for children and young people. May they encounter You and respond joyfully to the vocation You have in mind for them. We pray for their parents and grandparents. May they be aware that they are signs of the fatherhood and motherhood of God in caring for the children who, in body and spirit, You entrust to them, as well as in the experience of fraternity that the family can give to the world. Lord, grant that each family might live their specific vocation to holiness in the Church as a call to become missionary disciples, in the service of life and peace, in communion with our priests, religious, and all vocations in the Church. Bless the World Meeting of Families in Rome. Amen.
(Prayer for the X World Meeting of Families. ROME, 22-26 June 2022)
To go further:
Vatican website dedicated to the Year Amoris Laetitia Family
Resources in different languages: