JOY OF FAMILIES AND CHURCH

The JOY OF LOVE experienced by families is also the joy of the Church. (1)

"LOVE AND CHERISH"

It is my hope ... all will feel called to love and cherish family life, for "families are not a problem; they are first and foremost and opportunity." (Address to Meeting of Families, 9/24/15) (7)

"A COMMUNION OF LOVE"

The triune God is a communion of love, and the family is its living reflection. (11)

"A COMMUNION OF PERSONS"

The word of God tells us that the family is entrusted to a man, a woman, and their children, so that they may become a communion of persons in the image of the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (29)

THE MYSTERY OF THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

The mystery of the Christian family can be fully understood only in the light of the Father's infinite love revealed in Christ, Who gave Himself up for our sake and Who continues to dwell in our midst. (59)

"REDEEMED BY CHRIST"

Marriage and the family have been redeemed by Christ ... and restored in the image of the Holy Trinity, the mystery from which all true love flows... 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. (63)

SIGN OF CHRIST'S LOVE

Christian marriage is a sign of how much Christ loved His Church in the covenant sealed on the cross, yet it also makes that love present in the communion of the spouses. (73)

SOURCE OF STRENGTH

The experience of love in families is a perennial source of strength for the life of the Church. .. 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 ... (88)

(Source: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, issued March 19, 2016)