This weekend is the 50th anniversary of that Synod, and at the request of Pope Francis, Bishops from around the world will meet with the Holy Father to discuss an issue, deeply important to the Church: the pastoral care and promotion of marriage and families.
Oftentimes, after meeting with the Bishops, the Pope will issue what is called a post-synodal apostolic exhortation. In which he offers, as Pope, a teaching on the issues discussed at the synod.
The last time a Synod of Bishops discussed marriage and family was back in 1980, at the request of Pope John Paul II. And afterwards he issued a post-synodal apostolic exhortation called, Familiaris Consortio, in which the Father discussed the role of the Christian Family in the Modern World, and how the Church is at the service of the Family.
“The family in the modern world”, wrote Pope John Paul, “as much as and perhaps more than any other institution, has been beset by the many profound and rapid changes that have affected society and culture. Many families are living this situation in fidelity to those values that constitute the foundation of the institution of the family. Others have become uncertain and bewildered over their role or even doubtful and almost unaware of the ultimate meaning and truth of conjugal and family life.”
In other words, there are those who are trying to be faithful to Jesus’ teaching, there are those who are confused about what it means to be faithful, and there are those who have no idea that there is anything they are called to be faithful to.
So, what is going on in Rome, this week, this Synod on the Family, is for you, for us: to help families, amidst all the chaos and error of our time, to live the Christian Vocation of Marriage in fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, why do we need a synod? To strengthen the faithful, to clarify for the confused, and to evangelize the unbeliever.
The Scripture readings this weekend are some of the biblical foundations for our understanding of Christian Marriage and Family. If we are to understand and be faithful to God’s plan for marriage, the Biblical Data cannot be ignored. Many in our culture will call the Bible an outdated ancient document filled with error about science and anthropology. But this is not the attitude of the Christian. It is through Scripture that God has chosen to communicate his Holy Will to us. Faithfulness to God means faithfulness to his Word.
So, what does it mean, when we read, as have this weekend, from the book of Genesis, that man and woman were created “for each other”? A man and woman joined together as one are the basis of all mankind. This union is willed by God, the author of creation, for the continuation of the human race. We cannot continue if families are not faithful to the call to procreate: to be fruitful and multiply.
This beautiful passage, from the very beginning of the bible, is also the basis for the Church’s prohibition of contraception, which obstructs the total self-giving which is at the heart of marriage.
Notice, in the Gospel, when Jesus is asked about divorce, which Moses had allowed, calls us back to the original plan of creation: that man and woman, joined by God, cannot be separated. “What God has joined together, no human being must separate”. That line is spoken by the priest immediately following the exchange of vows at the wedding ceremony.
In fact, these beautiful readings are often chosen by couples preparing for marriage as the readings for their wedding ceremony. Because they express the couple’s desire to be faithful to God’s plan, which they know is their only hope, for a healthy, happy, holy marriage. This desire to be faithful is to be the desire of every believer.
So, we will not see, at the synod, any change to Church doctrine, because it is not up to the Church to change what God has established, but merely to communicate God’s order in terms the modern world will understand.
The Holy Father, Pope Francis, composed a beautiful prayer for the Synod in which he evokes the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, as the model for families. The Holy Family, despite tremendous difficulties, the threat murder, becoming refugees in Egypt, extreme poverty, is an example to all of us, what it means to make our families places of prayer and places of faith.
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust. Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. Holy Family of Nazareth, may the approaching Synod of Bishops make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God's plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer.”
Notice the Holy Father uses the phrase “domestic church”. That is a phrase coming out of the Second Vatican Council. The Domestic Church refers to the activity of the Church in the family home. If someone asks me, “Father, what does it mean to be a Catholic?” The idea of domestic church means, I should be able to point to families in the parish, and say, go and live with them for a week, that’s what it means. See how they pray together, how they are patient with one another, see their generosity towards one another, how they forgive one another when they have wronged, how they encourage each other in times of difficulty, care for each other in illness, how the Christian faith permeates their lives.
In order for God’s word to permeate your family life, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, must be at the center of your family life. The domestic church can only be built up when Jesus is included in everything: in chores and vacations and business decisions and civic responsibilities. We must not practice spiritual contraception by keeping Christ and his teachings out of any part of our lives.
May God bless all families, helping them to live in fidelity their call to be domestic Church. And may God bless those gathering for the synod of the family in Rome, that, they will assist all families to be faithful to their great and noble calling, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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