"We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us…" –St. John Paul II
Here you will find Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (Joy of Love). This edited version has been cropped so the text is bigger and the index/table of contents has been moved to the front.
How can our families be like the Holy Family? They are so perfect, and they follow God so closely, but yet they are profoundly human. We hear in today’s Gospel how they not only lost Jesus, but they weren’t able to fully understand him. In our families, how many times have we lost Jesus for a time? How often do we not understand what he is saying or doing? The Holy Family is a human family. They faced challenges, misunderstandings, and made mistakes. Not sinful mistakes, but human ones. In their humanity, they remained faithful to God and to one another. In their humanity, they remained fruitful, open to bringing forth divine and human life into the world. Like the Holy Family, our own families need to be at the service of humanity through faithful and fruitful love.