Motto: "The Joy of the Family"

CCEE - SECAM Seminar (Mozambique, 2015)

Theme: Summary of the challenges of the 2014 Synod and prospects for the 2015Synod

Introduction

My intervention begins from the "Relatio Synodi," the Final Report of the 3rd Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which was held in the Vatican on October 5-19,2014, on the theme : "The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization." This final report was presented by the Vatican, on December 9, 2014, as a preparatory document ("Lineamenta") to the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme: "The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in contemporary world"that will take place in the Vatican on October 4-25 this year. I believe that this document fits well the theme that I was assigned to serve as an introduction to this seminar on "The Joy of the Family" - "Summary of the challenges of the 2014 Synod and prospects for the 2015 Synod."

The purpose of the extraordinary Synod in 2014 was to make a radiography of the family and describe its reality in the Church and in society today, by discovering the pastoral challenges that the reality of the family raiseto evangelization.

The Relatio Synodi said that the only "nuptial bond" in the Roman Catholic Church is the sacrament of Marriage and that "any breach of it is against the will of God." The Synod has assumed the need to "discern the paths to renew the Church and society as a commitment towards the family based on marriage," seen as an "indissoluble union between a man and a woman." Participants argued that "the great values ​​of marriage and the Christian family" are the answer to the yearnings of human existence in contrast to "individualism" and "hedonism."

The recipients of the Synodal works were all the families in the world, in their wishto participate in its joys, difficulties, and hopes; the many Christian families, faithful to their vocation, to whom the Synod addressed a special gaze of acknowledgement, encouraging them to commit themselves more decisively in this time of the "outgoing Church," returning to see themselves as essential protagonists of evangelization, mainly to feed for themselves and for the families in need, this "desire for the family" that is always alive and which is the very basis of the conviction of the need to "start afresh from the family" to effectively proclaim the core of the Gospel (cfr. Introduction nn. 1-4).

Challenges of the 2014Synod

The challenges of the 2014 Synod can mainly be found in the first part of the Relatio Synodi (nn. 5-11): listening to the sociocultural context (the challenges that the cultural contradictions raise to the family - nn. 5-8); the relevance of affective life (nn. 9-10); activities aimed at awaken the presence of God in family life; activities designed to educate and build strong interpersonal relationships; activities which are likely to foster social and economic policies that can help the family; activities aimed at alleviating the difficulties in attention to children, the elderly, and sick relatives; activities intendedat addressing the more specific cultural context in which the local Church is committed.

These are the anthropological, social, and ecclesial challenges for the family which become the pastoral challenges that will be discussed in the course of this seminar. The main challenge is the capacity tolisten to and discern(positive and negative aspects) the cultural anthropological changes in progress and to identify the common elements in cultural pluralism. How can we help and strengthen the believing families, which are faithful to the bond? How can we make our Church presence be felt on the side of the families in extreme situations (see nr. 8) and what educational strategies can we implement to prevent them? What pastoral activity of the Church in reaction to the spread of cultural relativism in our secularized society, where many people reject the model of family made up of a man and woman joined in a marriage bond, and open to procreation?

Indeed, the winds of modernity are very strong and the families, even Christian families, are increasingly destabilized, and the living practise of the Gospel is shy. Hence, the weak commitment of Christian spouses in the family ministry and in a concrete defense of the values of Christian marriage, in promoting the Gospel of life and the family in opposition to an immediate-oriented, materialistic mindsetthat relativizes many of the essentials of living the faith.

The "Desire for the Family" sown by the Creator into the heart of each person, and especially in young people, even those living in family situations not corresponding to the Christian vision, is declining rapidly, urging many to move away gradually from ecclesial communion. Here the challenge for family ministry follows the lines of action of predisposing to raise and enhance the "desire for the family" in those who have taken a distance. How do they respond to the mission that is addressed to them?

Among the non-baptized, how strong is the presence of natural marriages, including in relation to the desire for the familyin young people? To what extent are the diocesan pastoral care policies able to appreciate this wisdom of the peoples as the foundation for the culture and the common society? (cfr. nr. 22)

It is acrisis of social and moral values ​​that assails the human community today in terms of challenges before which the Church cannot remain helpless, norunprepared or without concrete proposals for their solution. In this sense, the crisis that invests the family at various levels of action is an ongoing challenge for the evangelization of culture and the inculturation of the Gospel.

Before the cultural crisis of unexpected proportions in which we live, a special effort is needed to inculturate the message of Jesus so that Christian values ​​can transform the various cultural clusters, purifying them, if necessary, and consenting to the consolidation of a Christian culture which is expected to renew, extend, and unify past and present historical values ​​in order to respond adequately to the challenges of our time.

Prospects for the 2015 Synod

The 2nd Part of the Relatio Synodi, which deals more specifically with the Gospel of the family, directs our gaze on Christ and the divine pedagogy in the history of salvation so that we can return to the source of Christian experience, rediscover the saving plan of God, according to the teaching of Sacred Scripture and the Church, in the pastoral action in favour of the families, the values of marriage and the family ​​to be put into practice in the life of young people and spouses, helping them to appreciate the greatness and the beauty of the gift of indissolubility, in order to arouse the desire to live it up together and build more and more (cfr. nn. 12-22).

A great challenge is the relationship between the doctrine and mercy. Jesus "put into practice the doctrine he taught, thus manifesting the true meaning of mercy," and "the greatest mercy is telling the truth in love" (cfr. nn.23-28).

Numbers 23 through 28 of the Relatio Synodideal with the "truth and beauty of the family," and mercy to the wounded and fragile families. The maternal gaze of the Churchcannot be limited to consider the beauty of successful marriages and strong families, and enjoy the generous witness of those who remained faithful to the bond, although they have been abandoned by their spouse, but it must also be directed to Catholics who live only by the civil bond, to those still living together, and those who, after a valid marriage, have divorced and remarried in the civil form.

Reflection on civil marriages, divorced and re-married persons in the Church leaves a message of "love" towards the "sinful person" and says the latter participates "in an incomplete form" in the lifeof the Church : "We must welcome and accompany these people with patience and gentleness." So we need to make "courageous pastoral choices" in the action of the Churchwith the "wounded families," in particular with those who "lived unjustly" their separation and divorce.

Thus, in terms of perspectives, the Synod of this year should help to understand that no one is excluded from God's mercy, and express this truth in the pastoral activity of the Church for the benefit of the families, particularly the wounded and fragile ones.

The reflections of the Fathers shall seek to help the faithful in relation to people who have not yet reached a full understanding of the gift of love of Christ, by showing an attitude of acceptance and trustful confidence, without ever giving up the proclamation of the demands of the Gospel (cfr. nr. 24 of the Relatio).

Along the same lines, the Synod will seek to answer this relevant question: what can be done so that, in the various forms of union - where one can find human values ​​- the man and the woman feel the respect, trust, and encouragement by the Church to grow in goodness, and are helped to achieve the fullness of Christian marriage? (cfr. nr. 25)

Being aware of the obvious limitations and imperfections which can be foundin suchvery different situations, the Synodal Fathers shall very likely take the perspective indicated by Pope Francis, in accordance to which, "without detracting from the evangelical ideal, they need to accompany with mercy and patience the eventual stages of personal growth as these progressively occur"(Evangelii gaudium 44).

The pastoral perspectives are concentrated in the 3rd Part of the Relatio Synodi, to which the 2015 Synod should respond, being guided by the pastoral turning that the Extraordinary Synod began to outline, rooted in the Second Vatican Council and the magisterium of Pope Francis,and thus turning the Extraordinary Synod into the starting point for the way forward in the joyful proclamation of the Gospel of the family.

In the light of the need for families as well as the numerous and complexchallenges, raised by our world, the Synod stressed the importance of a renewed commitment to a frank and meaningful proclamation of the Gospel of the family today, in the various contexts (nn. 29-38); in the path of preparation for marriage (nn. 39-40); in accompanying the first years of married life (n. 40); in the pastoral care of those who live in civil marriage or cohabitation (nn. 41-43); in the care of wounded families (separated, divorceesnot remarried, remarried divorcees, single parents) (nn. 44-54); in the pastoral care of people with homosexual orientation (nn. 55-56); in the transmission of life and the challenge of birth rate decrease (nn. 57-59); and in the challenge of education and the family's role in evangelization (nn. 60-61).

All this presupposes a careful formation of priests and other agents in the field of family ministry through an involvement of the same families, helping each family to be a true "domestic church", promoting awareness of their missionary commitment, thus making them subjects and objects of evangelization at the service of God's Kingdom.

We think of a Synod that gathers and translates into pastoral guidelines the contributions made by local Churches, with the involvement of all its members at various levels, in response to the Lineamenta. This seminar also aims to be a modest but valuable contribution to the synodal discussion on "The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world." This is our wish.

Thank you.

+ Gabriel Mbilingi, CSSp

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