Amoris Laetitia
During this past year, in preparation for the World Meeting of Families in Rome, Pope Francis asked the whole Church to reread and study his Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia: On Love in the Family. The staff of Fully Engaged found Pope Francis' words compelling and uplifting for us, pinpointing so many areas of our lived experiences as married persons, offering to us advise and counsel.
As we studied the document again, we felt Chapter 4: Love in Marriage, was especially rich and thought provoking. We also knew that if our engaged couples would read the catechesis, insights, and wisdom offered, it could explain more to them about the rich teachings of the Church.
While the Facilitator Guide has short quotes from Amoris Laetitia throughout, Chapter 4 is available in PDF form on our Facilitator Resources page of the website under "Church Documents," which can easily be printed out for the couple to read.
Chapter 4 begins with an exegesis of 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7, a very popular reading at weddings, "Love is patient, love is kind..." emphasizing the need for good communication skills, forgiveness, and especially our service to others. This could be assigned as supplemental reading for the couple when discussing the Division of Labor, Communication and Conflict Resolution Sections of the inventory.
The second section of Chapter 4 is "Growing in Conjugal Love," stressing the total self gift we are to each other in the marriage bond, highlighting the joy and beauty of living out the promises made in the marriage vows. Suggested supplemental reading for the Catholic Identity Section.
The third section "Passionate Love," accentuates that our sexuality is a gift from God and "What is morally good or evil is what we do on the basis of, or under the influence of, a given passion." (no. 145) Pope Francis discusses the need for self-mastery and setting limits on our emotions so we can discover "the nuptial meaning of the body and the authentic dignity of the gift." (no. 151) Suggested supplemental reading for the Intimacy Section.
The fourth section is "Transformed in Love" concludes Chapter 4 with a look into the future. Suggested supplemental reading for the Sacrament of Marriage Section.
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