From: kriz@skat.usc.edu (KRIZ)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Cath. Christianity 101 - JP II's letter "On the Family" - 9 (repost)
Date: 25 Jul 1992 20:00:13 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: skat.usc.edu


The following is a portion of Pope John Paul II's 1981 Apostolic
Exhortation "Familiaris Consortio" (On the Family).  The document
is organized in the following way:

     Introduction.
     Part 1. Bright Spots and Shadows for the Family Today.       
     Part 2. The Plan of God for Marriage and the Family.
     Part 3. The Role of the Christian Family.
          I. Forming a Community of Persons.
          II. Serving Life.
               A. The Transmission of Life.
               B. Education.
          III. Participating in the Development of Society.       
          IV. Sharing in the Life and Mission of the Church.      
(*)  Part 4. Pastoral Care of the Family.
--->      I. Stages of Pastoral Care of the Family.
          II. Structures of Family Pastoral Care.
          III. Agents of the Pastoral Care of the Family.
          IV. Pastoral Care of the Family in Difficult Cases.     
     Conclusion.

Note: (-->) denotes which portion of the document is presented
herein.

In Christ,

Dennis
kriz@skat.usc.edu

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John Paul II's 1981 Apostolic Exhortation "On the Family" - Pt 4I.


                            PART FOUR
                   PASTORAL CARE OF THE FAMILY


I. STAGES OF PASTORAL CARE OF THE FAMILY.
-----------------------------------------

65. The church accompanies the Christian family on its journey
--------------------------------------------------------------
through life.
-------------

  Like every other living reality, the family too is called upon to
develop and grow.  After the preparation of engagement and the
sacramental celebration of marriage, the couple begin their daily
journey toward the progressive actuation of the values and duties
of marriage itself.

  In light of faith and by virtue of hope, the Christian family,
too, shares in communion with the church and in the experience of
the earthly pilgrimage toward full revelation and manifestation of
the kingdom of God.

  Therefore, it must be emphasized once more that the pastoral
intervention of the church in support of the family is a matter of
urgency.  Every effort should be made to strengthen and develop
pastoral care for the family, which should be treated as a real
matter of priority, in the certainty that future evangelization
depends largely on the domestic church [165].

  The church's pastoral concern will not be limited only to the
Christian families closest at hand; it will extend its horizons in
harmony with the heart of Christ and will show itself to be even
more lively for families in general and for those families in
particular which are in difficult or irregular situations.  For all
of them the church will have a word of truth, goodness,
understanding, hope and deep sympathy with their sometimes tragic
difficulties.  To all of them she will offer her disinterested help
so that they can come closer to that model of a family which the
creator intended from "the beginning" and which Christ has renewed
with his redeeming grace.

  The church's pastoral action must be progressive also in the
sense that it must follow the family, accompanying it step by step
in the different stages of its formation and development.


66. Preparation for marriage.
-----------------------------

  More than ever necessary in our times is preparation of young
people for marriage and family life.  In some countries it is still
the families themselves that, according to ancient customs, ensure
the passing on to young people of the values concerning married and
family life, and they do this through a gradual process of
education or initiation.  But the changes that have taken place
within almost all modern societies demand that not only the family
but also society and the church should be involved in the effort of
properly preparing young people for their future responsibilities.

  Many negative phenomena which are today noted with regret in
family life derive from the fact that in the new situations young
people not only lost sight of the correct hierarchy of values but,
since they have no longer certain criteria of behavior, they do not
know how to face and deal with the new difficulties.  But
experience teaches that young people who have been well prepared
for family life generally succeed better than others.

  This is even more applicable to Christian marriage, which
influences the holiness of large numbers of men and women.  The
church must therefore promote better and more intensive programs of
marriage preparation in order to eliminate as far as possible the
difficulties that many married couples find themselves in, and even
more in order to favor positively the establishing and maturing of
successful marriages.

  Marriage preparation has to be seen and put into practice as a
gradual and continuous process.  It includes three main stages:
remote, proximate and immediate preparation.

  Remote preparation begins in early childhood in that wise family
training which leads children to discover themselves as beings
endowed with a rich and complex psychology and with a particular
personality with its own strengths and weaknesses.  It is the
period when esteem for all authentic human values is instilled,
both in interpersonal and in social relationships, with all that
this signifies for the formation of character, for the control and
right use of one's inclinations, for the manner of regarding and
meeting people of the opposite sex, and so on.  Also necessary,
especially for Christians, is solid spiritual and catechetical
formation that will show that marriage is a true vocation and
mission, without excluding the possibility of the total gift of
self to God in the vocation to the priestly or religious life.

  Upon this basis there will subsequently and gradually be built up
the proximate preparation, which -- from a suitable age and with
adequate catechesis, as in a catechumenal process -- involves a
more specific preparation for the sacraments, as it were, a
rediscovery of them.  This renewed catechesis of young people and
others preparing for Christian marriage is absolutely necessary in
order that the sacrament may be celebrated and lived with the right
moral and spiritual dispositions.  The religious formation of young
people should be integrated, at the right moment and in accordance
with the various concrete requirements, with a preparation for life
as a couple.  This preparation will present marriage as an
interpersonal relationship of a man and a woman that has to be
continually developed, and will encourage those concerned to study
the nature of conjugal sexuality and responsible parenthood, with
the essential medical and biological knowledge connected with it. 
It will also acquaint those concerned with correct methods for the
education of children and will assist them in gaining the basic
requisites for well-ordered family life, such as stable work,
sufficient financial resources, sensible administration, notions of
housekeeping.

  Finally, one must not overlook preparation for the family
apostolate, for fraternal solidarity and collaboration with other
families, for active membership in groups, associations, movements
and undertakings set up for the human and Christian benefit of the
family.

  The immediate preparation for the celebration of the sacrament of
matrimony should take place in the months and weeks immediately
preceding the wedding so as to give a new meaning, content, and
form to the so-called premarital inquiry required by canon law. 
This preparation is not only necessary in every case, but is also
more urgently needed for engaged couples that still manifest
shortcomings or difficulties in Christian doctrine and practice.

  Among the elements to be instilled in this journey of faith,
which is similar to the catechumate, there must also be a deeper
knowledge of the mystery of Christ and the church, of the meaning
of grace and of the responsibility of Christian marriage, as well
as preparation for taking an active and conscious part in the rites
of the marriage liturgy.

  The Christian family and the whole of the ecclesial community
should feel involved in the different phases of the preparation for
marriage which have been described only in their broad outlines. 
It is to be hoped that the episcopal conferences, just as they are
concerned with appropriate initiatives to help engaged couples to
be more aware of the seriousness of their choice and also to help
pastors of souls to make sure of the couples' proper dispositions,
so they will also take steps to see that there is issued a
directory for the pastoral care of the family.  In this they should
lay down in the first place, the minimum content, duration and
method of the "preparation courses," balancing the different
aspects -- doctrinal, pedagogical, legal and medical -- concerning
marriage and structuring them in such a way that those preparing
for marriage will not only receive an intellectual training, but
will also feel a desire to enter actively into the ecclesial
community.

  Although one must not underestimate the necessity and obligation
of the immediate preparation for marriage -- which would happen if
dispensations from it were easily given -- nevertheless such
preparation must always be set forth and put into practice in such
a way that omitting it is not an impediment to the celebration of
marriage.


67. The celebration.
--------------------

  Christian marriage normally requires a liturgical celebration
expressing in social and community form the essentially ecclesial
and sacramental nature of the conjugal covenant between baptized
persons.

  Inasmuch as it is a sacramental action of sanctification, the
celebration of marriage -- inserted into the liturgy, which is the
summit of the church's action and the source of her sanctifying
power [166] -- must be per se valid, worthy and fruitful.  This
opens a wide field for pastoral solicitude, in order that the needs
deriving from the nature of the conjugal covenant, elevated into a
sacrament, may be fully met and also in order that the church's
discipline regarding free consent, impediments, the canonical form
and the actual rite of the celebration may be faithfully observed. 
The celebration should be simple and dignified, according to the
norms of the competent authorities of the church.  It is also for
them -- in accordance with concrete circumstances of time and place
and in conformity with the norms issued by the Apostolic See [167]
-- to include in the liturgical celebration such elements proper to
each culture which serve to express more clearly the profound human
and religious significance of the marriage contract, provided that
such elements contain nothing that is not in harmony with Christian
faith and morality.

  Inasmuch as it is a sign, the liturgical celebration should be
conducted in such a way as to constitute, also in its external
reality, a proclamation of the word of God and a profession of
faith on the part of the community of believers.  Pastoral
commitment will be expressed here through the intelligent and
careful preparation of the liturgy of the word and through the
education to faith of those participating in the celebration and in
the first place the couple being married.

  Inasmuch as it is a sacramental action of the church, the
liturgical celebration of marriage should involve the Christian
community, with the full, active and responsible participation of
all those present according to the place and task of each
individual: the bride and bridegroom, the priest, the witnesses,
the relatives, the friends, the other members of the faithful, all
of them members of an assembly that manifests and lives the mystery
of Christ and His church.  For the celebration of Christian
marriage in the sphere of ancestral cultures or traditions, the
principles laid down above should be followed.


68. Celebration of marriage and evangelization of non-believing
---------------------------------------------------------------
baptized persons.
-----------------

  Precisely because in the celebration of the sacrament very
special attention must be devoted to the moral and spiritual
dispositions of those being married, in particular to their faith,
we must here deal with a not infrequent difficulty in which the
pastors of the church can find themselves in the context of our
secularized society.

  In fact, the faith of the person asking the church for marriage
can exist in different degrees, and it is the primary duty of
pastors to bring about a rediscovery of this faith and to nourish
it and bring it to maturity.  But pastors must also understand the
reasons that led the church also to admit the celebration of
marriage those who are imperfectly disposed.

  The sacrament of matrimony has this specific element that
distinguishes it from all the other sacraments: It is the sacrament
of something that was part of the very economy of creation; it is
the very conjugal covenant instituted by the Creator "in the
beginning.:  Therefore the decision of a man and a woman to marry
in accordance with this divine plan, that is to say, the decision
to commit by their irrevocable conjugal consent their whole lives
in indissoluble love and unconditional fidelity, really involves,
even if not in a fully conscious way, an attitude of profound
obedience to the will of God, an attitude which cannot exist
without God's grace.  They have thus already begun what is in a
true and proper sense a journey toward salvation, a journey which
the celebration of the sacrament and the immediate preparation for
it can complement and bring to completion, given the uprightness of
their intention.

  On the other hand it is true that in some places engaged couples
ask to be married in church for motives which are social rather
than genuinely religious.  This is not surprising.  Marriage, in
fact, is not an event that concerns only the persons actually
getting married.  By its very nature it is also a social matter,
committing the couple being married in the eyes of society.  And
its celebration has always been an occasion of rejoicing that
brings together families and friends.  It therefore goes without
saying that social as well as personal motives enter into the
request to be married in church.

  Nevertheless, it must not be forgotten that these engaged couples
by virtue of their baptism are already really sharers in Christ's
marriage covenant with the church, and that, by their right
intention, they have accepted God's plan regarding marriage and
therefore, at least implicitly, consent to what the church intends
to do when she celebrates marriage.  Thus the fact that motives of
a social nature also enter into the request is not enough to
justify refusal on the part of pastors.  Moreover, as the Second
Vatican Council teaches, the sacraments by words and ritual
elements nourish and strengthen faith [168]: that faith toward
which the married couple are already journeying by reason of the
uprightness of their intention, which Christ's grace certainly does
not fail to favor and support.

  As for wishing to lay down further criteria for admission to the
ecclesial celebration of marriage, criteria that would concern the
level of faith of those to be married, this would above all involve
grave risks.  In the first place, the risk of making unfounded and
discriminatory judgements; second, the risk of causing doubts about
the validity of marriages already celebrated, with grave harm to
Christian communities and new and unjustified anxieties to the
consciences of married couples; one would also fall into the danger
of calling into question the sacramental nature of many marriages
of brethren separated from full communion with the Catholic Church,
thus contradicting ecclesial tradition.

  However, when in spite of all efforts couples show that they
reject explicitly and formally what the church intends to do when
the marriage of baptized persons is celebrated, the pastor of souls
cannot admit them to the celebration of marriage.  In spite of his
reluctance to do so, he has the duty to take note of the situation
and to make it clear to those concerned that in these circumstances
it is not the church that is placing an obstacle in the way of the
celebration that they are asking for, but themselves.

  Once more there appears in all its urgency the need for
evangelization and catechesis before and after marriage, effected
by the whole Christian community, so that every man and woman that
gets married celebrates the sacrament of matrimony not only validly
but also fruitfully.


69. Pastoral care after marriage.
---------------------------------

  The pastoral care of the regularly established family signifies,
in practice, the commitment of all the members of the local
ecclesial community to helping the couple to discover and live
their new vocation and mission.  In order that the family may be
ever more a true community of love, it is necessary that all its
members should be helped and trained in their responsibilities as
they face the new problems that arise, in mutual service and in
active sharing in family life.

  This holds true especially for young families, which, finding
themselves in a context of new values and responsibilities, are
more vulnerable, especially in the first years of marriage, to
possible difficulties such as those created by adaptation to life
together or by the birth of children.  Young married couples should
learn to accept willingly and make good use of the discreet,
tactful and generous help offered by other couples that already
have more experience of married and family life.  Thus within the
ecclesial community -- the great family made up of Christian
families -- there will take place a mutual exchange of presence and
help among all the families, each one putting at the service of the
others its own experience of life, as well as the gifts of faith
and grace.  Animated by a true apostolic spirit, this assistance
from family to family will constitute one of the simplest, most
effective and most accessible means for transmitting from one to
another those Christian values which are both the starting point
and goal of all pastoral care.  Thus young families will not limit
themselves merely to receiving, but in their turn, having been
helped in this way, will become a source of enrichment for other
longer established families through their witness of life and
practical contribution.

  In her pastoral care of young families the church must also pay
special attention to helping them to live married love responsibly
in relationship with its demands on communion and service to live. 
She must likewise help them to harmonize the intimacy of home life
with the generous shared work of building up the church and
society.  When children are born and the married couple becomes a
family in the full and specific sense, the church will still remain
close to the parents in order that they may accept their children
and love them as a fit received from the Lord of life and joyfully
accept the task of serving them in their human and Christian
growth.  

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Footnotes:

[165] Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Third General Assembly of
the Bishops of Latin America (Jan. 28, 1979), IV, A: AAS 71 (1979),
204.

[166] Cf. Second Vatican Council, SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM, 10.

[167] Cf. ORDO CELBRANDI MATRIMONIUM, 17.

[168] Cf. Second Vatican Council, SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM, 59.

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