Denver Catholic

2 MAY 14-27, 2016 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Prairie Mountain Publishing, LLC in Boulder. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3230 or denvercatholic@ archden.org. ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org. CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org. Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila PHOTO OF THE WEEK ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE MAY 15: Mass and Confi rmation, Cathedral Basilica (12:30 p.m., 4 p.m.) MAY 16: Mass for Child and Youth Protection Conference, Denver Marriott Tech Center (8 a.m.) Mass and Confi rmation, St. Elizabeth of Hungary (9 a.m.) MAY 19: Mass with seminarians and faculty, Redemptoris Mater Seminary (5:30 p.m.) @ArchbishopDen May 8 #MothersDay - Let us lift up our hearts in gratitude to God for our mothers living and deceased. #Jesus Bless all mothers! Amen! +sja happening in marital law around the world. At the root of these changes, in the assessment of the Synod Fathers and the Pope, is an individual- istic culture that promotes self-cen- teredness and a lack of generosity or self-sacrifi ce for others. This results in an experience that I hear of often. The Synod Fathers described it as "loneli- ness, arising from the absence of God in a person's life and the fragility of rela- tionships" (AL, 43). Today's self-centered, "me fi rst" ori- entation breaks o' relationships as soon as they seem burdensome or no longer useful. This worldview, in turn, encour- ages relativistic attitudes that wound relationships, especially marriage and family life – the most fundamental com- ponent of society. Relativism convinces people that perhaps nothing is univer- sally true. The Holy Father sees this belief as giving momentum to several destructive forces, including the "legal deconstruction of the family," the failure to help the vulnerable, and the unequal treatment of women (cf. AL 47, 53, 54). Once he has o' ered this cultural analysis, Pope Francis spends chapter three presenting the Church's teaching on marriage, drawing on the teachings of his predecessors. In chapter four, the Holy Father gives families everywhere a Bible study on 1 Cor 13, St. Paul's famous refl ection on love. As many others have said, this refl ection is beautiful and contains insights that can deepen the faith life of every member of the family. I encourage every married couple to prayerfully read the fourth chapter together. Over the next three chapters, the Pope delves further into the role of love in the family. In chapter fi ve he refl ects on the gift of children. In chapter six he o' ers ways to improve preparation for engaged couples, support marriages in their early years, and how to accom- pany the divorced and single parents. In chapter seven he addresses the need to provide children with an education rooted in our Catholic faith and to form their hearts so they can live moral and ethical lives in Christ. All parents should read this chapter with great care. Chapter eight has generated the most discussion among theologians, on blogs, and in the media. Scholars and the faithful have been analyzing this chapter on helping those who have experienced divorce or other tragedies in their marriages, and they have come up with widely di' ering interpretations. This outcome points to a weakness in this chapter, namely, a lack of precision in its language that people could use to wrongly justify sinful behavior. However, it would be a mistake to read this chapter as a break with the Church's teaching, equating the Pope's compassionate spirit with a license to ignore the truth. The way to interpret it correctly is in continuity with previous magisterial teaching, especially Vatican II and Pope St. John Paul II's "Famil- iaris Consortio." Seen in this context, Chapter eight o' ers an explanation of one possible way to accompany people on their journey from the slavery of sin to the freedom of God's children. The Holy Father fi rst speaks about consciences, saying that they need to be formed, not replaced (cf. AL, 37). In light of this principle, pastors should present the truth about marriage in a loving and transformative way, beginning with an introduction to the saving love of Christ, rather than laying out norms. This type of encounter begins the right kind of pastoral dialogue and creates an open- ness in people to the Gospel of marriage in its fullness (cf. AL 293, 297). Pope Francis also speaks about the importance of moral truths not being "merely an ideal to be achieved in the future" (FC, 34; cf. AL 295, 300). He clearly states that, "if someone fl aunts an objective sin… [s]uch a person needs to listen once more to the Gospel mes- sage and its call to conversion" (AL, 297). The discernment that accompa- nies the weak "can never prescind from the Gospel's demands of truth and char- ity, as proposed by the Church" (AL, 300; emphasis added). One example of where these princi- ples are used is the case of divorced and remarried couples. It is possible that a person has objectively committed a sin but is not guilty of it, given their lack of awareness of Church teaching and other mitigating factors. I have found this myself in working with divorced and remarried people and young people who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ, the Gospel, or why the Church teaches what she does. I have known young people who have shared with me their experience of one priest telling them some behavior was per- fectly fi ne, while another priest called their actions sinful. Pope Francis reminds bishops and priests that it is important in these situations for them to take a pastoral approach, beginning with where the person is coming from and leading them to the truth in the way that Jesus did with the Samaritan woman. Only in that face to face conversation, with patience, love, mercy and truth will the heart and conscience be awakened to embrace the truth in charity, to hear the voice of God. Few priests or bishops would argue against such a pastoral approach to these diŠ cult situations. At the same time, a priest or bishop can never condone sin, for as the Lord tells us, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments (Jn. 14:15)." Fur- thermore, the proper formation of con- science must always be guided by Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catho- lic Church, and testing the voice heard against the voice of God given in reve- lation and the teaching of the Church. Scholars will surely debate the meaning of aspects of this exhorta- tion, and rightly so. But as that debate occurs, I urge you to imitate St. Teresa of Avila, who said: "Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing away: God never changes." The world is in desperate need of beautiful, uplifting witnesses of faithful marriage. I see this being lived by young couples today who have been formed by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, a love for the Gospel and the teachings of the Church, and an open heart to the sacramental life of the Church, most especially the Eucharist and Reconcili- ation, which sustain their married love. The relentless search for new and dif- ferent relationships is a sign of the real hunger people have for the communion of Trinitarian love for which they were created. This can only be totally satisfi ed by an authentic, total gift of self to Christ and in sacramental marriage that is open to the fruit of children. May the outpour- ing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and a renewed commitment by the Church to bring Christ's love and truth to families bring about the fulfi llment of this desire. « Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila helps prepare food for Vivianna Cordova during a Mother's Day dinner at the Archdiocese of Denver. Mothers and children helped through Catholic Charities' Father Ed Judy House attended the dinner May 8. PHOTO BY NISSA LAPOINT/THE ALLIANCE

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