In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries MARCH 21, 2021 and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his TERHAD reverence. Although he was a son, he learned PP 8460/11/2012(030939) ISSN: 1394-3294 obedience through what he suffered. And Vol. 28 No. 10 being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY Hebr. 5:7-9 The Family Year begins today ATICAN: Marking the fifth towards the journey of faith by children and the anniversary of the Apostolic loneliness of adults in the face of the education- al challenges that arise as the family grows.” Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, “The timing and methods of pastoral care V need to be rethought today since many families a special Year dedicated to the family was launched on the Solemnity of St live in large cities and must handle work com- mitments of spouses and the school and extra- Joseph. curricular commitments of their children.” Cardinal Kevin J Farrell, Prefect of the Di- For Gambino, monthly videos produced by castery for the Laity, Family and Life, officially the Dicastery on the apostolic exhortation can announced the Year at a press conference held help intensely experience this year. They in- March 18 at the Vatican. clude a statement by the Pope and some testi- Pope Francis had already mentioned it last monies about aspects of Amoris Laetitia. December. The pontiff chose to dedicate the “Today we are going through a vocational year to St Joseph, Card Farrell said, since he emergency, not only vis-à-vis religious life, but was “spouse and father, so loved that he was also marriage. As we have said, choosing mar- chosen by God to look after the Holy Family.” riage is not like choosing a job: it is a vocation. The reason for the year is the desire to refo- This year, more than ever, we are all called to cus on Amoris Laetitia, which was “the result work to boost the family institution, not only in of a long synodal journey”. This is all the more the Church, but also in society.” important since the ongoing pandemic has During the press conference, a couple, Val- harshly affected family life in so many ways, entina and Leonardo Nepi, spoke about their while manifesting “his face as the ‘guardian of experience of maturing the marital vocation life”’ precisely through current problems. and their current experience as parents of a five- The year should be used to renew the pasto- year-old daughter, Ilaria. ral care of families, burdened by many difficul- Both pointed out that “when we were teenag- ties. “Let us think about accompanying couples The Holy Family. (Painting by Eva Campbell) ers, it was important to see young couples and and families in crisis, support those who have dinary pastoral care of parishes and dioceses.” explained. For this reason, it is necessary “to newlyweds freely devoting times to us young been left alone, the poor, broken down families. Professor Gabriella Gambino, undersecre- start from the foundations of faith in order to people, moved by a strong sense of Christian Many families must be helped to discover in tary of the Dicastery, attended the press confer- lead children and young people in the discovery community.” the sufferings of life the place of Christ’s pres- ence. She highlighted the urgent need to “boost of the beauty of a vocation, that of marriage.” For them too, it is urgent that the message ence and his merciful love”. the beauty of the sacrament of marriage and Gambino proposed a method, a form of pas- about married life as a vocation reach young At the same time, families must become the Christian families”, especially among young toral outreach that can be used right-away, one people. “The seeds of this proclamation are in “subject” of pastoral care. “Families are full of people and children. that is not compartmentalised so that faith can fact already laid in youth and it is important that potential and gifts for the whole of society and In our age, “when fragility is so widespread, be shared by children, parents and grandpar- the family outreach and youth pastoral outreach the Church, and therefore must be actively rec- there is a great desire for family, but so much ents. be closely connected.” — AsiaNews ognised and involved as protagonists of the or- fear in the face of the choice of marriage,” she “This could make up for the disenchantment Turn to Page 8 for more Pope Francis invites priests to learn from St Joseph’s fatherhood VATICAN: Pope Francis has invited Catholic college. He also noted that the college’s patron “That community pre-exists him, has its own spect to it in a different position based on the priests to rediscover St. Joseph and learn from saint is St Joseph. So, he said, it seemed apt to history, made up of joys and wounds, of riches concrete needs of the moment: in front to open his fatherhood during the year dedicated to him. reflect on the saint on the eve of his solemnity in and small miseries, which cannot be ignored in the way, in the middle to encourage, back to Speaking to priests and seminarians on Thurs- a year dedicated to him. the name of personal pastoral ideas and plans gather the last ones,” he said. day, the Pope said: “I invite you to rediscover in “We can look to him, as ministers of Christ, that we cannot wait to apply,” Francis cautioned. “A priest is called to this in his relationship a particular way in prayer the figure and mission to draw some ideas relating to the identity of “This is a risk we can fall into. The new parish with the community entrusted to him.” of St Joseph, docile to the will of God, humble the pastor and the way of exercising paternity priest must first love the community, freely, only St. Joseph, the pope continued, safeguarded author of great deeds, obedient and creative towards those entrusted to us,” he said. because he was sent to it,” he advised. “And the fragility of the Child Jesus and his mother, servant.” Francis emphasised the welcoming father- slowly, by loving her, he will know her in depth looking “beyond his duties as a father of a fam- “It will do you good to place yourselves and hood of St Joseph, who set aside his own pro- and will be able to help set her on new paths.” ily and, preferring to believe in God more than your vocations under his mantle and learn from jects to love and welcome Mary and Jesus, “a Being a guardian is also an essential aspect of his own doubts, he offered himself to him as an him the art of fatherhood, which you will soon bride and a son very different from the vision St Joseph’s vocation, Pope Francis said, some- instrument for the realization of a greater plan, be called to exercise in the communities and in of family life that he could have desired but, for thing the foster father of Jesus does “with the in a service rendered in hiding, generous and the ministerial areas and services that will be this reason even more guarded and loved by interior freedom of the good and faithful serv- tireless, until the silent end of his life.” entrusted to you,” he said in a meeting with a him.” ant who desires only the good of the people en- Priests too must know how to dream for their delegation from Rome’s Belgian Pontifical Col- St Joseph can be a good teacher in the spir- trusted to him.” community, he said, and to be ready “to start lege March 18. itual life and discernment, he said, so that we Guarding, for St Joseph and every priest in- from the concrete history of people to promote Pope Francis met with a group of faculty and can learn to welcome what happens in our lives spired by him, means having a tender love for conversion and renewal in a missionary sense, students of the college to mark its 175th anni- without always trying to “grasp” and “possess” those entrusted to them and thinking of their and to make grow a community on the jour- versary. it. good and their happiness first, he said. ney, made up of disciples guided by the Spirit At the beginning of the audience, the Pope He gave the example of when a priest is as- “It is the attitude of the shepherd, who never and ‘compelled’ by the love of God.” — By remarked that St John Paul II had resided at the signed to a new parish. abandons his flock, but places himself with re- Hannah Brockhaus, CNA 2 FORUM / REFLECTION HERALD March 21, 2021 When the love of money corrupts worship in spirit and truth e live in a world where almost every- was his Father’s house, and yet, true worship thing, it seems, has a price. Sunday Observer here had been corrupted and tainted by the love You can almost see dollar or ring- of money. This monetisation of worship was W By git signs hanging over priceless treasures of na- also extracting wealth from pilgrims, many of ture. Our ancient rainforests are clear-felled for Anil Netto them peasants from the countryside whom Je- timber money. Cranes and bulldozers trample sus had largely associated with.