JUST a little warning before
proceeding with this column.
We have to view issues and problems besetting us always within the
context of hope. No matter how grave our predicaments are, we should
not forget there is always a reason for everything that happens in our
life, good or bad, and that God is always in control.
For those who believe in God and love him, everything will
always work out for the good, ‘omnia in bonum.’ (cfr Rom 8,28) Let’s
remember that we cannot know everything about a certain problem. We
should do all we can to tackle it, but neither should we neglect to
abandon ourselves always in the wise and merciful providence of God.
In short, no need to worry so much and to get stuck at the
level of mere lamenting and complaining. We have to tone down our
voices and restrain ourselves from making wild reproaches and
quarreling. There is hope. There is always some cure, even if
unavoidably we have to go through some cleansing and painful process.
Let’s look more at what solutions we can offer, what
alternatives there can be to give relief to our burdens. More
importantly, let’s try to decipher more distinctly what God is trying
to tell us, for after all he is the one who holds the ultimate key to
things.
What is more needed is to pray and study, perhaps make
consultations, come up with plans and trials, and a lot of patience
and optimism. At the same time, let’s not be unstinting in our efforts
to carry out the proposed resolutions and solutions that have been
duly thought out.
At the moment in Rome, a synod of bishops is going on.
It’s tackling a most delicate issue on marriage and family. The whole
exercise deserves all the prayers and sacrifices we can offer, since
whatever findings and recommendations it will make will certainly have
great and crucial impact on the world and the Church today.
Days before it began on October 5, a group of marriage
experts and marriage advocates wrote an open letter to Pope Francis
and the synod members, tracing the current serious challenges facing
marriage and the family.
It’s good to refer parts of it to give us an idea of how
serious the problem is and what solutions we can expect to tackle it.
We certainly now have a world culture that throws us all into
confusion. Aware of these things, we can at least pray and offer some
sacrifices, so the synod can do its task well.
Here it goes:
"Dramatic increases in cohabitation, divorce, and
nonmarital childbearing in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania over the
last four decades suggest that the institution of marriage is much
less relevant in these parts of the world...In the US...more than half
of births to women under 30 years of age now occur outside marriage.
“Between forty and fifty percent of all first marriages in
the U.S. are projected to end in divorce... While every nation is
unique, studies show that the impact of these trends spans the globe.
A small sampling of such studies: China, Finland, Sweden, Uruguay,
Mexico, Greece, Africa, and East Asian Pacific nations...
“Studies of pornography's impact on relationships suggest
it is a major contributor to the destruction of marriages...”
Though we don’t have available statistics for our country,
we can safely say that we go along these trends.
But like I said, there is always hope. And these experts
are making suggestions. Among them:
- A serious study on the role of pornography in the marriage crisis.
- Educate seminarians to be more adept in marriage and family
issues, and train priests to showcase in their homilies the spiritual
and social value of marriage, contemporary challenges to it, and
parish help for troubled marriages.
- Create networks of strong married couples as mentors at the
parish level, available to give spouses the tools to sustain healthy,
lifelong marriages.
- Educate parishioners on the extraordinary influence they can
have on the marriages of friends and family.
There are still many more. Let’s hope that the synod can come out with
more concrete and doable ideas. It cannot be denied that we are facing
a world that is immersed in all kinds of sophistries to rationalize
some ideas and behaviour that are clearly at odds with our human
nature, let alone, our Christian vocation.
Let’s always remember that marriage and family is vital for the health
of each person, on the one hand, and society in general, on the other.
We have to view issues and problems besetting us always within the
context of hope. No matter how grave our predicaments are, we should
not forget there is always a reason for everything that happens in our
life, good or bad, and that God is always in control.
For those who believe in God and love him, everything will
always work out for the good, ‘omnia in bonum.’ (cfr Rom 8,28) Let’s
remember that we cannot know everything about a certain problem. We
should do all we can to tackle it, but neither should we neglect to
abandon ourselves always in the wise and merciful providence of God.
In short, no need to worry so much and to get stuck at the
level of mere lamenting and complaining. We have to tone down our
voices and restrain ourselves from making wild reproaches and
quarreling. There is hope. There is always some cure, even if
unavoidably we have to go through some cleansing and painful process.
Let’s look more at what solutions we can offer, what
alternatives there can be to give relief to our burdens. More
importantly, let’s try to decipher more distinctly what God is trying
to tell us, for after all he is the one who holds the ultimate key to
things.
What is more needed is to pray and study, perhaps make
consultations, come up with plans and trials, and a lot of patience
and optimism. At the same time, let’s not be unstinting in our efforts
to carry out the proposed resolutions and solutions that have been
duly thought out.
At the moment in Rome, a synod of bishops is going on.
It’s tackling a most delicate issue on marriage and family. The whole
exercise deserves all the prayers and sacrifices we can offer, since
whatever findings and recommendations it will make will certainly have
great and crucial impact on the world and the Church today.
Days before it began on October 5, a group of marriage
experts and marriage advocates wrote an open letter to Pope Francis
and the synod members, tracing the current serious challenges facing
marriage and the family.
It’s good to refer parts of it to give us an idea of how
serious the problem is and what solutions we can expect to tackle it.
We certainly now have a world culture that throws us all into
confusion. Aware of these things, we can at least pray and offer some
sacrifices, so the synod can do its task well.
Here it goes:
"Dramatic increases in cohabitation, divorce, and
nonmarital childbearing in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania over the
last four decades suggest that the institution of marriage is much
less relevant in these parts of the world...In the US...more than half
of births to women under 30 years of age now occur outside marriage.
“Between forty and fifty percent of all first marriages in
the U.S. are projected to end in divorce... While every nation is
unique, studies show that the impact of these trends spans the globe.
A small sampling of such studies: China, Finland, Sweden, Uruguay,
Mexico, Greece, Africa, and East Asian Pacific nations...
“Studies of pornography's impact on relationships suggest
it is a major contributor to the destruction of marriages...”
Though we don’t have available statistics for our country,
we can safely say that we go along these trends.
But like I said, there is always hope. And these experts
are making suggestions. Among them:
- A serious study on the role of pornography in the marriage crisis.
- Educate seminarians to be more adept in marriage and family
issues, and train priests to showcase in their homilies the spiritual
and social value of marriage, contemporary challenges to it, and
parish help for troubled marriages.
- Create networks of strong married couples as mentors at the
parish level, available to give spouses the tools to sustain healthy,
lifelong marriages.
- Educate parishioners on the extraordinary influence they can
have on the marriages of friends and family.
There are still many more. Let’s hope that the synod can come out with
more concrete and doable ideas. It cannot be denied that we are facing
a world that is immersed in all kinds of sophistries to rationalize
some ideas and behaviour that are clearly at odds with our human
nature, let alone, our Christian vocation.
Let’s always remember that marriage and family is vital for the health
of each person, on the one hand, and society in general, on the other.
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