Six years ago, during the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis published a document after a two-year synod process in which bishops from around the world examined ‘The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World’.
The Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia “On Love in the Family” was the fruit of this synod process.
In the year leading up to the Tenth World Meeting of Families, June 2022, the Bishops’ Conference Committee for Marriage and Family Life, part of the Department for Social Justice, reflected on Amoris Laetitia and how family life plays a central role in the life of the Church.
The Committee, chaired by Bishop David Oakley, Lead Bishop for Marriage and Family Life, has produced a document of reflections on the main themes of Amoris Laetitia called ‘The Joy of Love’.
Amoris Laetitia should be read in a contemplative way. It’s a text you receive in your heart – an opportunity to contemplate the mystery of love within marriage and family life and to grow a sense of discipleship. Marriage and family life is a very important vocation in the Church.
Bishop David Oakley
These themes, running like a thread through the Apostolic Exhortation, are: Joy, Love, Mercy, Realities and Discernment, and Mission.
The aim of this new resource is not to provide an exhaustive analysis of Amoris Laetitia but to reflect on these themes in an engaging and constructive way.
The Joy of Love can also be found in our ‘Documents and Publications‘ area.
You can listen to Bishop David Oakley talking about the new reflection document The Joy of Love.
