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London Jesuit Centre
Introductory session: Tuesday 20 September 2022 19:00 - 19:30
The Catholic Church’s teaching on the family holds up a high ideal of family life and describes it as a path of holiness. But many people experience brokenness and difficulties in family life, and may feel far from the ideal. In this course we will be exploring Church teaching on family life, using Pope Francis’ letter to all Christians Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love 2016). We will have the opportunity to reflect on and share our own experience, and explore how it can relate to Church teaching in hopeful and helpful ways.
Week 1: Exploring the ideal: scripture and family life
In this session, we will explore the Church’s teaching on family life through the lens of scripture. What do the scriptures have to say about human love and relationships?
Week 2: Exploring our reality
In this session, we will look at the reality of family life today, including some of its challenges as they are described in The Joy of Love. We will also have the opportunity to share our own experience.
Week 3: Life in Fruitfulness: relating the ideal and the real
The ideals of Church teaching are mean to encourage rather than exclude. So how can we find fruitful ways of relating the Church’s high ideal to our experience of reality?
Week 4: Discerning our strengths
In this session we will explore the theme of discernment in The Joy of Love: how we can reflect on the ways that God’s grace is already working in our current situation, and also discover how God is inviting us to grow.
Week 5: Living with brokenness
How can we accompany and support people who are experiencing challenges or difficulties in family life, or who feel marginalised in the Church? And how can the experience of those in family life and loving relationships inform and shape the Church of the future?
This course runs over five weeks. Each week there is a recorded presentation that you can listen to whenever suits you. This presentation is intended to introduce the topic for the week and provide some orientation to the assigned reading. Each week there is assigned reading and questions for reflection and research. Each week concludes with a live online seminar or in person led by the course tutor.
You need to log on to Zoom using the link provided just before 7.00pm (London time). Seminars will last about an hour.
To benefit fully from the seminars you need to have watched the video presentation, done the assigned reading, and spent some time working at the questions for reflection. The seminar discussion will be based around the questions for reflection.
Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia(2016): Amoris laetitia: Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on love in the family (19 March 2016) | Francis (vatican.va)
Video Presentation
Reading
Amoris Letitia 8-30 (focus on sections 8-10, 12-14, 18-23, 28-30) and 89 - 163 (focus on sections 90 - 119, 120 - 121, 123, 125, 127, 131, 133).
Entry level: Thomas Reese SJ, Study Guide for Amoris Laetitia: Study guide for 'Amoris Laetitia' | National Catholic Reporter (ncronline.org)
Intermediate level: Gerald O'Collins SJ, The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia): The Papal Exhortation in Its Context in Theological Studies. Vol. 772016), 905 - 921.
Advanced level: Synod of Bishops, The Preparatory document (2013) Preparatory Document: Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization, III Extraordinary General Assembly, 5 November 2013 (vatican.va)
Readings
In this session, we will look at the reality of family life today, including some of its challenges as they are described in The Joy of Love. We will also have the opportunity to share our own experience.
Video presentation
Reading
Amoris Laetitia 31-57 (focus on sections 50-57) and 199-258 (focus on sections 231-252).
Entry level: Raphael Gallagher CSsR, Theology and the art of being Pastoral: An Interpretation of recent papal Exhortations in The pastoral Review, Volume 13(2017), Issue 1, 10-14.
Intermediate level: Michael Lawler and Todd Salzam, Catholic Doctrine on Divorce and Remarriage: A Practical Theological Examination in Theological Studies, Vol.78 (2017), 326-347.
Advanced Level: Synod of Bishops, Relatio Synodi (2014). Relatio Synodi - "Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization" (18 October 2014) (vatican.va)
Questions for reflection
The ideals of Church teaching are meant to encourage rather than exclude. So how can we find fruitful ways of relating the Church's high ideal to our experience of reality?
Video presentation
Reading
Amoris Laetitia 165- 198 (focus on sections 172, 182-183, 187) and 259-290 (focus on sections 263-267, 271-273, 280-286).
Entry level: Nicholas Austin SJ, Francis: The discerning Pope in Thinking faith (9 March 2018). Francis: the discerning pope | Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in Britain
Intermediate level: James Keenan SJ, Redeeming Conscience in Theological Studies, 2015, Vol. 76, 129-147.
Advance level: Synod of Bishops, The Final Report (2015) The Final Report of the Synod of Bishops to the Holy Father, Pope Francis (vatican.va)
Questions for reflection
In this session we will explore the theme of discernment in The Joy of Love: how we can reflect on the ways that God’s grace is already working in our current situation, and also discover how God is inviting us to grow.
Video presentation
Reading
Amoris Laetitia 291-300
Entry level: James McManus CSsR, Pope Francis and the Internal Forum Solution in The Pastoral Review, Volume 15 (2019 )Issue 1, p.10-17
Intermediate level: Todd Salzman and Michael Lawler, Questio Disputata. Catholic Sexual Ethics: Complementarity and Truly Human in Theological Studies, Vol.67 (2006), p.625-652
Advanced level: Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, Reception of Holy Communion by Divorced Catholics (1994)
Questions for reflection
How can we accompany and support people who are experiencing challenges or difficulties in family life, or who feel marginalised in the Church? And how can the experience of those in family life and loving relationships inform and shape the Church of the future?
Video presentation
Reading
Amoris Laetitia 301-312
Entry level: Raphael Gallagher, The Reception of Amoris Laetitia in The Pastoral Review, Volume 12 (2016) Issue 4, p.4-9.
Intermediate level: James Keenan SJ, Receiving Amoris Laetitia in Theological Studies, Vol. 77 (2017), p.193-212
Advanced level: Mariusz Biliniewicz, Amoris Laetitia and the Spirit of Vatican II: The Source of Controversy (Routledge London 2018) p.27-49
Questions for reflection
Fr. Ladislav Šulik SJ STL MA studied philosophy and theology in Slovakia and at the Gregorian University, Rome. He was ordained in 2010 and is Chaplain at the London Jesuit Centre. His particular academic interest is in the central Christian belief of the Trinity. His pastoral ministry has led him to work in spirituality, retreat giving, spiritual accompaniment at various Jesuit retreat houses and Spirituality centres.
