Family education

As everyone knows, an important purpose of the prayer of the domestic church is to serve as the natural introduction for children to the liturgical prayer of the whole Church, both in the sense of preparing for it and of extending it into family and social life (cf. Familiaris consortio, n. 61). Thus family prayer is not an escape from social commitment, but a strong incentive to the Christian family to assume fully all its responsibilities as the primary and basic cell of human society.
Reinforces stability, solidity of family

In this way prayer reinforces the spiritual soundness and solidity of the family, helping to ensure that it shares in the strength of God. Indeed all the power of the Rosary lies in its Gospel character and in its distinctly Christological orientation, for it makes us think specifically and in our own way of the most important events of salvation that were brought about in Christ, seen through the heart of Mary, who was closest to the Lord Jesus. Indeed, the main feature of the Rosary is contemplation, without which it would be like a body without a soul; the typical features are constituted by the petition of the Our Father, the praise in the litany-like succession of Hail Mary's, the adoration of the doxology, Glory [be] to the Father. It is also characterized by the simplicity that favours the tranquil rhythm and a lingering in thought which fosters meditation. As John Paul II has said, "fruitful nourishment of personal piety, the Rosary is in a certain sense the typical prayer of the Christian family.... In reciting the Rosary, the domestic church savours its own unity, enjoys the sharing of affections, is elevated to the contemplation of the divine, places its own needs, concerns and the conquests of daily living in this higher dimension" (Address to youth, Reggio Calabria, 7 October 1984, n. 7; ORE, 5 November 1984, p. 11).

From this fervent Gospel spirit, from the contemplation of the mysteries of our redemption in this Year of the Rosary (October 2002 - October 2003), a renewed commitment is expected, so that the preparation of engaged couples for marriage will include a witness of greater fidelity to the definitive commitments that they are about to make before God and men. May educators, spiritual directors and Christian couples help young people to discover in themselves an authentic love, with all that it involves, feeling, attachment and passion itself and also the use of reason. May the Church's message on responsible parenthood be understood and better received, and may the special attention that must be paid to children who come from broken homes be given to them with loving tenderness.

In this way the pastoral care towards the family will be able to offer couples during their married life possibilities and opportunities to reflect on their celebration of the sacrament, especially in moments of recollection, such as in the recitation of the Rosary. Besides, it will ensure that the feast of the Holy Family and other celebrations when couples gather wishing to renew their matrimonial commitments in the Church, may have a significance that has an impact on their spiritual journey. In this light, in possible moments of crisis, all the aids that the Holy Father has recalled in this Apostolic Letter can contribute to solving the tensions and will enable spouses to return to the sources of their first love. From the sacrament of Marriage they will be able to draw the energy to reawaken the great ideals that must direct their relations and overcome their difficulties.