“Don’t wait 49 years, as we did, to learn how to ask one another for forgiveness and to love in the small things of every day” . This was the advice and encouragement given by a Canadian husband and wife, in sharing with younger couples about their many years of marriage during a recent New Families gathering in Toronto.  Speaking of the efforts needed to face life challenges can be helpful in not giving up, as well as for realizing that everyone else passes similar, crucially difficult moments, too.  And, in a special way, through sharing we open ourselves up to others and together become builders of unity.

“What came out immediately was the joy to be together, to experience that we were a group of families that were a family.”.  We were a total of 30 adults, including a number of younger couples, as well as 8 children who had a program specifically for them.”  Our theme was Gospel love in the family and mercy, which Pope Francis had invited all of us to reflect upon this year.  A particularly important part of the program was the time devoted to the apostolic exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love),  followed by  dialogue and the sharing of experiences among the families present

The meeting included moments of dialogue in small groups, as well as time for couples to share and reflect individually on their lives together as husband and wife, focusing particularly on the theme of growing in mercy towards one another.  Mercy as it relates to everyday family life, children, relatives, and neighbors were also part of this communion.

“One couple that had planned to stay for only half a day was so struck by the profound atmosphere of family experienced, that they decided to remain the whole day.  “It was something that we could not refuse.” Another couple asked to meet more frequently and offered their home as a future meeting place.

Similarly, one person, who first attended a summer ‘Mariapolis’ only last year, invited other families attending to return later in the summer for the Mariapolis.  “During that Mariapolis, which lasted several days, I came to know a new way of living based on fraternity.”, he said, “I was living a very challenging moment in my marriage and there I gained the strength and courage to go beyond the difficulties and begin again.”

“In light of this experience lived together”, concluded Maria and Vince, “we can say that reciprocal love put into practice is capable of winning over, and changing, hearts, families, and the world!”