Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Aparecida (Fides Service) - Dr Luis Jensen and his wife Pilar Escudero de Jensen, are representing married couples at 5th General Conference of the Bishops' Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean in Aparecida. They have both been members of the Schoenstatt Family Institute for twenty three years, they have been married for twenty six years and have four children. Dr Luis is a gynaecologist and he teaches Bio-ethics at the Catholic University of Santiago, Pilar teaches history and has worked at the Santiago Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre for ten years.
You are the only married couple participating at this Conference, what is your impression of the event?
Luis: It is something new for all, especially for myself and my wife. We have been made very welcome by all and people seem to think our presence as a married couple is important.
Pilar: We were most surprised to be invited, this is the first time a married couple has been invited to participate. Numerous bishops have come up to us to make us welcome and express their joy for our presence. Perhaps our testimony is simply to participate with our presence in our own group. Let's hope in the future more couples are invited even though it is essentially a conference for bishops. We are very grateful for the invitation and we are here represent all the married couples and families of Latin America.
How important is the theme of the family at the Conference?
Luis: Pope Benedict XVI himself asked the Conference to give priority to finding ways to help families in Latin America face the present challenges for two reasons. First of all because the family is a legacy of our culture and of all humanity. In Latin America the family is still a vitally important and appreciated reality. Secondly because the aim of the conference is to form disciples and missionaries, form people who know and love Christ and this can be done best of all in the family where the person is formed.
Pilar: I am in the group which is discussing the theme of the family and the are many contributions, concerns and anxieties. It is clearly an important issue like the issue of women and human life because these are questions which touch everyone. The great interest shows that it must be a priority for the Church and that the family must be able to make its contribution to society and culture. We would like people to see the family as good news rather than focussing always on the problems, difficulties and troubles in families. Presenting the family as good news we want to help overcome the problems and troubles and difficulties.
The Pope said the family is a special vocation. How can the family live its vocation in the world of today?
Luis: Certainly matrimony is a wonderful calling and gift. Basically a disciple is one who knows he is loved by Christ and who tries to love as Christ loves wherever God puts him. In our case our place is the family, founded on matrimony, on love between husband and wife, which, as the Pope says in his encyclical 'Deus Caritas Est', is the greatest of all forms of love. It is the place where total self giving is experienced to the full. We discover our true self when we realise that we are for the other person. This great mystery of the family is attacked on many sides today by ideologies which want to destroy it. We must give a reply which is complete and help families to make human love the centre of the family.
Pilar: Here in Latin America the family is held in high esteem but young people are losing this esteem they are afraid that love can never last a life time, that mutual self giving to only one person is impossible. This is a challenge for us, to help people discover marriage as a vocation, a vocation to love and the sacrament of matrimony as the summit which elevates this authentic human calling of a man and a woman. Many know nothing about the sacrament of matrimony. They see it as a ceremony not as a sacrament which has a lasting effect on the life of the couple which we can renew and from which we can draw. We need to help people rediscover matrimony in all its richness and profundity.
Luis: With this vocation of matrimony there is also the call to parenthood the most beautiful calling of all, to help a new person develop, grow, mature. God entrusts these human persons to us and we know he will help us.
Another priority indicated by Pope Benedict XVI was the role of lay Catholics and church movements and groups. You belong to a church movement, how can movements support the family?
Luis: Church movements are "the young image of the Church", they are a manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit who gives rise to communities which respond to the needs of today. I think the Church in Latin America is increasingly aware that church movements are the gift of the Holy Spirit for the present day. As lay people, a married couple, parents, builders of a family we realise the laity has enormous potential to promote values in society and to live this spirit of family in our daily situations. There is a need to increase awareness of the importance of a family vision.
Pilar: Church teaching is a precious treasure but as Church we find it difficult to make this treasure reach the people, with language they can understand, with pedagogy, accompaniment. This is where I think Church movements can help: youth, marriage, priests. But the diocese or parish must be open to this initiative with an attitude of humility and service on our part. We are so enthusiastic that we want to share our charisma with everyone but this is not easy. (FP/RG) (Agenzia Fides 28/5/2007; righe 78, parole 1120)
