The Document of work of the upcoming synod on the family begins, in its first part ("Communicating the Gospel of the family today") dealing with God's project about marriage and the family. Two questions are addressed: what does the Bible say and what does the Church say. In both cases, the question is asked as to what can be done to make the central aspects of the Christian family better known and lived.

1. The family in the light of the Bible. The beauty of God's project on marriage and the family is discovered in the book of Genesis. It presents man and woman, created by God in his image and likeness, who, by embracing each other, recognize that they were made for each other. Through the procreation of children, man and woman are God's co-workers, receiving and transmitting life. Their responsibility then extends to the care of creation and the growth of the human family. In this way," the document states graphically, "married love is a mirror of divine love, as it appears beautifully in the Song of Songs and the prophets.

From the Christian point of view this project of God on marriage and family is enriched, as it receives a new impulse and depth through the preaching and life of Jesus. Jesus lived and grew up in the family of Nazareth, and participated in the wedding at Cana, where he enriched the celebration with the first of his miracles. The New Testament presents him as the Bridegroom, because of his submission of love for the Church and through her for humanity. This submission was manifested and consummated on the cross and in the resurrection. And God's strength, grace and mercy are transmitted in the sacrament of marriage so that the spouses can achieve that project of being "one flesh", capable of loving each other and being faithful forever.

"Therefore," the text stresses, "the divine measure of conjugal love, to which spouses are called by grace, has its source in 'the beauty of God's saving love manifested in Jesus Christ who died and rose again' (Evangelii Gaudium, 36), the very heart of the Gospel. Divine love assumes in them human love with all its consequences, in fullness of beauty: "United by an indissoluble sacramental bond, the spouses live the beauty of love, of paternity, of maternity and of the dignity of participating in God's creative work". In the sacrament they receive the gift of collaborating, with their spousal love and with the task of the procreation and Education of children, in the mission statement of the Church.

2. The beauty of this project appears clearly in the documents of the Church. The Second Vatican Council defines marriage as a community of life and love, rooted in and enlivened by the presence of Christ and his Spirit (cf. GS 48-49) in the face of the various forms of reductionism present in contemporary culture. And the family is presented as the "domestic Church" (Church of the home or little Church) as if to underline the relationship between the Church and the family, since the latter manifests it in a genuine way.

After the Council, the Magisterium of the popes has followed this same line.

Paul VI emphasized the intimate link between conjugal love and fecundity or procreation (see his encyclical Humanae vitae).

St. John Paul II explained that the family is the primary "way" of the Church: he gave an overview of the vocation to love of man and woman, proposed the fundamental guidelines for the pastoral care of the family and for the presence of the family in society, and described how spouses are enriched by the Holy Spirit to live their call to holiness (cf. catechesis on human love, Letter to Families, 1994, and Exhortation Familiaris consortio, 1981).

Benedict XVI stressed that "marriage based on an exclusive and definitive love becomes the icon of God's relationship with his people and, vice versa, God's way of loving becomes the measure of human love" (Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, 11). Love is the principle of life in society; it opens spouses to give themselves to their children, seeking their good, and thus it is the principle of experience so that all may open themselves to the common good (cf. Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, 44).

Francis affirmed that the Christian faith "leads us to discover a great call, the vocation to love, and assures us that this love is worthy of faith, that it is worth placing ourselves in its hands, because it is founded on the fidelity of God, stronger than all our weaknesses" (Lumen fidei, n. 53).

3. knowledge of the Bible and the Magisterium on marriage and the family.

Based on the corresponding surveys, the document observes, with regard to the Bible, that "much remains to be done so that such teaching becomes the foundation of the spirituality and life of Christians" and a similar judgment would be valid for magisterial documents. To this end, it proposes:

• that the training of the clergy and the quality of preaching on these topics be improved (this should be kept in mind in the courses of training permanent);

• that the biblical foundations of marriage and the family be more present in the training and Education of Christians (this should be made concrete both in the teaching school and in the catechesis);

• to show above all the human and existential value of the truths of the faith and of the Church's documents on these aspects (i.e., how they can really help married couples, enlighten and encourage care for children, young people, the elderly, etc., and promote the humanizing and evangelizing role of families);

• that some issues be better explained from the point of view of respect for all human life, highlighting the problems that arise in some practices and behaviors, as is the case with birth control, divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, cohabitation, fidelity and premarital relations, in vitro fertilization, etc. (all of which should be explained with clarity and charity);

• that this training be increasingly part of "an authentic Christian experience", which includes the meeting staff and community with Christ in the Church (perhaps this is one of the points from which we should begin);

• that a "greater integration between family and moral spirituality" be sought; that is, a training that helps to seek holiness and virtues precisely in the care and attention to the family and in its contribution to society, and taking into account the social and moral values that are appreciated in local cultures (this is a point core topic that implies fostering prayer staff and family prayer, counting on sacramental life: Confirmation for those already baptized, Eucharist, sacramental Confession, etc.);

• to study how to overcome the contrast between Christian values and those advocated by the dominant culture: hedonism and relativism, materialism and individualism, fragility of interpersonal relationships, rejection of commitments, and other proposals of the "throwaway culture" and of the "provisional" (here we should show the shortcomings of these approaches in the face of the fullness of what is human, as presented in the message of the Gospel);

• to help overcome the mistrust created by atheistic ideologies in many countries, and also some difficulties inherent in tribal cultures and ancestral traditions, such as polygamy;

• to devote more human and financial resources to training on marriage and the family;

• that there be support, both locally and internationally, from specialized academic centers - such as the Pontifical high school John Paul II for the programs of study on marriage and the family - and that the "theology of the body" be deepened;

• that special attention be paid to the Education of young people, especially on the part of parents (Education which begins with their own testimony);

• and that the formative accompaniment of couples preparing for marriage be improved.

As can be seen, there is no lack of suggestions. With the financial aid of the next synod, with prayer, study and dialogue, we have to see how these and other proposals are articulated in an organic and effective way.