Rediscovering Family Ties in a Postmodern World: Canon Law and the Pastoral Action of the Church in the Face of Postmodernity’s Challenge

Montserrat Gas-Aixendri

doi:10.55073/2024.2.85-100

Authors

Montserrat Gas-Aixendri International PhD in Law and PhD in Canon Law, Full Professor, Institute for Advanced Family Studies, Childcare & Family Policies Joaquim Molins Figueras Chair; International University of Catalonia, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0297-8048

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55073/2024.2.85-100

Keywords:

Canon Law, family relationships, postmodern culture, family law, Catholic Church

Abstract

The present-day ‘hypermodern’ society believes that the concept of family can be erased. However, the contemporary human being continues to bear a veiled nostalgia for ties, which is apparent in many of the postmodern cultural products (such as cinema, art, literature, etc.). These natural ties restore the unconditionality of family relationships as the only security against the contradictions and uncertainties of the world and serve as an antidote to postmodern chaos. Today’s men and women try to recover the relational essence of the family in order to learn to build family ties that constitute us as human beings and are vital resources in the educational process. Therefore, it is essential to know what family ties are, how they are constituted, and at the same time understand the real difficulties we face today to be able to live these ties fully so that family becomes a ‘point of resistance’ against ideologies characterised by individualism and technocracy. The wisdom of the Church, through its Law and its pastoral experience, has throughout history shown the truth about family, which is based on the capacity of the human heart to love unconditionally. Even today, the Law and the pastoral of the Church should be able to accompany men and women in need of rediscovering the true essence of family, with proposals that consider the current cultural context.

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