LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS

Excerpt from Pope Francis’ Exhortation on the Family, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”)

114.  Here “belief” is used more in the sense of what we mean by “trust.” This goes beyond simply presuming that the other is not lying or cheating. It recognizes God’s light shining beyond the darkness, like an ember glowing beneath the ash.

115.  This trust enables a relationship to be free. It means we do not have to control the other person, to follow their every step lest they escape our grip. Love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control, possess and dominate everything. This freedom, which fosters independence, an openness to the world around us and to new experiences, can only enrich and expand relationships. The spouses then share with one another the joy of all they have received and learned outside the family circle. At the same time, this freedom makes for sincerity and transparency, for those who know that they are trusted and appreciated can be open and hide nothing. Those who know that their spouse is always suspicious, judgmental and lacking unconditional love, will tend to keep secrets, conceal their failings and weaknesses, and pretend to be someone other than who they are. On the other hand, a family marked by loving trust, come what may, helps its members to be themselves and spontaneously to reject deceit, falsehood, and lies.

Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”) 114, 115

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