English
EspañolLove is a conversation between two people´s intimacies. To love is to communicate our inner world over and over again. If you love, you will not give up. In the same way that we learn how to love by loving, we learn how to communicate our intimacy and get better at doing so by actually opening ourselves up here and now, and then repeating it tomorrow, the following day, and so forth.
Text
“through an equitable distribution of duties, responsibilities and tasks”; indeed, “a greater emphasis on personal communication between the spouses helps to make family life more humane.” (The Joy of Love, n.32)
Commentary
My experience in dealing with couples and parents is that currently, it is not easy for them to find the places and time to communicate in a “personal” way. This is a dangerous symptom because love is lived by sharing what one has within and what intimately happens to them. This lack of communication separates and leads to love´s death. Its remedy –as Pope Francis says– is personal communication: what we carry inside, our “intimacy,” which is an open, sincere and straightforward, generous, and recurring gift and embrace.
In the family, personal communication must begin amongst the spouses. Suppose they talk to each other about their lives, worries and communicate their feelings well. In that case, such an example will foster favorable conditions for them to speak with their children and have intimate, confidential communication with them. Parents pass on facts, information, knowledge, experiences, and wisdom regarding life through personal communication within the family. The habit of personal communication in the family creates trust, security, comfort, and companionship.
Do not allow a lack of communication to distance you. Search for the best time and place to have a conversation. Do not be lazy or fearful. Warmth, respect, simple clarity, and tenderness are your unfailing ambassadors. And once you are face to face: speak!
