English
EspañolJesus did not come to condemn but to save. One by one, not in a collective herd. Jesus is one person, not many, and certainly not made à la carte. He meets each one of us and leads us from our particular circumstances.
Text
“A negative judgment about an objective situation does not imply a judgment about the imputability or culpability of the person involved (…) Under certain circumstances people find it very difficult to act differently. Therefore, while upholding a general rule, it is necessary to recognize that responsibility with respect to certain actions or decisions is not the same in all cases. Pastoral discernment, while taking into account a person’s properly formed conscience, must take responsibility for these situations. Even the consequences of actions taken are not necessarily the same in all cases.” (The Joy of Love, n.302)
Commentary
Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life, is one. He is not many people, different and even contradictory among them. The one Jesus Christ, as is evident in the Gospels, encounters many different people, approaching the particular circumstances of their lives: the adulteress, the lepers, the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, the cripple, the blind man, and the hemorrhoid woman, among others; he approached the uniqueness of each sick person. Jesus Christ never said that sickness or a moral evil was health or even good. He approached each life, offering the way of improvement and healing specific to their case.
Graciela and Ramiro had a daughter before they were married. Shortly after the baby was born, they contracted a civil marriage. She also wanted to wed by the Church, and they had started the paperwork; however, Ramiro lost his job, and he decided to postpone the wedding. Graciela, nonetheless, commented during counseling that she is still looking forward to getting married in a church. Ramiro eventually found another job and prioritized paying off some debts that they acquired before revisiting the topic of religious marriage. Another thing that worries Graciela is her family´s opinion about this situation. In order to dissipate doubts, Graciela talked to her parents and siblings. The answer she received filled her up with hope. In short, this was the response: “You are Graciela, our daughter/sister, and you are a beautiful woman. You are worth gold. We are aware of the sacrifices you have made for the upbringing of your little girl. We cannot say that we do not care if you get married or not in a church, but, indistinctly, we love you. And we do so, in the same manner we always have; you will always be worth gold.
