English
EspañolWhat is the maternal gaze? It is the one capable of conceiving a way of improvement despite any negative situation her child goes through. It is the gaze of a woman who is the womb of life. Faith and hope in life and reviving it provides a mother´s love with such a gaze. Everyone in the family, especially fathers and siblings, must learn to see life with the maternal gaze.
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“The Fathers also considered the specific situation of a merely civil marriage or, with due distinction, even simple cohabitation, noting that “when such unions attain a particular stability, legally recognized, are characterized by deep affection and responsibility for their offspring, and demonstrate an ability to overcome trials, they can provide occasions for pastoral care with a view to the eventual celebration of the sacrament of marriage.” (The Joy of Love, n.293)
Commentary
Loving each other as a couple is a process that carries its phases and time. Not everything optimal can be achieved at zero time and infinite speed; it cannot be made complete from the very instant of its origin. Give the process the time it needs. When one truly loves, love itself opens its roadmap and leads towards the best of each person. A woman´s contribution, as a wife, mother, and grandmother, to the process of learning and realization of familial love is essential, specific, and decisive. She is the womb of life and carries inside, given she is a woman, a sixth sense regarding people´s intimacy and the home´s intimacy, warmth, and tenderness, of its preservation in lives that are truly lived.
José and Hilda have been married for twenty years and have six children. When they got married, they did so through a civil ceremony. At that time, they did not attach any importance to religious marriage; they said they were getting married in a civil ceremony solely for their children´s sake. Those who know them say that they are a beautiful family that “they love each so much” and take great care of their children; they are considered good parents. In these twenty years, they have lived through difficult situations that they have faced with courage and hope, such as Jose´s lack of work for three years, always being short of money, and even the death of Hilda´s father in a car accident. The accident happened a year ago. Since then, they grew closer to God, attended Mass, even on weekdays, and participated in a bereavement support program offered by the parish. They understood that religious marriage was not a mere social formality or tradition. In the same parish, they attended a family counseling service. They decided to get their marriage license, and a month ago, they contracted a religious marriage. Hilda says, “It is never too late. Fortunately, we realized it. We were not aware of the sacrament´s value when we were young. Now we are starting a new stage in life with great enthusiasm.”
