Folia Theologica et Canonica 5. 27/19 (2016)
RECENSIONS
RECENSIONS 275 and sacramental theological publications - was that responsible attitude which liked to help the scholarly preparation of the Ordinary Bishop Synod (convoked for October 4"' - 25,h 2015) [i.e. Presentación, p. xij. Based on this reason, the Author had inserted into this particular volume - in unified form - those analyses which were drawn up by him since 2000. Within this work can be found four basic themes, arranged into independent chapters. The first one presents in general sense the fundamental teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage (pp. 3-88). Here, the Cardinal gives considerations on the relation between the essence and contents of the marriage and family (pp. 3-42); on the consequences of the family life based on its human aspects (pp. 43-82); and on that special pastoral activity of the Church which must necessarily links to the family life and its Catholic promotion (pp. 83-88). Card. Rouco Varela uses the daily life of the Holy Family as the ideal and real model for Catholic families. This idea is a recurring motive of this volume, moreover the second chapter of it is entirely dedicated to this detailed dogmatic theological, canonical, pastoral-, and moral theological explanation (pp. 89- 146). The Author particularly emphasizes the personal example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which need to be reflected within any Christian family by some way (pp. 89-96); Nazareth appears as “school” in this chapter, which “school” is the home for learning the basic human virtues (pp. 97-104). Those single situations and difficulties which had happened within the life of the Holy Family can give guideline and instruction for any family to handle those problems which are in connection with the family life, based on the teaching of the Gospels (pp. 105-112). Card. Rouco Varela summarizes the message of that witness which is presented by the Holy Family to any family: why and how is indispensable for the parents to follow Christ with authentic imitation of his life (pp. 113-120). At this point the Author underlines the importance of staying in the House of God (the Church), and the prayerful and sacramental life of the members of the family (p. 120). Based on these principles Card. Rouco Varela names the “house” of Nazareth the rock-basis of the authentic family (pp. 121 — 130), but he also uses the expression of the “dissolvable community of love” (pp. 131-138) which has a very special relation to the perfect Divine love, which is the initiation of the given love by the Creator to wife and husband in the bond of marriage and in the family life (pp. 139-146). The Cardinal pays particular attention to the teaching of the Gospels on family and the transmitting of this unique teaching through the life of Christian families (pp. 147-204). It is already a central question of the so called "Christian Ideal on Family” (165-198) which manifests especially in the mutual love, in the active participation into the daily life of the Church, in the consecration of the life of faithful through his or her activities, receiving the sacraments and sacramentáis, in the loyal and unconditional love toward the parents and the children, in the transmitting of the true faith, in the constant strong prayerful life which is the “school”
