With studies showing that most couples do not feel that they experience emotional intimacy in their relationship, it is evident that a great marriage is not one that simply stays together, but one in which spouses experience deep personal communion with each other.
But with every third marriage, according to current statistics, ending in divorce, young couples must wonder how, 30 years into married life, they will be able to say, “I love my spouse more now than I did when we were first married.”
Trying to understand this in light of the deterrent statistics was the topic discussed at the ‘Love and Responsibility’ forum, conducted over six consecutive Tuesday evenings from 13 September to 18 October in Sydney.
The final session was held at the University of Notre Dame Australia’s Broadway campus in Sydney. In the university courtyard hundreds of young Catholics gathered together to read the sixth chapter of Men, Women and the Mystery of Love by Edward Sri.
Like a growing number of works in recent years, Sri’s book was inspired by John Paul II’s 1960 publication Love and Responsibility.
The chapter read on the final night was entitled ‘Love and Responsibility? Building trust, intimacy and a mature love.’
After reading, the young adults discussed issues of love and responsibility in a society where views such as Sri’s and the late Pope’s seem largely irrelevant.
The weekly discussion forum for students and young adults in Sydney was originally inspired by a similar event held in New York in July and August, ‘Love and Responsibility in NYC.’
The American event had been hugely successful and received lots of interest from young adults, affirming John Paul II’s observation that “young people want to be challenged, to lead lives of heroic virtue, in which the search for love is the search for a pure and noble love”.
Like the New York event, the Sydney forum also took its title from the book on relationships written by Bishop Karol Wojtyła, later Pope John Paul II; it was this book that became a foundational text of the Theology of the Body.
UNDA Sydney’s Chaplaincy convenor, Jessica Langrell, wanted to provide a casual yet challenging weekly discussion group for personal formation and growth in terms of living out genuine relationships and authentic friendships.
With, on average, 160 young adults showing up weekly to hear and discuss the issues, the experience has been uplifting, positive and a testimony to the relevance of John Paul II.
Madeleine Vella, 19, a History and Education student and participant in the forum, commented on the effect it has had on her. “Love and Responsibility has allowed me to not only deepen but better understand my faith. By exploring the teachings of Blessed Pope John Paul II I feel more mature and more capable when approaching the reality of friendships and relationships.”
Sri’s book Men, Women & the Mystery of Love read aloud at the weekly sessions adds a practical insight into to the teachings of John Paul II, challenging readers to grow in their understanding of the real, deeper meaning of relationships.
At each session participants read a chapter of Sri’s book and then joined group discussions. Topics included ‘Sense and Sentimentality’; ‘The Proper Role of the Emotions’; ‘Avoiding Fatal Attractions’; ‘The Law of the Gift’; and ‘Understanding the Two Sides of Love.’
Living in an age where relationships begin with ease, usually end with broken hearts and the usual advice is ‘Just do what feels right,’ it’s no surprise so many are drawn to an event searching for answers that can’t be found elsewhere because society’s own views on love are so blurred.
The sessions were hosted by the UNDA Sydney chaplaincy, the Archdiocese of Sydney’s Life, Marriage and Family Centre, the University of Sydney chaplaincy and Theology on Tap.
You can follow the thoughts of the young who participated on the Love and Responsibility Facebook site:www.facebook.com/loveandresponsibility.