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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
Christian Spouses, "Missionaries of Love and Life"
H.H. Benedict XVI
October 8, 2006
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
This Sunday, the Gospel presents us Jesus' words on marriage. To the
question if it is lawful for a husband to repudiate his wife, as
established by a precept of the Mosaic law (cf. Deuteronomy 24:1), he
responded that it was a concession of Moses because of "hardness of
heart," while the truth about marriage goes back "to the beginning of
creation," when, as is written in Genesis, God "made them male and
female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two shall become one" (Mark 10:6-7; cf.
Genesis 1:27; 2:24).
And Jesus added: "So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God
has joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:8-9). This was
God's original plan, as the Second Vatican Council also reminded in the
constitution "Gaudium et Spes": "The intimate partnership of married
life and love has been established by the Creator and qualified by his
laws, and is rooted in the conjugal covenant. ... For God himself is the
author of matrimony" (No. 48).
My thought is directed to all Christian spouses: With them I thank the
Lord for the gift of the sacrament of marriage, and exhort them to
remain faithful to their vocation in each stage of life, "in joy and in
sorrow, in health and in sickness," as they promised in the sacramental
rite.
May Christian spouses, aware of the grace received, build a family open
to life and capable of facing together the numerous and complicated
challenges of our time. Their testimony is particularly necessary today.
Families are needed that do not let themselves be drawn by modern
cultural currents inspired by hedonism and relativism, and that are
willing to realize their mission in the Church and in society with
generous dedication.
In the apostolic exhortation "Familiaris Consortio," the Servant of God
John Paul II wrote that the sacrament of marriage "makes Christian
married couples and parents witnesses of Christ 'to the end of the
earth,' as authentic 'missionaries' of love and life" (cf. No. 54). This
mission is oriented both to the internal life of the family --
especially in mutual service and in the education of children -- as well
as the external: the domestic community, in fact, is called to be the
sign of God's love to all. The family can only fulfill this mission if
it is supported by divine grace. For this reason, it is necessary to
pray tirelessly and to persevere in the daily effort to keep the
commitments assumed on the wedding day.
I invoke the maternal protection of the Virgin and of Joseph her spouse
on all families, especially those going through difficulties. Mary,
Queen of the Family, pray for us!
[Translation by ZENIT]
[At the end of the Angelus, the Pope greeted pilgrims in several
languages. In English, he said:]
I warmly welcome the English-speaking pilgrims who are here today.
Throughout this month of October we remember in a special way Our
Blessed Lady. We ask for her prayers for our loved ones and for
ourselves. May her Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, bless all of
you during your stay in Rome.
© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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