Holy Mass for Families (15 May 1982)

On Saturday, 15 May 1982, the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass for families in the Shrine of Sameiro in Braga. In his homily, the Pope reflected on the story of Abram and God's promise to multiply his offspring. in Braga. In his homily, the Pope reflected on the story of Abram and God's promise to multiply his offspring.

1. “Fear not, Abraham. . . your descendants will be numerous” (Gen . 15, 1-5).

The wonderful story of Abraham, “Father of our faith”, evoked by the reading of today's liturgy, highlights two fundamental truths. Our attention and prayer will focus on them during this Eucharist.

The first is that man's future on earth is linked to the family. The second, that the Divine Plan of Salvation and the history of Salvation pass through the family.

It is in a family meeting – of the family of God's children, gathered to celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice – that we will deepen these truths.

Allow me, first of all, to greet the Portuguese family represented here by a large number of couples and families from the city and Archdiocese of Braga and various regions of Portugal: I come to bring you a word of encouragement to cultivate the essential values ​​of marriage .

A salute also to family movements and organizations, especially of an ecclesiastical nature, some committed to preparing marriage, others to promoting marital spirituality, others to dealing with problems that arise within families; I bring you an encouragement to carry out a solid, broad, well-articulated, effective Family Pastoral for the good of many Portuguese homes.

May the families of this country be consolidated in love and unity as an image of Christ's love for his Church (Cf. Eph . 5, 25) and thus continue to fulfill the mission that God entrusted to them: for this we pray in this Eucharist, persuaded of that the future of Portugal also passes through the family (cf. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio , Concl.).

2. The family resides in the family and the future of man depends more than on any other society, institution or environment.

This fundamental truth resonated in Abraham's conversation with God, heard a moment ago while reading the suggestive page of Genesis.

“Your reward will be very great”, promised the Lord to his friend. “What will you give me, Lord?” – asked Abraham, with a hint of skepticism – “I'm going to leave without children. . .” ( Gen. 15, 2).

Abraham's disconsolate prostration will be followed by his joy when, “at the time fixed by God” ( Ibid . 21, 2) Sarah will give him a son.

The future of man is, first and foremost, man himself. It is man born of man: of a father and a mother, of a man and a woman. That's why a man's future is decided within the family.

Marriage is the foundation of the family as the family is the summit of marriage. It is impossible to separate one from the other. It is necessary to consider them together in the light of the future of man.

This is an evident truth and yet it is also a threatened truth. For many reasons, humanity is led to think about its own present and future existence more according to categories of what man produces – that is, with categories of means – than according to the dimension of the end, specific to man.

Several circumstances seem to explain and justify such a way of thinking. It could even be said that man does this out of “consideration for man”: out of concern for ensuring his material existence on earth. On this point, contemporary publications in the field of demography or economics would have a lot to say.

However, thinking about man, his future on earth, primarily according to categories of what he produces and causes to be produced on earth, we very easily make a fundamental error: man ceases to be the main and essential value. In the end, he becomes half.

Thus, our way of thinking moves away from the thought of the Creator who, among all the creatures on earth, only wanted man for himself...(cf. Gaudium et Spes , 24))

At this point, precisely, the vocation of the family is irreplaceable. The family, by its very nature, “wants man for himself”; it is formed as a community of people focused on man as such: the concrete man, always unique and unrepeatable, husband, wife, father, mother, son and daughter.

That is why the family, in the current atmosphere of the world – especially in the “rich” world, in the world of “high material civilization” – is threatened. It remains, however, the world's source of hope. It is there that, despite everything, the future of man is decided; and – allow me to specify – of the man in Portugal, committed to consolidating the foundations on which balanced progress, concord and peace are based.

3. “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able... so will your descendants be – ( Gen. 15, 5) says the Lord to Abraham. The son who is about to be born will be the beginning of the family and the lineage, the trunk or the founder of the tribe and the nation.

Man is not destined to be alone. He does not exist alone on earth. He is called to live his life in community. That is why communities are born, the first and most fundamental of which is the family. And through communities, the first of which is the family, man is formed and matures as a man.

Thus, born into the marriage community of man and woman, man owes his education to his family.

Education, according to the particular meaning of this word, is intended to “humanize” man. A man from the first moment of his conception in the mother's womb, he gradually “learns to be a man” and this fundamental learning is precisely identified with education. Man is the future of his own family and of all humanity – but his future is inseparably linked to education.

The family has the first and fundamental right to educate; but it is also responsible for the first and fundamental duty of education. In fulfilling this essential duty, which strictly belongs to its vocation, the family will drink from the sources of the great treasure of all humanity, which is culture; and more directly, the culture of the environment where it is based.

Due to this order of facts, man becomes heir to the past that is transformed into the future: Not only the future of his own family, but also of the nation itself and of all humanity.

4. At the same time that this normal cycle of the family, birth and education of man is being processed, through it organically passes the Divine Plan of Salvation, provided to man from the beginning, together with the marriage covenant, and confirmed and renewed – after the fall into sin – in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, the Divine Plan of Salvation has its plenitude.

I would like, dearly beloved brothers and sisters, when enunciating this doctrine, of universal validity, to have nothing more than to give thanks to God and congratulate Portuguese families, for being respected and observed here: – the principles of the centrality
of man in the institution family,
– the implications and practical imperatives for the role of culture and the role of education.

Given, however, the rapid generalization of social phenomena that have an impact on the mentality and behavior of the cells of society and people, I will not fail to alert everyone's human and Christian conscience here, because the great cause of the family is of interest to everyone; to appeal to the commitment of those most directly responsible for culture, especially the so-called “mass” culture, those responsible for education, pastoral agents; Lastly, we must appeal to all those who can contribute to maintaining and preserving a situation favorable to the conjugal and family community, where, with the transmission of life, there is a very serious obligation to educate the offspring.

And you, dear fathers and mothers of families, aware that your home is the first school of human appreciation of the children that God gave you, you will also be aware, certainly, of this other serious duty that falls to you: to provide everything or even demand , so that your children can progress harmoniously, in their ascension to life, supported by a suitable human and Christian formation. The Church rejoices when the powers constituted in society, taking into account pluralism and fair religious freedom, “help families, so that the education of children can be given in all schools, in accordance with the moral and religious principles of the same families” ( Gravissimum Educationis , 7).

5. The first truth about the family, presented so far, stands out in the episode of Jesus' presentation in the Temple, an episode recently recalled by reading Saint Luke's text.

Let us remember what happened: according to the prescription of the Old Testament law, a boy is taken to the Temple, forty days after coming into the world. Mary took Him to submit to the ritual law of her mother's Purification, after conceiving. With Her, Joseph also came to offer the obligatory sacrifice in such circumstances. Born on the night of Bethlehem, the son of Mary thus entered the spiritual inheritance of Israel – of his Nation.

At the same time, the Child brought with him another spiritual Heritage: the heritage of the Eternal Love of the Father, who “so loved the world that He gave His Son, that no man should perish but have eternal life” (Cf. Io . 3, 16).

With Jesus Christ, the divine Inheritance of eternal life enters not only the life of Israel, but that of all humanity. The prophetic words spoken by Simeon, when he saw the Child, express this: “Now, Lord, you can let Your servant go, according to Your promise, in peace; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared for all people, a light to enlighten the nations and the glory of Your people Israel” ( Luke 2:29-32).

Simeon himself, in his inspired and prophetic words, suggests at the same time that this is a difficult Heritage. He says to the Mother of the newborn: “This Child is here for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign of contradiction, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And you too, a sword will pierce your soul” ( Ibid . 2, 34).

6. The divine goods of the Covenant and Grace are, from the beginning, united to the family. Therefore, marriage too, in a certain sense, from the beginning, is a sacrament, as a symbol of the future incarnation of the Word of God. Sacrament that Christ confirmed and at the same time renewed with the word of the Gospel and with the mystery of his Redemption.

By the virtue of the Holy Spirit, man and woman enter into the Marriage Covenant between them, which, by divine institution, “from the beginning” is indissoluble.

Rooted in the natural complementarity that exists between man and woman, indissolubility is sanctioned by the reciprocal commitment of personal and total donation, and is required for the sake of the children. In the light of faith, its ultimate truth is manifested, which is to be proposed “as the fruit, sign and requirement of the absolutely faithful love that God the Father has towards man, and that the Lord Jesus lives towards the Church ”. With these words I explained the traditional teaching of the Church, in the Apostolic Exhortation “ Familiaris Consortio , 20”, at the request of the Bishops from all parts of the world, gathered in Synod, in Rome, to study the problems of the Christian family in today's world.

This doctrine certainly does not harmonize with the mentality of so many of our contemporaries who consider a lifelong commitment to fidelity impossible. The Fathers of the Synod, although aware of the current opposing ideological currents, declared that it is the specific mission of the Church “to proclaim the joyful announcement of the irrevocability of that conjugal love which has its foundation and vigor in Jesus Christ” ( Familiaris Consortio , 20). And they clarified that this mission is not imposed only on the Hierarchy; also to you, to each of the Christian couples, called to be in the world a “sign”, always renewed, “of the unchanging fidelity with which God and Jesus Christ love each and every man” ( Ibid . 84).

7. Each man: also including the man or woman who is struggling with a failed marriage. God does not stop loving those who separate, not even those who have entered into a new irregular union. He continues to accompany such people with the unchanging fidelity of his love, continually drawing attention to the sanctity of the violated norm and, at the same time, inviting them not to abandon hope.

Reflecting, in some way, the love of God, the Church also does not exclude separated and remarried spouses from its pastoral concern; on the contrary, it makes the means of salvation available to them. While maintaining the practice, founded in Sacred Scripture, of not admitting such people to Eucharistic communion, given that their condition of life is objectively opposed to what the Eucharist means and operates, the Church exhorts them to listen to the Word of God, to attend the sacrifice of Mass, persevere in prayer and works of charity, educate children in the Christian faith, cultivate the spirit and works of penance, in order to implore God's grace and be prepared to receive it .

The Church is aware of being, with this teaching, a “sign of contradiction” in the world. The prophetic words that Simeon spoke about the Child apply to Christ in his life, and also to the Church in its history. Often Christ, his Gospel and the Church become a “sign of contradiction” in the face of that which in man is not “of God”, but of the world or even of the “prince of darkness”.

Even calling evil by its name and resolutely opposing it, Christ always comes to meet human weakness. He looks for the lost sheep. He heals the wounds of souls. He consoles man with his cross. In the Gospel he does not make demands that man cannot satisfy with the grace of God and with his own will. On the contrary, his demands are aimed at the good of man: his true dignity.

8. It is necessary that the vision of marriage and the family, by which you seek to guide yourselves, dear brothers and sisters, be formed from the light brought by Christ: that such a perspective be the fruit of living faith.
“By faith Abraham, called by God, obeyed, leaving for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he departed without knowing where he was going” ( Heb . 11, 8).

This divine calling that one day fell to Abraham, becomes the property of each one of us, firstly through Baptism. Through Baptism we are called to be “co-heirs of the divine promise” to take life as a “pilgrimage towards the Promised Land”, that is, to the lasting City “whose architect and builder is God himself”.

With this conception of life, you know that it is a constant concern of the Church to proclaim the rights of the human person, subordinate to the rights of the supreme Lord God; and among such rights, the right to life always occupies a top place. In marriage, man and woman are called to pass on the treasure of life to other men, through humanly responsible fatherhood and motherhood.

In continuity with the norms reaffirmed in the Second Vatican Council and in the Encyclical “ Humanae Vitae ” and reflecting the sentiment of the Fathers of the last Synod of Bishops, I recalled in the recent Apostolic Exhortation “ Familiaris Consortio ”, among the priority rights of parents, that of having children they desire, at the same time receiving what is necessary to raise and educate them with dignity. Therefore, the Church condemns as a serious offense to human dignity and justice maneuvers to indiscriminately curtail the freedom of spouses in relation to the transmission of life and the education of their children.

I felt obliged to also denounce an insidious “mentality against life”, which infiltrates current thinking.

God says to every man: welcome the life conceived by your work! He says it through his commandments and through the voice of the Church; and says it directly, through the voice of human conscience. A powerful voice that you cannot help but hear, despite other dissonant voices, regardless of what you do to drown it out.

The simultaneously corporal and spiritual character of the conjugal union, always illuminated by personal love, must lead us to respect sexuality, its fully human dimension, and to never “use” it as an “object”, in order to not to dissolve the personal unity of soul and body, hurting God’s own creation, in the most intimate relationship between nature and person” ( Familiaris Consortio , 32)

The responsibility for generating human life – the life that must be born in a family – is great before God!

9. Using the creative collaboration of the parents, God the Father wants to repeat once again his call to a new descendant of the human race. He also wants to call him to become “co-heir of God’s promise” and to leave for the “Land” that was “Promised” in Jesus Christ to all men.

The family is the place of man's divine vocation. Christian couples and parents must be aware of this responsibility and collaborate with the best will in this divine vocation of the new man, developing the work of Christian education, especially with that catechesis that is carried out through an exemplary life.

Vocations, particularly important for the saving mission of the Church, also come from Christian families, the birthplace of future priests, men and women religious, missionaries and apostles!

Although there are difficulties in educational work today, Christian parents must, with confidence and courage, form their children in the essential values ​​of human life, without ever losing sight of the fact that, being responsible for the domestic church in their home, they are called to build the great Church in their children and, perhaps, to build it through their children ( Familiaris Consortio , 38) “called by God”. And if God does indeed call you to the service of his kingdom, dear fathers and mothers, be generous towards Him, as He was towards you.

10. I am happy to celebrate this Eucharist and meditate with you on the family within the framework of this Sanctuary of Sameiro, a monument of the Portuguese people, of love for the Blessed Virgin, venerated and invoked here under the title of Immaculate Conception. The many newlyweds who choose this Sanctuary to celebrate their wedding certainly do so to place their homes under the special protection of Our Lady. May this gesture of devotion be a pledge of the solidity of Christian homes in this Region, confirming what the Archbishop said: that in this Region, families are generally based on Christian foundations and “priestly, religious and missionary” vocations often flourish in them. I thank God for that.

I also thank Mr. Dom Eurico Dias Nogueira for the warm and kind words he spoke to me. I also greet you, Lord Archbishop, as well as the Most Excellent Authorities and the people of Braga and equally the inhabitants of this beautiful region of Minho and Trás-os-Montes (from the Dioceses of Viana do Castelo, Bragança and Miranda and Vila Real) to everyone, without exception: Bishops, Priests, Religious and Faithful – without forgetting the numerous Spaniards, who came with their Pastors, from the neighboring lands of Galicia. And from here I express cordial feelings of sympathy and affection in Christ the Lord to all emigrants of the Portuguese family.

In its historical references to the city and the Archdiocese of Braga and its surroundings, I highlight with pleasure the high percentage of Christian practice among the population that attends Sunday Mass and the other Sacraments. So continue and constantly intensify, here and throughout Portugal, fidelity to God through fidelity to his past. And in this the family plays an irreplaceable role. Brothers and sisters,

The sacrament of Marriage is great, which gave birth to your families and continues to vivify them!

The mission of your families is great:
– the future of man on earth is linked to the family;
– the Divine Plan of Salvation and the history of Salvation pass through the human family!

Immaculate Virgin, Our Lady of Sameiro, / Mother of the “Boy” placed as a “Sign of Contradiction”: / next to your Son, Jesus Christ, / whose words are preserved and meditable in Your heart / give grace to all families in Portugal / of knowing how to listen to and faithfully keep the Word of God! / Mother of the divine Word, in the Holy Family of Nazareth, / obtain harmony, love and grace for these families! / May “the Sign” never be contradicted in them, / may the love of a merciful God, / manifested in Jesus Christ, never be contradicted! Amen.
 

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