Today's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the family, focusing on the complementarity between man and woman.
Following the customary summaries of his teaching, presented in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the groups of faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's catechesis is dedicated to a central aspect of the theme of the family: the great gift that God has given to humanity with the creation of man and of woman and with the sacrament of matrimony. This catechesis and the next one will focus on the difference and the complementarity between man and woman, which are at the summit of divine creation; the two which will follow afterward will focus on other aspects related to Marriage.
Let us begin with a brief comment about the first story of creation, in the Book of Genesis. Here, we read that God, after having created the universe and all the other living things, created his masterpiece - the human being - which he made in his own image: in the image of God he created them; man and woman he created them (Gn 1:27), says the Book of Genesis.
And as we all know, the difference in sexes is present in many life forms, in the long ladder of living organisms. But only in man and in woman can the image and likeness of God be found: the biblical text repeats this fact at least three times in two verses (Gn 1:26-27) - man and woman are the image and likeness of God. This means that not only did man take upon himself the image of God, not only did woman take upon herself the image of God, but also man and woman, as a couple, are the image of God. The difference between man and woman should not be understood in terms of opposition or subordination but in terms of communion and generation, always in the image and likeness of God.
Experience teaches us that in order to know each other well and to grow harmoniously, human beings need reciprocity between men and women. When this is not the case, we see resultant consequences. We are made to listen to one another and to help one another. We might say that without such enriching reciprocity in our relationships - in our thoughts and in our actions, in our affections and in our work, even in our faith - neither can fully understand what it means to be a man or a woman.
Modern and contemporary culture has opened new spaces, new freedoms and new depths in order to enrich our understanding of this difference. But it has also introduced many doubts and skepticisms. For example, I wonder if the so-called consideration of gender is not also an expression of frustration and resignation, which results in the cancellation of sexual difference because we no longer know how to deal with it. Yes, we are at risk of taking a step backward. The removal of the difference is in fact the problem, not the solution. To resolve problems with relationships, men and women should instead speak to each other, listen to one another, know each other, love one another. We should treat one another with respect and cooperation in friendship. With these human foundations, supported by the grace of God, it is possible to protect the unions of marriage and family for a lifetime. The legacy of matrimony and family is a serious thing, for everyone, not only for believers. I want to call upon all intellectuals to not negate this theme, as if it had become secondary to commitment toward a freer and more just society.
God has entrusted the earth to the alliance between a man and a woman: our failure dries up the world of emotions and darkens the skies of hope. The signs are already worrying and we can see them. I would like to indicate, among many, two points which I believe should be of concern to us with the greatest urgency.
First. There is no doubt that we must do much more than we are currently doing in favor of women, if we want to strengthen the reciprocity between men and women. In fact, it is necessary that women are not only more listened to, but that their voices have real weight, recognized authority in society and in the Church: the same way that Jesus considered women, in conditions even less favorable than ours, for in those times women were truly considered second class, and Jesus considered them in a way that shed powerful light, light that illuminated a street that led far away, only a part of the way which we have managed to travel. We still have not understood the true depth of the things that can be contributed by female genius, the things that women can contribute to society and also to us: women know how to see things with other eyes which complete the thoughts of men. This is a path that is worth travelling with more creativity and audacity.
A second consideration is the theme of man and woman created in the image of God. I wonder if the crisis of collective trust in God which is so painful, makes us so sick that we are willing to resign ourselves to unbelief and cynicism, or even to the point of experiencing a crisis of trust between men and women. In fact, the biblical account, which includes the large symbolic fresco of earthly paradise and original sin, tells us that communion with God is reflected in the communion of a human couple and the loss of our heavenly Father's trust creates division and conflict between man and woman.
This is the point from which the great responsibility of the Church originates, toward all believers, and above all toward believing families, so that they might rediscover the beauty of our creator's design which inscribes the image of God even in the covenant between man and woman. The earth is filled with harmony and trust when the covenant between man and woman is lived well. And if man and woman seek it together between themselves and with God, without a doubt they will find it. Jesus explicitly encourages us to be witnesses of this beauty that is the image of God.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and he offered greetings to each group of the faithful who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Canada and the United States. Upon you and your families I invoke the peace and joy of the Risen Lord!
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the family, focusing on the complementarity between man and woman.
Following the customary summaries of his teaching, presented in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the groups of faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's catechesis is dedicated to a central aspect of the theme of the family: the great gift that God has given to humanity with the creation of man and of woman and with the sacrament of matrimony. This catechesis and the next one will focus on the difference and the complementarity between man and woman, which are at the summit of divine creation; the two which will follow afterward will focus on other aspects related to Marriage.
Let us begin with a brief comment about the first story of creation, in the Book of Genesis. Here, we read that God, after having created the universe and all the other living things, created his masterpiece - the human being - which he made in his own image: in the image of God he created them; man and woman he created them (Gn 1:27), says the Book of Genesis.
And as we all know, the difference in sexes is present in many life forms, in the long ladder of living organisms. But only in man and in woman can the image and likeness of God be found: the biblical text repeats this fact at least three times in two verses (Gn 1:26-27) - man and woman are the image and likeness of God. This means that not only did man take upon himself the image of God, not only did woman take upon herself the image of God, but also man and woman, as a couple, are the image of God. The difference between man and woman should not be understood in terms of opposition or subordination but in terms of communion and generation, always in the image and likeness of God.
Experience teaches us that in order to know each other well and to grow harmoniously, human beings need reciprocity between men and women. When this is not the case, we see resultant consequences. We are made to listen to one another and to help one another. We might say that without such enriching reciprocity in our relationships - in our thoughts and in our actions, in our affections and in our work, even in our faith - neither can fully understand what it means to be a man or a woman.
Modern and contemporary culture has opened new spaces, new freedoms and new depths in order to enrich our understanding of this difference. But it has also introduced many doubts and skepticisms. For example, I wonder if the so-called consideration of gender is not also an expression of frustration and resignation, which results in the cancellation of sexual difference because we no longer know how to deal with it. Yes, we are at risk of taking a step backward. The removal of the difference is in fact the problem, not the solution. To resolve problems with relationships, men and women should instead speak to each other, listen to one another, know each other, love one another. We should treat one another with respect and cooperation in friendship. With these human foundations, supported by the grace of God, it is possible to protect the unions of marriage and family for a lifetime. The legacy of matrimony and family is a serious thing, for everyone, not only for believers. I want to call upon all intellectuals to not negate this theme, as if it had become secondary to commitment toward a freer and more just society.
God has entrusted the earth to the alliance between a man and a woman: our failure dries up the world of emotions and darkens the skies of hope. The signs are already worrying and we can see them. I would like to indicate, among many, two points which I believe should be of concern to us with the greatest urgency.
First. There is no doubt that we must do much more than we are currently doing in favor of women, if we want to strengthen the reciprocity between men and women. In fact, it is necessary that women are not only more listened to, but that their voices have real weight, recognized authority in society and in the Church: the same way that Jesus considered women, in conditions even less favorable than ours, for in those times women were truly considered second class, and Jesus considered them in a way that shed powerful light, light that illuminated a street that led far away, only a part of the way which we have managed to travel. We still have not understood the true depth of the things that can be contributed by female genius, the things that women can contribute to society and also to us: women know how to see things with other eyes which complete the thoughts of men. This is a path that is worth travelling with more creativity and audacity.
A second consideration is the theme of man and woman created in the image of God. I wonder if the crisis of collective trust in God which is so painful, makes us so sick that we are willing to resign ourselves to unbelief and cynicism, or even to the point of experiencing a crisis of trust between men and women. In fact, the biblical account, which includes the large symbolic fresco of earthly paradise and original sin, tells us that communion with God is reflected in the communion of a human couple and the loss of our heavenly Father's trust creates division and conflict between man and woman.
This is the point from which the great responsibility of the Church originates, toward all believers, and above all toward believing families, so that they might rediscover the beauty of our creator's design which inscribes the image of God even in the covenant between man and woman. The earth is filled with harmony and trust when the covenant between man and woman is lived well. And if man and woman seek it together between themselves and with God, without a doubt they will find it. Jesus explicitly encourages us to be witnesses of this beauty that is the image of God.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and he offered greetings to each group of the faithful who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Canada and the United States. Upon you and your families I invoke the peace and joy of the Risen Lord!
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