This morning's General Audience began at 9:30am (3:30am EDT) in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the Commandments, adding his meditation on the Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery (Gospel passage: Mark 10:2-9).
After having summarized His catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In our itinerary of catecheses on the Commandments, we arrive today at the Sixth Word, which concerns the affective and sexual dimension; it reads: Do not commit adultery.
The immediate appeal is to fidelity, and in effect, no human relationship can be authentic without fidelity and loyalty.
One can not love only as long as it is convenient to do so; love manifests itself just beyond the threshold of one's own advantage, at the point where everything is given without reserve. As the Catechism states: Love wants to be definitive. It can not be 'until further notice' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1646). Fidelity is the characteristic of a free, mature, responsible human relationship. Even a friend proves himself to be authentic because he remains such in all circumstances, otherwise he is not a friend. Christ reveals true love, He lives on the boundless love of the Father, and by virtue of this he is the faithful friend who welcomes us even when we make mistakes and always wants our good, even when we do not deserve it.
Human beings need to be loved without conditions, and those who do not receive this welcome bring with them a certain incompleteness, often without knowing it. The human heart tries to fill this void with surrogates, accepting compromises and mediocrity that only possess a vague taste of love. The risk is that we end up seeking love of unripe and immature relationships, with the illusion of finding life's light in something that, at best, is only a reflection of true light.
So it happens for example that we overestimate physical attraction, which in itself is a gift from God but is aimed at preparing the way for an authentic and faithful relationship with the person. As Saint John Paul II said, the human being is called to the full and mature spontaneity of relationships, which are the gradual fruit of the discernment of the impulses of one's heart. It is something that is conquered, since every human being must with perseverance and consistency learn what the meaning of the body is (cf Catechesis, 12 November 1980).
The call to married life therefore requires careful discernment concerning the quality of the relationship and the time required to verify it. To enter the Sacrament of Marriage, the engaged couple must mature the certainty that in their bond there is the hand of God, who precedes them and accompanies them, and who will allow them to say: With the grace of Christ I promise to always be faithful to you. They cannot promise fidelity in joy and pain, in health and in sickness, and to love and honour each other every day of their lives, only on the basis of good will or hope that it will work. They need to build on the solid ground of God's faithful love. And for this reason, before receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony, they need careful preparation, I would say a catechumenate so that they may spend their whole lives in love, and love is not a joke. Three or four conferences given in the parish can not be defined as "preparation for marriage"; no, this is not preparation: this is fake preparation. And the responsibility of those who do this falls on the parish priest, on the bishop who allows these things. The preparation must be ripened and that takes time. It is not a formal act: it is a sacrament. But they must be prepared with a true catechumenate.
In fact, fidelity is a way of being, a style of life. We work with loyalty, we speak sincerely, we remain faithful to the truth in our own thoughts and actions. Lives woven of fidelity are expressed in all dimensions and lead us to be faithful and reliable men and women in all circumstances.
But in order to arrive at such a beautiful life our human nature is not enough; we need the fidelity of God to enter into our existence, to infect us. This Sixth Word calls us to turn our gaze to Christ, who with his fidelity can take from us an adulterous heart and give us a faithful heart. In him, and only in him, there is love without reserve and rethinking, complete giving without parentheses and the tenacity of acceptance to the end.
From his death and resurrection comes our fidelity, from his unconditional love comes our constancy in relationships. From communion with him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit comes the communion among us and the ability to live our relationships in fidelity.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace. God bless you!
In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the Commandments, adding his meditation on the Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery (Gospel passage: Mark 10:2-9).
After having summarized His catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
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!
In our itinerary of catecheses on the Commandments, we arrive today at the Sixth Word, which concerns the affective and sexual dimension; it reads: Do not commit adultery.
The immediate appeal is to fidelity, and in effect, no human relationship can be authentic without fidelity and loyalty.
One can not love only as long as it is convenient to do so; love manifests itself just beyond the threshold of one's own advantage, at the point where everything is given without reserve. As the Catechism states: Love wants to be definitive. It can not be 'until further notice' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1646). Fidelity is the characteristic of a free, mature, responsible human relationship. Even a friend proves himself to be authentic because he remains such in all circumstances, otherwise he is not a friend. Christ reveals true love, He lives on the boundless love of the Father, and by virtue of this he is the faithful friend who welcomes us even when we make mistakes and always wants our good, even when we do not deserve it.
Human beings need to be loved without conditions, and those who do not receive this welcome bring with them a certain incompleteness, often without knowing it. The human heart tries to fill this void with surrogates, accepting compromises and mediocrity that only possess a vague taste of love. The risk is that we end up seeking love of unripe and immature relationships, with the illusion of finding life's light in something that, at best, is only a reflection of true light.
So it happens for example that we overestimate physical attraction, which in itself is a gift from God but is aimed at preparing the way for an authentic and faithful relationship with the person. As Saint John Paul II said, the human being is called to the full and mature spontaneity of relationships, which are the gradual fruit of the discernment of the impulses of one's heart. It is something that is conquered, since every human being must with perseverance and consistency learn what the meaning of the body is (cf Catechesis, 12 November 1980).
The call to married life therefore requires careful discernment concerning the quality of the relationship and the time required to verify it. To enter the Sacrament of Marriage, the engaged couple must mature the certainty that in their bond there is the hand of God, who precedes them and accompanies them, and who will allow them to say: With the grace of Christ I promise to always be faithful to you. They cannot promise fidelity in joy and pain, in health and in sickness, and to love and honour each other every day of their lives, only on the basis of good will or hope that it will work. They need to build on the solid ground of God's faithful love. And for this reason, before receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony, they need careful preparation, I would say a catechumenate so that they may spend their whole lives in love, and love is not a joke. Three or four conferences given in the parish can not be defined as "preparation for marriage"; no, this is not preparation: this is fake preparation. And the responsibility of those who do this falls on the parish priest, on the bishop who allows these things. The preparation must be ripened and that takes time. It is not a formal act: it is a sacrament. But they must be prepared with a true catechumenate.
In fact, fidelity is a way of being, a style of life. We work with loyalty, we speak sincerely, we remain faithful to the truth in our own thoughts and actions. Lives woven of fidelity are expressed in all dimensions and lead us to be faithful and reliable men and women in all circumstances.
But in order to arrive at such a beautiful life our human nature is not enough; we need the fidelity of God to enter into our existence, to infect us. This Sixth Word calls us to turn our gaze to Christ, who with his fidelity can take from us an adulterous heart and give us a faithful heart. In him, and only in him, there is love without reserve and rethinking, complete giving without parentheses and the tenacity of acceptance to the end.
From his death and resurrection comes our fidelity, from his unconditional love comes our constancy in relationships. From communion with him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit comes the communion among us and the ability to live our relationships in fidelity.
The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace. God bless you!
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