Faith in the family

Richard A. Sokerka

Pope Francis has been centering his catechesis for his weekly general audience on the family as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September in Philadel­phia and October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.

In his most recent address, the pope talked about how fewer people today are getting married.

As to why young people are no longer interested in getting married, the pope suggested that they have come to view marriage as something temporary. He asked if young people prefer to live together with “limited responsibility” or whether they have lost faith in marriage and the family, saying that if this is the case, then “why don’t they have faith in the family?”

Men and women desire a stable marriage and a happy family, Pope Francis said, but fear of failure prevents them from “trusting in Christ’s promise of grace in marriage and in the family.”

“The most persuasive witness of the blessing of Christian marriage is the good life of Christian spouses, and the family,” the pope said. “There is no better way of expressing the beauty of the sacrament!”

For Jesus to begin his public performance of miracles at the wedding feast of Cana is significant, the pope noted, saying that by doing so “Jesus teaches us that the masterpiece of society is the family — the man and woman who love each other!”

Consecrated by God, marriage “protects the bond between man and woman,” he said, and is “the source of peace and goodness for all of marriage and family life, “ That’s a timely message that needs to resonate with today’s young adults.