Jun 27 Sat
Must every family be formed by a man and a woman?
The Pope affirmed this in a message to a symposium on the family in Brazil. Pope Leo XIV described the family as a “unique community of persons formed by a man and a woman.”
It was the second such statement from Pope Leo in recent days. On May 25, Pope Leo told European lawmakers that the family is “founded on marriage between a man and a woman.”
Both remarks follow the Pontiff’s assurance to the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, on the “non-blessing” of same-sex couples.
“The Church teaches that the family is the ‘primary and essential cell of society’ and, for this reason, must be protected and promoted. Called to proclaim God’s love in today’s world, this unique community of persons formed by a man and a woman is so united in love that they become “one flesh.”
“Let us therefore look to the example of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The small yet fundamental virtues of the home in which Jesus was born and grew up, learning from Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary, must serve as an inspiration and model for all our homes and be the source from which true peace is sought. Indeed, as Benedict XVI pointed out, the family plays a primary and indispensable role as a ‘teacher of peace’.”
God's strategic plan is straightforward: Restore all creation in Christ, the King of the Universe. Matrimony, and the fruitfulness of the marital embrace, are indispensable to the survival of the species and the continuance of His New Creation. In the mystery of heaven, the more, the merrier.
“A Christian marriage is not just a social institution, much less a mere remedy for human weakness. It is a real supernatural calling. A great sacrament, in Christ and in the Church, says St Paul. At the same time, it is a permanent contract between a man and a woman. Whether we like it or not, the sacrament of matrimony, instituted by Christ, cannot be dissolved. It is a permanent contract that sanctifies in cooperation with Jesus Christ. He fills the souls of husband and wife and invites them to follow him. He transforms their whole married life into an occasion for God's presence on earth."
“Husband and wife are called to sanctify their married life and to sanctify themselves in it. It would be a serious mistake if they were to exclude family life from their spiritual development. The marriage union, the care and education of children, the effort to provide for the needs of the family as well as for its security and development, the relationships with other persons who make up the community, all these are among the ordinary human situations that Christian couples are called upon to sanctify." St. Josemaría
The family and the priesthood are linchpins of authentic Catholic doctrine and life. The strategic objective of the Devil’s rebellion is to destroy these tangible lifelines to the New Creation. The diabolical game plan is all too familiar: Undermine marriage and the family—and destroy the priesthood.
Let’s make God’s strategic plan our plan. Love God, love neighbor, love marriage, love life, and love the apostolic priesthood. And expect eternal happiness.