Pope Francis "Christ reveals true love, He who lives of the boundless love of the Father..." FULL TEXT + Video

GENERAL AUDIENCE

St. Peter's Square
Wednesday, October 24th 2018


Catechesis on the Commandments, 11 / A: Do not commit adultery

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

In our journey of catechesis on the Commandments we arrive today at the Sixth Word, which concerns the emotional and sexual dimension, and reads: "Do not commit adultery".

The immediate appeal is to fidelity, and indeed no human relationship is authentic without fidelity and loyalty.

One can not love only as long as "it is convenient"; love manifests itself just beyond the threshold of one's own advantage, when everything is given without reserve. As the Catechism states: "Love wants to be definitive. It can not be "until further notice" »(No. 1646). Fidelity is the characteristic of a free, mature, responsible human relationship. Even a friend proves himself authentic because he remains such in all circumstances, otherwise he is not a friend. Christ reveals true love, He who lives of 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.

The human being needs to be loved without conditions, and who does not receive this welcome brings with it a certain incompleteness, often without knowing it. The human heart tries to fill this void with surrogates, accepting compromises and mediocrity that love has only a vague taste. The risk is to call "love" of unripe and immature relationships, with the illusion of finding life's light in something that, at best, is only a reflection of it.

So it happens to overestimate for example the 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 St. John Paul II said, the human being "is called to the full and mature spontaneity of relationships", which "is 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 requires, therefore, a careful discernment on the quality of the relationship and an engagement time 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 will allow them to say: "With the grace of Christ I promise to always be faithful to you" . They can not promise fidelity "in joy and pain, in health and in sickness", and to love and honor each other every day of their lives, only on the basis of good will or hope that "the thing works". They need to build on the solid ground of God's faithful love. And for this, before receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony, we need careful preparation, I would say a catechumenate, because we play our whole life in love, and with the 'love is not joking. 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 him: on the parish priest, on the bishop who allows these things. The preparation must be ripe and it takes time. It is not a formal act: it is a sacrament. But one must prepare with a true catechumenate.

Fidelity is in fact a way of being, a way of life. One works with loyalty, one speaks sincerely, one remains faithful to the truth in one's own thoughts and actions. A life woven of fidelity is expressed in all dimensions and leads to being faithful and reliable men and women in all circumstances.

But to arrive at such a beautiful life our human nature is not enough; it is necessary that the fidelity of God enter into our existence, 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 brackets and the tenacity of acceptance to the end.

From his death and resurrection comes our fidelity, from his unconditional love comes 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 in fidelity our bonds.

Greetings in Various Languages:

Je suis heureux de saluer les pèlerins venus de France et de divers pays francophones, en particulier des pèlerins de Rennes, Coutances et Bayeux-Lisieux, avec leurs évêques Mgr d’Ornellas, Mgr Le Boulc’h et Mgr Boulanger ; tous les jeunes présents, les membres de l’Aumônerie catholique Tamoule Indienne de France, du groupe Bayard Presse, du Mouvement Sève, ainsi que des pèlerins de Suisse et du Québec. En Jésus-Christ, et en lui seulement, se trouve l’amour sans réserves, le don total sans parenthèses, la persévérance de l’accueil jusqu’au bout. Que de la communion avec Lui, avec le Père et le Saint Esprit, puisse grandir la communion entre nous et le savoir-vivre dans la fidélité toujours! Que Dieu vous bénisse !

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!

Von Herzen grüße ich die Pilger deutscher Sprache, besonders die vielen Jugendlichen. Wo es Liebe unter uns gibt, wächst auch das Verständnis und die Vergebung. Der Herr segne euch und eure Lieben.

Saludo cordialmente a los peregrinos de lengua española provenientes de España y América Latina, y en especial a los participantes en el Encuentro sobre la doctrina social de la Iglesia, organizado por la Pontificia Universidad de la Santa Cruz. Pidamos a la Virgen María, Madre de Dios y madre nuestra, que nos ayude a todos, y de modo especial a los jóvenes, a saber descubrir y vivir la belleza del amor humano como una llamada a la entrega y a la donación total de sí mismos, libre de egoísmos y superficialidades. Que el Señor los bendiga. Muchas

Com grande afeto, saúdo os peregrinos de língua portuguesa, em particular os fiéis da diocese de Januária, acompanhados pelo seu Bispo José Moreira da Silva, e os fiéis da paróquia de Nossa Senhora de Fátima de Jundiaí. Vele sobre o vosso caminho a Virgem Maria e vos ajude a ser sinal de confiança e esperança no meio dos vossos irmãos. Sobre vós e vossas famílias desça a Bênção de Deus.

أرحب بمودة بالحاضرين الناطقين باللغة العربية، وخاصة بالقادمين من الأراضي المقدسة ومن الشرق الأوسط. "لا تزن" هي دعوة لحفظ الأمانة ولصون المحبة من جرح الخيانة. فوحده الحب المبني على صخرة الإيمان بالله، والثقة بالآخر، يستطيع أن يصمد أمام رياح التجارب، وأعاصير التقلبات المزاجية، وإغراءات العالم. فكلمة أحبك تحمل في ذاته، في الواقع، العهد بالأمانة الدائمة. ليبارككم الرب جميعا ويحرسكم من الشرير!

Witam polskich pielgrzymów. Pozdrawiam szczególnie profesorów i uczniów Liceum im. Norwida ze Stargardu, promotorów inicjatywy nazwanej „Kartka pokoju” – apelu o pokój, który zredagowali po solidnym studium nauczania Papieży XX i XXI wieku, i który z okazji 100-lecia niepodległości Polski zostanie rozesłany do przywódców wszystkich krajów świata. W przyszłą niedzielę Kościół w Polsce będzie obchodził X Dzień Solidarności z Kościołem Prześladowanym, organizowany przez Stowarzyszenie Pomoc Kościołowi w Potrzebie i Konferencję Episkopatu Polski. Pomoc materialna zostanie w tym roku przekazana chrześcijanom w Pakistanie. Dziękuję za te inicjatywy pokoju i solidarności. Niech Bóg wam błogosławi!

Od srca pozdravljam hrvatske hodočasnike, a osobito skupinu od jedanaestero biciklista koji su biciklima prešli put od 1160 km od Zagreba do Rima. Dobri ste! Zahvaljujem vam na ovom svjedočanstvu vjere i odanosti Petrovu Nasljedniku. Hvaljen Isus i Marija!

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I extend a cordial welcome to Italian-speaking pilgrims.

I am pleased to welcome the Capitulars of the Little Sisters of the abandoned elderly and the Religious who are taking part in the meeting promoted by the Union of Major Superiors of Italy (USMI).

I greet the parish groups; the youth of the Diocese of Faenza-Modigliana, with Bishop Monsignor Mario Toso; the pilgrimage of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Ravasco Institute); the Emodialized and transplanted group of Chioggia-Padova and the school institutes, in particular the professional technical pole of Lugo and the Istituto comprensivo di Ripi.

A special thought I address to the young, the elderly, the sick and the newlyweds.

Dear friends, the Gospel message of Christ does not ask us to do extraordinary things, but to let God act in our lives. He told us: "Without me you can do nothing" (Jn 15: 5). The Christian life is the meeting of our weakness with the strength of God's grace, which allows us to live a full and joyful life every day, where charity means doing everything with joy and humility, for the glory of God and for the good of men. .