Faith, Marriage and the Family
Marriage in the Order of Creation
The Catechism of our Catholic church - Article 7 - 1603
The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws. . . . God himself is the author of marriage." The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator. Marriage is not a purely human institution despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. These differences should not cause us to forget its common and permanent characteristics. Although the dignity of this institution is not transparent everywhere with the same clarity, some sense of the greatness of the matrimonial union exists in all cultures. "The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life
Pope Francis on the Family
The couple that loves and begets life is a true, living icon – not an idol like those of stone or gold prohibited by the Decalogue – capable of revealing God the Creator and Saviour. For this reason, fruitful love becomes a symbol of God’s inner life
Lasting Truths
Seeing "the Family" as "the Sanctuary of Life" and placing it at the heart of "the Culture of Life" - we see its significance for what it is. The child, as revealed through our teaching, is the fruit of the love shared by the spouses - a precious supreme gift from our creator; one which should be welcomed, cherished and loved.
Only when we truly grasp the significance of the family and its role within the culture of today, can we escape the culture of death which promotes an ant-baby mentality to fit the fleeting passions of the day.
Pope John Paul II
"Every individual born and raised in a family constitutes a potential treasure which must be responsibly accepted, so that it will not be diminished or lost, but will rather come to an ever more mature humanity (John Paul II, Gratissimam sane, #16) .
A prayerful and joyful celebrationfor married couples and families
The World Meeting of Families is held every three years, in rotating host dioceses across the globe. Each meeting begins with a Congress that invites married couples, families, priests, theologians, and professionals with expertise on a variety of issues that affect family life together for workshops, talks, and discussions surrounding the theme. After the Congress, there is an all-day Festival of Families that invites all participants into a prayerful and joyful celebration of family life, usually held in a large stadium or arena with the participation of the Holy Father. Finally, the event concludes with Sunday Mass, customarily celebrated by the Holy Father, to bring the participants together as a family of families, the universal Church, in the name of Christ Jesus.