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THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE
On
the Sunday the gospel present Jesus’ words on the sacrament
of marriage. To this, Pope Benedict XVI gave his Papal address before
reciting the midday Angelus with the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s
Square.
Below is a translation of the Holy Father’s message by Zenit.
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Dear
Brothers and Sisters:
This
Sunday, the Gospel presents us Jesus' words on marriage. To the
question if it is lawful for a husband to repudiate his wife, as
established by a precept of the Mosaic law (cf. Deuteronomy 24:1),
he responded that it was a concession of Moses because of "hardness
of heart," while the truth about marriage goes back "to
the beginning of creation," when, as is written in Genesis,
God "made them male and female. For this reason a man shall
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two
shall become one" (Mark 10:6-7; cf. Genesis 1:27; 2:24).
And
Jesus added: "So they are no longer two but one. What therefore
God has joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:8-9).
This was God's original plan, as the Second Vatican Council also
reminded in the constitution "Gaudium et Spes": "The
intimate partnership of married life and love has been established
by the Creator and qualified by his laws, and is rooted in the conjugal
covenant. ... For God himself is the author of matrimony" (No.
48).
My
thought is directed to all Christian spouses: With them I thank
the Lord for the gift of the sacrament of marriage, and exhort them
to remain faithful to their vocation in each stage of life, "in
joy and in sorrow, in health and in sickness," as they promised
in the sacramental rite.
May
Christian spouses, aware of the grace received, build a family open
to life and capable of facing together the numerous and complicated
challenges of our time. Their testimony is particularly necessary
today. Families are needed that do not let themselves be drawn by
modern cultural currents inspired by hedonism and relativism, and
that are willing to realize their mission in the Church and in society
with generous dedication.
In
the apostolic exhortation "Familiaris Consortio," the
Servant of God John Paul II wrote that the sacrament of marriage
"makes Christian married couples and parents witnesses of Christ
'to the end of the earth,' as authentic 'missionaries' of love and
life" (cf. No. 54). This mission is oriented both to the internal
life of the family -- especially in mutual service and in the education
of children -- as well as the external: the domestic community,
in fact, is called to be the sign of God's love to all. The family
can only fulfill this mission if it is supported by divine grace.
For this reason, it is necessary to pray tirelessly and to persevere
in the daily effort to keep the commitments assumed on the wedding
day.
I
invoke the maternal protection of the Virgin and of Joseph her spouse
on all families, especially those going through difficulties. Mary,
Queen of the Family, pray for us!
At
the end of the Angelus, the Pope greeted pilgrims in several languages.
In English, he said:
I
warmly welcome the English-speaking pilgrims who are here today.
Throughout this month of October we remember in a special way Our
Blessed Lady. We ask for her prayers for our loved ones and for
ourselves. May her Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, bless
all of you during your stay in Rome.
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| LIVES
OF THE SAINTS |
MAY 1
ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER
This is St. Joseph's second feast day on the Church calendar of celebrations. We honor him also on March 19. St. Joseph is a very important saint. 
MAY 2
ST. ATHANASIUS
St. Athanasius was born around 297 in Alexandria, Egypt. He devoted his life to proving that Jesus is truly God.
MAY 3
ST. PHILIP AND ST. JAMES
Both of these saints were part of the original group of Jesus' twelve apostles.
MAY 4
BLESSED MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS
Blessed Marie-Elodie Paradis was born in the village of L'Acadie in Quebec, Canada. It was May 12, 1840.
MAY 5
ST. JUDITH OF PRUSSIA
St. Judith lived in the thirteenth century. She was born in Thuringia. This was in what is now central Germany. She wanted to model her life on the example of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
MAY 6
BLESSED FRANCOIS DE MONTMORENCY LAVAL
Blessed Francois was the first bishop of Quebec City, Canada. He was born in 1623 in a small town in France.
MAY 7
BLESSED ROSE VENERINI
Blessed Rose was born in Viterbo, Italy, in 1656. Her father was a physician. Rose entered the convent but returned home after a few months.
MAY 8
BLESSED CATHERINE OF ST. AUGUSTINE
St. Catherine was born on May 3, 1632, in a little village in France. She was baptized the same day.
MAY 9
BLESSED NICHOLAS ALBERGATI
Blessed Nicholas was born in Bologna, Italy. Nicholas' family could afford to send him to the university where he began to study law.
MAY 10
ST. ANTONINUS
St. Antoninus lived in the fifteenth century. Even as a boy he showed that he had good sense and will power.
MAY 11
ST. IGNATIUS OF LACONI
St. Ignatius was the son of a poor farmer in Laconi, Italy. He was born on December 17, 1701.
MAY 12
ST. NEREUS, ST. ACHILLEUS AND ST. PANCRAS
Sts. Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers who died around 304. They were probably Praetorian guards under Emperor Trajan. We know little else about them.
MAY 13
ST. ANDREW FOURNET
St. Andrew Fournet was born on December 6, 1752. He was from Maille, a little town near Poitiers, in France. Andrew's parents were religious people.
MAY 14
ST. MATTHIAS
St. Matthias was one of Our Lord's seventy-two disciples.
MAY 15
ST. ISIDORE THE FARMER
Saint Isidore was born in 1070, in Madrid, Spain. His parents were deeply religious. They named their son after the great St. Isidore, archbishop of Seville, Spain.
MAY 16
ST. UBALD
St. Ubald lived in twelfth-century Italy. He was an orphan raised by his uncle, a bishop. Ubald was given a good education.
MAY 17
ST. PASCHAL BAYLON
St. Paschal, a Spanish saint, was born in 1540. From the time he was seven, he worked as a shepherd. He never had the opportunity to go to school.
MAY 18
ST. JOHN I
St. John I was a priest of Rome. He became pope after the death of Pope St. Hormisdas in 523. At that time, Italy's ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian.
MAY 19
ST. CELESTINE V
Peter di Morone was the eleventh of twelve children. He was born around 1210 in Isernia, Italy. His father died when he was small.
MAY 20
ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA
St. Bernardine of Siena was born in 1380 in a town near Siena, Italy. He was the son of an Italian governor.
MAY 21
BLESSED EUGENE DE MAZENOD
Blessed Eugene was born in France in 1782. He became a priest in 1811. Father Eugene was sensitive to the needs of the poor and he ministered to them.
MAY 22
ST. RITA OF CASCIA
St. Rita was born in 1381 in a little Italian village. Her parents were older. They had begged God to send them a child. They brought Rita up well.
MAY 23
ST. JOHN BAPTIST ROSSI
St. John Baptist Rossi was born in 1698 in a village near Genoa, Italy. His family loved him. They were proud when a wealthy couple visiting their town offered to educate him. His parents knew the couple and trusted them.
MAY 24
ST. DAVID I OF SCOTLAND
St. David was born in 1080. He was the youngest son of St. Margaret, queen of Scotland, and her good husband, King Malcom.
MAY 25
VENERABLE BEDE
Venerable Bede, the English priest, was famous as a saint, a priest, a monk, a teacher and a writer of history. He was born in England in 673.
MAY 26
ST. PHILIP NERI
St. Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1515. As a child, his nickname was "Good little Phil." He was always so jolly and friendly that everyone he met loved him.
MAY 27
ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY
St. Augustine was the abbot of St. Andrew's monastery in Rome. Pope St. Gregory the Great chose him and forty other monks for a mission dear to his heart.
MAY 28
BLESSED MARGARET POLE
Blessed Margaret was born in 1471. She was the niece of two English kings, Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VII arranged her marriage to Sir Reginald Pole.
MAY 29
ST. MAXIMINIUS
St. Maximinius was a bishop who lived in the fourth century. It is believed that he was born in Poitiers, France. As a young man, he heard of a saintly bishop of Trier, in Gaul.
MAY 30
ST. JOAN OF ARC
St. Joan was born in 1412. Her hometown was Domremy, a little village in France. Jacques d'Arc, her father, was a hard working farmer.
MAY 31
THE VISITATION OF MARY
Visitation means "visit." The Archangel Gabriel told the Blessed Virgin Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was going to have a baby.
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PHOTO OF THE MONTH |
Tour
of the Relics of the Passion
(International Center
for Holy Relics)
www.HolyRelics.org
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| REFLECTIONS |
 “Jesus’
Baptism”
Why did Jesus, the sinless one sent from the Father in heaven,
submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke
3:3). In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of
the “baptism” of Jesus bloody death upon the
cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning
of his mission as God’s suffering Servant (Isaiah
52:13-15; 53:1-12). He allowed himself to be numbered among
sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s
will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust
and submission to God?
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