Pope Benedict: New Evangelisation inseparable from family
“The new evangelization depends largely on the domestic Church. In our time, as in
times past, the eclipse of God, the spread of ideologies contrary to the family and
the degradation of sexual ethics are intertwined. And just as the eclipse of God and
the crisis of the family are linked, so the new evangelization is inseparable from
the Christian family”, said Pope Benedict XVI Thursday as he greeted participants
at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Below
a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s address to participants:
Cardinals, Venerable
Brothers in the Episcopate and the Priesthood, dear brothers and sisters!
I
am pleased to welcome you on the occasion of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical
Council for the Family, on the occasion of a double XXX anniversary: that of the Apostolic
Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, published November 22, 1981 by Blessed John
Paul II and the Congregation itself, which he established on May 9 with the Motu Proprio
Familia a Deo instituta, as a sign of the importance to be attributed to family
ministry in the world and at the same time, as an effective tool to help promote it
at every level (cf. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 73). I cordially greet
Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, thanking him for the words with which he introduced our
meeting, as well as the Bishop Secretary, other employees and all of you gathered
here.
The new evangelization depends largely on the domestic Church (cf. ibid.,
65). In our time, as in times past, the eclipse of God, the spread of ideologies contrary
to the family and the degradation of sexual ethics are intertwined. And just as the
eclipse of God and the crisis of the family are linked, so the new evangelization
is inseparable from the Christian family. The family is indeed the way of the Church
because it is the "human space" of our encounter with Christ. Spouses, " not only
receive the love of Christ and become a saved community, but they are also called
upon to communicate Christ's love to their brethren, thus becoming a saving community
" (ibid., 49). The family founded on the Sacrament of Matrimony is a particular realisation
of the Church, saved and saving, evangelized and evangelizing community. Just like
the Church, it is called to welcome, radiate and show the world the love and the presence
of Christ. The reception and transmission of divine love are realized in the mutual
commitment of spouses, generous and responsible procreation, in the care and education
of children, work and social relationships, with attention to the needy, in participation
in church activities, in commitment to civil society. The Christian Family to the
extent it succeeds in living love as communion and service as a reciprocal gift open
to all, through a process of ongoing conversion supported by the grace of God, reflects
the splendour of Christ in the world and the beauty of the divine Trinity. Saint Augustine
has a famous quote: "immo vero vides Trinitatem, si caritatem vides ", "If you see
charity, yes indeed you see the Trinity " (De Trinitate, VIII, 8). And the family
is one of the fundamental places where you live and are educated to love and charity.
In
the wake of my predecessors, I too have repeatedly urged Christians spouses to evangelize
both with the witness of life and with involvement in the pastoral activities. I did
so recently at Ancona, at the end of the Italian National Eucharistic Congress. There
I wanted to meet with couples and priests. In fact, the two sacraments, "at the service
of communion" (CCC, n. 1534), Holy Orders and Matrimony, are traced to the sole source
of the Eucharist. " both these states of life share the same root in the love of Christ
who gives himself for humanity’s salvation. They are called to a common mission: to
witness to and make present this love at the service of the community in order to
build up the People of God. This perspective makes it possible to overcome a reductive
vision of the family, which sees it merely as the object of pastoral action. [...]The
family is a source of wealth for married couples, an irreplaceable good for children,
an indispensable foundation of society and a vital community for the journey of the
Church". (Homily at Ancona, September 11, 2011). By virtue of this " family is the
privileged place of human and Christian education and remains, for this end, as the
closest ally of the priestly ministry. [...] No vocation is a private matter, and
even less so is the vocation to marriage"(ibid.).
There are some areas where
the prominence of Christian families in collaboration with priests, and under the
guidance of Bishops is particularly urgent: the education of children, adolescents
and young people to love, understood as self-giving and communion, and the preparation
of engaged couples to married life with a journey of faith, and the formation of married
couples, especially young couples, the experiences associated with charitable purposes,
education and civic engagement, and the pastoral care of families for families, towards
life-long commitment, giving due value to time dedicated to work and that of rest.
Dear
friends, we are preparing for the VII World Meeting of Families to be held in Milan
from May 30 to June 3, 2012. It will be a great joy for me and for us all to come
together, to pray and to celebrate with families who come from around the world, accompanied
by their pastors. I thank the Ambrosian Church for the great efforts made thus far
and for those of the coming months. I invite the families of Milan and Lombardy to
open the doors of their houses to accommodate the pilgrims who come from all over
the world. In hospitality we experience joy and enthusiasm: it's nice to make acquaintances
and friendships, recounting the experience of family life and the faith experience
associated with it. In my letter convoking the Meeting in Milan I asked for "an adequate
process of ecclesial and cultural preparation", so the event will be successful and
able to actively involve the Christian communities around the world. I thank those
who have already taken steps in that direction and call on those who have not yet
done so to take advantage of the next few months. Your Council has already provided
valuable help in drawing up a catechism with the theme "The Family: Work and Rest";
it has also proposed a "family week" for the parishes, associations and movements,
and other laudable initiatives.
Thank you again for your visit and for the
work you do for families and service of the Gospel.