Pope joins rally of engaged couples

February 14, 12014 - As the world marked Valentine’s Day on Friday, Pope Francis presided over a massive rally of over 20 thousand engaged couples from some 30 countries in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square, urging them to build their life not on the sand of passing sentiments but on the rock of true love that comes from God. The highlight of the festival, punctuated with music, singing, dancing, witnessing, prayers and reflections, was the Pope fielding a set of questions from the young people. The rally organized by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family was on the theme, “The Joy of ‘Yes’ forever.” The Pope noted that many preparing for marriage say that they are together until love lasts. The Pope warned that in our age where things change fast with nothing lasting long, many people are afraid of making lifelong choices, regarding them as impossible. But, he said, we must not allow ourselves to be overcome by the culture of the transient. If love is only a sentiment at the psychophysical level, it is like building a house on sand, the Pope explained. Instead if love is a relation that grows by living together for ever one must build it on the rock of true love, which comes from God. The fear of living together for ever, the Pontiff said, is overcome by trusting in the Lord day by day, in a spiritual journey step by step that helps men and women mature in faith. This living together is an art, a patient walk, yet beautiful and fascinating. This walking together daily, the Pope said, has rules which can by summarized in three words, which he had earlier advised to Catholic families – namely, please, thank you and sorry, which keep the family healthy. He urged the engaged couples to pray to Jesus to multiply their love just as He multiplied the bread to feed the crowd. While praying the ‘Our Father’, the Pope urged them to say ‘give us today our daily bread, to teach us to love and with each other well.” The more you entrust yourselves to Him, the more lasting will be your love, to renew yourselves and overcome difficulties. Pope Francis gifted each engaged couple a wedding ring cushion with which to solemnize their marriage.
As the Pope joined the young people in ST. Peter's Square, he posted a tweet on his Twitter account @pontifex saying, “Dear young people, don’t be afraid to marry. A faithful and fruitful marriage will bring you happiness.