What does meditation consist of? The Pope explains it in the audience"The Holy Spirit pushes us to enter the desert."General Audience: Praise God always, in good times and in bad.The Holy Spirit and the sacrament of marriage' was the theme of the catechesis addressed by the Holy Father Francis this Wednesday morning at the Audience General Chapter of this October 23, in his tenth catechesis on the Holy Spirit.
The reading of a paragraph from the first letter of the Apostle John was the basis of Pope Francis' meditation. Specifically, the one that says: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God. He who does not love does not know God, because God is love".
Christian marriage
"Today we reflect on how the relationship of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son, has
much to say to the sacrament of marriage, to the family," the Pope began. "In Christian marriage, man and woman give themselves to each other, their relationship is the first and fundamental realization of the communion of love that is the Trinity."
"In it, the Father is the Source of all love, the Son is the Beloved who corresponds with love, and the Holy Spirit is the Love that unites them. We say that the Holy Spirit is a gift, indeed, that He is the gift par excellence. Therefore, in order to respond to the vocation of marriage, which is also a gift, it is necessary to let him enter.
"There are so many husbands who have no wine"....
It is not by chance that "some Fathers of the Latin Church have used images proper to conjugal love, such as the kiss and the embrace, to speak of how in the Trinity the Holy Spirit is the reciprocal gift of the Father and the Son, and the reason for the joy that reigns between them," added the Pope, who looked in particular to St. Augustine.
"Today there are so many spouses about whom it could be said, as Mary said to Jesus at Cana in Galilee: "They have no wine" (Jn 2:3). And it is the Holy Spirit who continues to work the miracle that Jesus did on that occasion," he said.
"How much children need parental unity!"
In his meditation, the Pope emphasized that "spouses must form a first person plural, a 'we'. To stand before each other as an 'I' and a 'you', and to stand before the rest of the world, including the children, as a 'we'. How beautiful it is to hear a mother say to her children, 'Your father and I...,' as Mary said to Jesus, then twelve years old, when they found him in the temple (cf. Lk 2:48); and to hear a father say, 'Your mother and I,' almost as if they were one person. How much children need this parental unity and how much they suffer when it is missing!"
"In order to respond to this vocation, the married couple needs the support of the One who is the Gift, or rather, the one who gives himself par excellence. Where the Holy Spirit enters, the capacity for self-giving is reborn," he added.
"St. John Paul II, the Pope of families".
In his words to the Polish pilgrims, the Pope greeted them cordially, and said: "Yesterday we remembered in the liturgy St. John Paul II. He was, as I said at his canonization, the Pope of families. He constantly reminded you Poles that the strength of the family must come from God. We ask for the strength of the Holy Spirit for all families, so that he may revive in them the capacity for self-giving and the joy of being together. I bless you from my heart".
Special greetings to those in Lebanon
He addressed the Arabic-speaking faithful as follows: "I greet the Arabic-speaking faithful, especially those of the Lebanon. We ask for the intercession of new saintsWe ask you, the Franciscan friars and the Massabki brothers, that we too may follow Christ in service and be witnesses of hope for the world. May the Lord bless you all and protect you always from all evil".
Spanish and English language
The Pope invited the Spanish-speaking pilgrims to "always invoke the Holy Spirit to renew love and union in Christian marriages and in all families. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin watch over you".
As for the English-speaking pilgrims, the impression is that the number of countries he is addressing continues to increase. These were his words: "I greet the English-speaking pilgrims, especially those from England, Denmark, Norway, Madagascar, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. On all of you and on your families I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you.
"Missionaries of the Gospel".
Finally, to the Italian-speaking Romans and pilgrims, the Roman Pontiff asked that "with the power of the Holy Spirit, be courageous and joyful witnesses of Jesus in the family, in the parish and in all environments. The month of October invites us to renew our active collaboration in the mission of the Church. May you be missionaries of the Gospel everywhere, offering the spiritual support of prayer and your concrete help to those who struggle to bring it to those who do not yet know it".
