In the final reflection of his catechetical series on the family, Pope Francis affirmed that the “new covenant between man and woman” is necessary in fighting against the colonization of money and ideology.
The Pope said this at today’s general audience, linking this catechesis series to two major upcoming events focused on the family: The World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia and the Synod of Bishops in Rome.
“Both have a worldwide importance, that [not only] corresponds to the universal dimension of Christianity, but also to the universal scope of this fundamental and irreplaceable human community which is precisely the family,” he said.
Today’s civilization, he continued, is marked by the “subordination of ethics to the logic of profit.” For this reason, “a new covenant of man and woman becomes not only necessary but also strategic for the emancipation of peoples from the colonization of money.”
The 78-year-old Pontiff stressed the importance of the marital union between man and woman, saying that faith draws from the wisdom of God’s creation, as God entrusted the family to “make the world ‘domestic’”
“The family is precisely from the beginning, at the base of this world culture that saves us. It saves us from many, many attacks, from many destructions, like that of money and ideology that threatens so many in the world. The family is the base to defend this.”
The Pope went on to say that God’s creation is not simply a philosophical premise, but rather “the universal horizon of faith and life.”
He also said that the world was entrusted to man and woman and that what happens between them imprints everything else.
“Their rejection of God’s blessing inevitably leads to delusions of grandeur that ruins everything. It is that which we call ‘original sin.’ And we are born into this world inheriting this sickness,” the Pope said.
However, the Holy Father said that through Scripture, we learn that God places enmity between the woman and the serpent, thus emphasizing the important role that women play in the family.
“This means that the woman carries a secret and special blessing, for the defense of her creatures from Evil!” he exclaimed.
“There are many stereotypes, often times offensive, on the temptress woman who inspires evil. Instead, there is room for a theology of the woman that lives up to this blessing of God for her and for the generations.”
God’s protection, he continued, extends equally to both man and woman, as exemplified in Genesis, when God makes “garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothes them” following their banishment from the Garden of Eden.
“This gesture of tenderness means that even in the painful consequences of our sin, God does not want us to remain nude and abandoned to our fate of sinners. This divine tenderness, this care for us, we see made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, son of God [and] ‘born of woman.’»
Concluding his address, Pope Francis called on the faithful to walk together in this blessing of God as brothers and sisters, that moves forward and is born from the family and the union between man and woman.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/general-audience-on-the-universal-importance-of-the-family
