Catholic marriage, according to Pope Francis, is a gift, not only a formality or rule.
“Marriage is not a formality to be fulfilled. You don’t get married to be Catholic ‘with the label,’ to obey a rule, or because the Church says so, or to throw a party,” the pope said at the opening event of the World Meeting of Families on June 22.
“You get married,” he continued, “because you want to base your marriage on the love of Christ, which is as firm as a rock.”
“We can say that when a man and a woman fall in love, God offers them a gift: marriage. A wonderful gift, which has in it the power of divine love: strong, enduring, faithful, able to recover after any failure or fragility,” Francis said.
The World Meeting of Families 2022 kicked off with a Family Festival in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. Il Volo, an Italian operatic rock trio, performed at the event.
Pope Francis and almost 2,000 families from around the world also listened to the testimonies of married couples and individuals who overcame enormous obstacles or served others.
The 10th World Meeting of Families, which concludes on June 26, features three days of presentations by lay Catholics on marriage and the family. Mass and Eucharistic devotion are also planned.
Pope Francis told families: “In marriage Christ gives himself to you, so that you have the strength to give yourselves to each other.”
“Take courage, then, family life is not an impossible mission,” he added. “With the grace of the sacrament, God makes it a wonderful journey to be taken together with him, never alone.”
“Family is not a beautiful ideal, unattainable in reality. God guarantees his presence in marriage and family, not only on your wedding day but throughout your life. And he sustains you every day in your journey,” Francis said.