VATICAN CITY. The Pope indicated Saint Joseph as an example of a “mature”, not a “romantic” love for all Christian engaged couples. Joseph, Francis said at the general audience, “gives us an important lesson, he chooses Mary” with open eyes “. And we can say with all the risks. Think, in the Gospel of John, a reproach that the doctors of the law make to Jesus is this: “We are not children who come from there”, in reference to prostitution. But because they knew how Mary got pregnant and they wanted to dirty Jesus’ mother. For me it is the dirtiest, most demonic passage in the Gospel. And Joseph’s risk gives us this lesson: he takes life as it comes. Did God intervene there? I’ll take it. And Joseph does as the angel of the Lord commanded him: In fact, the Gospel says: “When he woke up from sleep, Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took with him his bride, who, without his knowing her, she gave birth to a son, whom he called Jesus ”. Christian engaged couples are called to bear witness to such a love, which has the courage to pass from the logic of falling in love to those of mature love ».
Continuing a cycle of catechesis dedicated to Joseph for the special year that is about to end, Jorge Mario Bergoglio today focused on his reaction in the face of Mary’s pregnancy. “When engaged when the girlfriend was not faithful or became pregnant, they could report her, or they had to, and women at that time were stoned”, he stressed, “but Giuseppe was right,” I won’t do this, I’ll go quiet “” . And «the Gospel says that Joseph was” just “precisely because he was subjected to the law like every pious Israelite. But inside him the love for Mary and the trust he has in her suggest a way that saves the observance of the law and the honor of the bride: he decides to give her the deed of divorce in secret, without fuss, without submitting her to public humiliation. He chooses the path of confidentiality, without trial and recourse. But how much holiness in Joseph, we who as soon as we have a little folkloric, a little bad news about someone else, immediately go to gossip, Joseph shut up », the Pope said, making the sign with his index finger over his mouth. “But the evangelist Matthew immediately adds:” But while he was thinking about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said to him: ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your bride with you. because what is generated in her comes from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you will call him Jesus: for he will save his people from their sins’ “. God’s voice intervenes in Joseph’s discernment and, through a dream, reveals to him a greater meaning than his own justice ”. And if “many times we feel prisoners of what has happened to us, the temptation is to close ourselves in that pain, in that thought of the not beautiful things that have happened to us, and this is not good for us, it leads you to sadness and bitterness », Francis invited the faithful to« reflect on a detail of this story narrated by the Gospel and which we very often overlook. Maria and Giuseppe are two engaged couples who have probably cultivated dreams and expectations regarding their life and their future. God seems to enter as an unforeseen event in their story and, albeit with an initial effort, both open their hearts to the reality that lies before them. Dear brothers and dear sisters, very often our life is not as we imagine it. Especially in relationships of love, of affection, we find it hard to pass from the logic of falling in love to that of mature love. And we must pass from falling in love to mature love: you newlyweds – he continued addressing the couples present in the “Paul VI hall” – think carefully about this. The first phase is always marked by a certain enchantment, which makes us live immersed in an imaginary that often does not correspond to the reality of the facts. But just when falling in love with his expectations seems to end, true love can begin there. In fact, loving is not expecting the other or life to correspond to our imagination; rather it means choosing in complete freedom to take responsibility for life as it is offered to us ».
Hence the example of mature love of Joseph and Mary, which the Pope spiced up with an imaginary dialogue with a married couple, proposing an advice dear to him: “” But, Father, we sometimes quarrel “, but this has happened over time of Adam and Eve to date, that the spouses quarrel is our daily bread … “but shouldn’t we argue?” voice “, well it happens,” and sometimes the dishes fly “, it happens … but how can this not damage the life of the marriage? Listen carefully: never end the day without making peace. We had a fight, I told you bad words my God, I told you bad things. But now the day ends: I have to make peace. Do you know why? Because the cold war the next day is very dangerous. Don’t let the next day go to war. For this to make peace before going to bed. “But Father, I don’t know how to express myself after such a bad situation we have lived”, it’s very easy, do this ”, the Pope explained, placing a hand on his face halfway between a slap and a caress,“ and already peace is made. But always remember, never end the day without making peace, this will help you in married life “.
At the end of the catechesis, the Pope spoke of the journey that begins tomorrow: «Tomorrow I will go to Cyprus and then to Greece to pay a visit to the dear populations of those countries rich in history, spirituality and civilization. It will be a journey to the sources of the apostolic faith and fraternity between Christians of various confessions. I will also have the opportunity to approach a humanity wounded in the flesh of so many migrants in search of hope: I will go to Lesvos. I ask you, please, to accompany me with prayer. Thanks!”.
Francis also thanked in particular the orchestra that accompanied the audience, made up of some people with disabilities: “They are people who have the open way of tenderness more than others”, he commented, “they make music with that tenderness that is proper to their way of being “. Always at the moment of the final greetings, Francis recalled that today is World Aids Day: “It is an important occasion – he said – to remember the many people affected by this virus, for many of whom, in some areas of the world, access to essential care is not available. I hope for a renewed solidarity commitment to guarantee fair and effective health treatments ».
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