Homily
" I give you a new commandment: love one another;
Just as I have loved you, you also must love one another"(Jn.13: 34).
Here we are, my dear fellow pilgrims, at the Shrine of Mary, Our Lady of Knock, to invoke her protection, to learn from her example and to be inspired by the love she bears for her Son, Jesus. Mary, the Mother par excellence is also the disciple par excellence. She, the Mother of the Church, is the first Christian Pilgrim to have reached the total fulfilment of the Paschal Mystery. To her we turn today as we ask her to draw us closer to her Son, Jesus.
Discipleship of Jesus means having that mind and heart which is in Christ Jesus; it means giving Him space in our lives so that He can direct us to His Father by the power of His Spirit; it means being persons capable of loving in the manner in which He loves, without counting the cost. Only in this way can we be known as His disciples, for He has said: " By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples" (Jn. 13:35).
Love is at the heart of the Christian message - love of God and love of each other. Love is the very oxygen which keeps the Christian Family healthy and strong. I remember hearing Pope Paul VI say, as he was addressing a group of newly married couples, that " for those who are engaged to be married love is a pleasure, whereas for those who are already married love is a duty". In this way he was stressing the necessity of working always at maintaining Christian love at the heart of marital relationships. Christ Jesus manifests himself to the world through those who are imbued with His saving grace and He wishes to do so particularly through genuine Christian Family living. The Family is dependent on the loving bond of marital relationship for its vitality and society is dependent on the healthy family unit as the veritable foundation- stone of its stability. So it is important that we care for the Family in its varied aspects, so as to ensure for Society, as a whole, a sure basis on which to build for the wellbeing of all.
This year we celebrate, throughout the world, the 10th Anniversary of the International
Year of the Family established by the United Nations. The Irish Bishops have
decided that, as Christians and disciples of Christ, we should mark this special
occasion in a twofold way: firstly, that we should celebrate Christian Marriage
with hearts grateful for all the graces and blessings which flow from this special
Sacrament; and secondly, that we should then celebrate Christian Family Life
invoking God's protection and blessing on all families in our Nation.
The first celebration, that of Christian Marriage, is being celebrated today
throughout Ireland. The celebration of Christian Family Life will take place
next Sunday, the 16th of May.
The Christian Family is founded and rooted in a love relationship, consecrated in the Sacrament of Marriage. Christian Marriage is a sacred union which enriches the natural bond of love. It binds those who enter it to be faithful to each other forever and it ensures the abiding grace to enable the couple to live through the challenges of life in peace and harmony. This Grace is called the sacramental grace of marriage. Christian Marriage calls for honour and respect, for openness to love and to life. As the Marriage Rite states: " Marriage is from God: He alone can give the happiness which goes beyond human expectation, and which grows deeper through the difficulties and struggles of life". In Christian Marriage the Bride and Groom enter into a covenant of love with each other and with God. That covenant of love, faithfully kept and respected, is one of the most expressive means by which Christ makes Himself manifest in the world of today. Christ wishes to be present and active in every Christian marriage and indeed it is rightly said that He says to each couple on their wedding day: " Thank you for inviting me to your wedding. Please invite me to your marriage". Christ is the guarantor of the permanence and fruitfulness of Christian Marriage. It is for this reason that the Catholic Church will always uphold the sacredness of Christian Marriage and will insist that other forms of relationships and union are not of the same nature and status.
As we give thanks today for the many blessings and graces bestowed on the families of this Nation through the sacred institution of Christian Marriage, we are only too conscious of the difficulties and challenges to be faced in the present climate of our modern world. Our world needs the witness of fidelity in marriage. Our families need the oxygen of love to maintain the bond of unity and our children need the love, care and security that can only come from a home that is at peace with itself and with God. This calls for an adequate and comprehensive preparation for marriage, during which the Christian understanding of marriage and the family are clearly enunciated. The Holy Father, Pope John Paul, has said: " it is necessary to enrich the theology and spirituality of marriage and family life; to proclaim with firmness and integrity, and to demonstrate by convincing examples, the truth and beauty of the family founded upon marriage and understood as a stable and fruitful union of man and woman; and to promote in every ecclesial community an adequate and integrated programme of pastoral care for the family"( Familiaris Consortio, 91). The Catholic Church in Ireland endeavours to do this through the dedicated agency of ACCORD, providing care and support for those preparing for marriage, for those already married through a programme of enrichment and for those experiencing difficulties in their relationships through remedial counselling. I take this occasion to thank all those engaged in the excellent services of ACCORD throughout this Nation for the invaluable and generous service they render in safeguarding and promoting the Christian ideal of marriage.
Given the stresses and strains of modern living, it is necessary for married
couples to work at the development of their love so that it can be a guiding
light for their family and an inspiration to the community in which they live.
Those who are engaged in marriage counselling would indicate some ways in which
to ensure that marital love be healthy. They would say:
1. Find time for and with each other, while respecting each other's space. In
our busy world it is sometimes difficult to find time for each other but it
is essential to be truly present to each other, to speak and above all to listen
to each other. Lack of real communication and presence to each other is a major
factor in the majority of marriages which break down.
2. Affection for each other is enhanced enormously by gestures of love.
3. Respect and honour are the guarantee of good relationship. The acceptance
of difference and the understanding of complementarity can enhance greatly a
relationship.
4. Children need to see and sense a healthy bond of love and affection between
their parents.
5. It is often said: " The family that prays together, stays together".
Bring Christ into your relationship. Pray with and for each other. Make sure
your home is truly Christian. Light the candle on the table to highlight the
presence of the ' Honoured Guest, Christ Himself'. Be conscious of His presence
when praying at table and make sure there are Christian symbols in your home
which will remind all in the home that a Christian Marriage continues to be
celebrated there.
As we gather here at the Shrine of Mary, may we offer today, through her hands, to her Son Jesus, all the Christian Marriages being celebrated throughout this Nation. May He inspire all those who are preparing for Marriage to respond to His new Commandment of love. May we invoke Mary's protection on all Christian Families, she who is Mother and Spouse, so that they may become truly ' domestic churches', where the love of God and of one another may be lived out in fidelity.
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