The Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Msgr. Jean Laffitte, participated in the National Meeting of Christian Families in Austria, in the city of Poellau (south of Vienna), on Sunday, July 21st, and spoke on the theme: “Family, become what you are! Witness to Hope”. Bishop Laffitte presided over the Eucharistic celebration and gave the homily.

In his lecture, before hundreds of families, Msgr. Laffitte drew an overview of the current conceptions of conjugal love and of the family, characterized by the dominance of material values. Now, they tend to «blot out the essential values of the family»: «the mutual complementarity of the spouses is relativized, the fundamental bond in marriage and the family is weakened, and sexuality loses its symbolic wealth when the uniting and procreative dimensions of the marital act are dissociated».

 In his exposé, the Secretary explained the thought of blessed John Paul II, for whom no family is accomplished without the foundation of the truth of conjugal love. Pope John Paul II emphasized the importance of the interiority of the man and the woman, because only a pure heart can fully respect the truth of love in the couple. After recalling the basic themes of the blessed Polish Pope, Msgr. Jean Laffitte recalled the important contribution in the teaching on conjugal love and the family made by his successor, Benedict XVI, especially in the first chapter of the encyclical "Deus Caritas est" and the Apostolic Exhortation “Sacramentum Caritatis”.

Finally, Msgr. Laffitte recalled «the vocation of every Christian to holiness», and that of every family to “become a holy family,” echoing the call expressed in the closing lines of the encyclical “Familiaris Consortio”: “Family, become what you are!”

 

«Family life is not a smooth-flowing river, but it entails pain, anxiety and strain», Msgr. Laffitte said in his homily. «Often, the many daily occupations absorb all the time that could be consecrated to meditation, prayer and silence». Yet, «the greatest joy is in the evening», for us and for our children, «after a day spent in Jesus’ company», which is the only alternative and hope for authentic and deep peace in the midst of the world’s agitation.