Fidelity, perseverance and fruitfulness: these are the three characteristics of Jesus’ love for the Church, his Bride. Moreover, these are also the characteristics of a true Christian marriage. Pope Francis said this in his homily at the Mass celebrated on the morning of June 2nd, in Santa Marta. Fifteen couples were celebrating their anniversaries of 25, 50 and 60 years of marriage.
The reference model—the Pope explained—are the “three loves of Jesus” for the Father, for his Mother and for the Church. Jesus’ love for the latter is "great." says Francis: "Jesus married the Church for love." Now, the way He loves her—he said— shows the "three characteristics" of this love: "It is a faithful love. It is a persevering love. He never tires of loving his Church. It is a fruitful love."
Jesus' love—the Pope noted—"makes the Church fruitful, giving Her new children, Baptisms, and the Church grows with this spousal fruitfulness."
In a marriage, this fruitfulness can sometimes be put to the test, when children do not come or are sick. In these trials—the Pope stressed—, there are couples who "look to Jesus and draw on the power of Jesus' fruitfulness with His Church." While, on the other hand—he concluded—"there are things that Jesus does not like," that is marriages that are sterile by choice: "These married couples don’t want children, and they want to remain fruitless. This culture of well-being convinced us ten years ago: 'It's better not to have children! It's better! So you can go out and get to know the world, you can go on vacation, have a villa in the countryside, and be at peace' … Maybe it's better, more comfortable, to have a little dog, a couple of cats, and the love goes to those two cats and the little dog. Now, is this true or not? Have you seen this? Then, in the end, this married couple reaches old age in solitude, with the bitterness of awful loneliness. It is not fruitful; it does not do what Jesus does with his Church: He makes Her fruitful."
