GENERAL AUDIENCE OF 5 SEPTEMBER
At the General Audience in St Peter's Square on 5 =
September,=20
attended by more than 20,000 people, Pope John Paul II gave =
the=20
following address.
1. For some time now preparations have been going on for =
the next=20
ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take =
place in=20
Rome in autumn of next year. The theme of the Synod, "The =
role of=20
the Christian family," concentrates our attention on this =
community=20
of human and Christian life, which has been fundamental =
from the=20
beginning. The Lord Jesus used precisely this expression =
"from the beginning" in the talk about marriage, =
reported in=20
the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. We wish to raise =
the=20
question what this word "beginning" means. We also wish to =
clarify=20
why Christ referred to the "beginning" on that occasion and, =
therefore, we propose a more precise analysis of the =
relative text=20
of Holy Scripture.
Clear-cut responses
2. During the talk with the Pharisees, who asked him the =
question=20
about the indissolubility of marriage, Jesus Christ referred =
twice=20
to the "beginning." The talk took place in the following =
way:
"And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, =
'Is it=20
lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?' He answered, =
'Have you=20
not read that he who made them from the beginning made them =
male and=20
female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his =
father and=20
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become =
one=20
flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What =
therefore God=20
has joined together, let not man put asunder.' They said to =
him,=20
'Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of =
divorce,=20
and to put her away?' He said to them, 'For your hardness of =
heart=20
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the =
beginning it=20
was not so'" (Mt 19:3ff., cf. also Mk 10:2ff.).
Christ did not accept the discussion at the level at =
which his=20
interlocutors tried to introduce it. In a certain sense he =
did not=20
approve of the dimension that they tried to give the =
problem. He=20
avoided getting caught up in juridico-casuistical =
controversies. On=20
the contrary, he referred twice to "the beginning." Acting =
in this=20
way, he made a clear reference to the relative words in =
Genesis,=20
which his interlocutors too knew by heart. From those words =
of the=20
ancient revelation, Christ drew the conclusion and the talk=20
ended.
From the beginning
3. "The beginning" means, therefore, that which =
Genesis speaks=20
about. Christ quoted Genesis 1:27 in summary =
form: "In=20
the beginning the Creator made them male and female." The =
original=20
passage reads textually as follows: "God created man in his =
own=20
image; in the image of God he created him; male and female =
he=20
created them." Subsequently, the Master referred to =
Genesis=20
2:24: "Therefore, a man leaves his father and his mother and =
cleaves=20
to his wife, and they become one flesh." Quoting these words =
almost=20
in full, Christ gave them an even more explicit normative =
meaning=20
(since it could be supported that in Genesis they =
express=20
de facto statements: "leaves. cleaves. they become =
one=20
flesh"). The normative meaning is plausible since Christ did =
not=20
confine himself only to the quotation itself, but added: "So =
they=20
are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has =
joined=20
together, let not man put asunder." That "let not man put =
asunder"=20
is decisive. In the light of these words of Christ, =
Genesis=20
2:24 sets forth the principle of the unity and =
indissolubility of=20
marriage as the very content of the Word of God, expressed =
in the=20
most ancient revelation.
The eternal law
4. It could be maintained at this point that the problem =
is=20
exhausted, that Jesus Christ's words confirm the eternal law =
formulated and set up by God from "the beginning" as the =
creation of=20
man. It might also seem that the Master, confirming this =
original=20
law of the Creator, did nothing but establish exclusively =
his own=20
normative meaning, referring to the authority itself of the =
first=20
Legislator. However, that significant expression "from the=20
beginning," repeated twice, clearly induced his =
interlocutors to=20
reflect on the way in which man was formed in the mystery of =
creation, precisely as "male and female," in order to =
understand=20
correctly the normative sense of the words of =
Genesis. This=20
is no less valid for the people of today than for those of =
that=20
time. Therefore, in the present study, considering all this, =
we must=20
put ourselves precisely in the position of Christ's =
interlocutors=20
today.
Preparation for the Synod
5. During the following Wednesday reflections at the =
general=20
audiences, we will try, as Christ's interlocutors today, to =
dwell at=20
greater length on St. Matthew's words (19:3ff.). To respond =
to the=20
indication, inserted in them by Christ, we will try to =
penetrate=20
toward that "beginning," to which he referred in such a =
significant=20
way. Thus we will follow from a distance the great work =
which=20
participants in the forthcoming Synod of Bishops are =
undertaking on=20
this subject just now. Together with them, numerous groups =
of=20
pastors and laymen are taking part in it, feeling especially =
responsible with regard to the role which Christ assigned to =
marriage and the Christian family, the role that he has =
always=20
given, and still gives in our age, in the modern world.
The cycle of reflections we are beginning today, with the =
intention of continuing it during the following Wednesday =
meetings,=20
also has the purpose, among other things, of accompanying =
from=20
afar, so to speak, the work of preparation for the =
Synod.=20
However, it will not touch its subject directly, but will =
turn our=20
attention to the deep roots from which this subject =
springs.
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