GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE
FRANCIS
Saint Peter's Square
Wednesday, 22 April 2015
The family - 11. Male and
female (II)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the preceding catechesis on the family, I meditated
on the first narrative of the creation of the human being, in the first chapter
of Genesis, where it is written: “God created man in his own image, in the image
of God he created him; male and female he created them” (1:27).
Today, I would like to complete the reflection with
the second narrative, which we find in the second chapter. Here we read that
the Lord, after having created heaven and earth, “formed man of dust from the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living being” (2:7). This is the culmination of creation. But something is
missing: then God places man in the most beautiful garden that he might
cultivate and look after it (cf. 2:15).
The Holy Spirit, who inspired the whole of the Bible,
momentarily evokes the image of man alone — something is missing — without
woman. And the Holy Spirit evokes God’s thoughts, even His emotion, as He gazes
at Adam, observing him alone in the garden. He is free, he is a lord... but he
is alone. And God sees that this “is not good”: as if what is missing is
communion, he lacks communion, the fullness is lacking. “It is not good” , God
says, and adds: “I will make him a helper fit for him” (2:18).
And so God brings all the animals to man; man gives to
each its name — and this is another image of man’s dominion over creation — but
he sees that not one of the animals is like himself. Man continues alone. When
finally God presents woman, man exultantly recognizes that this creature, and
this creature alone, is a part of him: “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”
(2:23). Finally, there is a reflection, a reciprocity. When a person — to give
an example to help us understand — wants to shake hands with another, he must
have that person before him: if he holds out his hand and no one is there...
his hand remains outstretched, there is no reciprocity. This was how man was,
he lacked something to reach his fullness; reciprocity was lacking. Woman is
not a replica of man; she comes directly from the creative act of God. The
image of the “rib” in no way expresses inferiority or subordination, but, on
the contrary, that man and woman are of the same substance and are
complimentary and that they also have this reciprocity. And the fact that —
also in that parable — God moulds woman while man sleeps means precisely that
she is in no way man’s creation, but God’s. He also suggests another point: in
order to find woman — and we could say to find love in woman — man first must
dream of her and then find her. God’s faith in man and in woman, those to whom
he entrusted the earth, is generous, direct and full. He trusts them. But then
the devil introduces suspicion into their minds, disbelief, distrust, and
finally, disobedience to the commandment that protected them. They fall into
that delirium of omnipotence that pollutes everything and destroys harmony. We
too feel it inside of us, all of us, frequently.
Sin generates distrust and division between man and
woman. Their relationship will be undermined by a thousand forms of abuse and
subjugation, misleading seduction and humiliating ignorance, even the most
dramatic and violent kind. And history bears the scar. Let us think, for
example, of those negative excesses of patriarchal cultures. Think of the many
forms of male dominance whereby the woman was considered second class. Think of
the exploitation and the commercialization of the female body in the current
media culture. And let us also think of the recent epidemic of distrust,
skepticism, and even hostility that is spreading in our culture — in particular
an understandable distrust from women — on the part of a covenant between man
and woman that is capable, at the same time, of refining the intimacy of
communion and of guarding the dignity of difference.
If we do not find a surge of respect for this
covenant, capable of protecting new generations from distrust and indifference,
from children coming into the world ever more uprooted from the mother’s womb.
The social devaluation for the stable and generative alliance between man and
woman is certainly a loss for everyone. We must return marriage and the family
to the place of honour! The Bible says something beautiful: man finds woman,
they meet and man must leave something in order to find her fully. That is why
man will leave his father and mother to go to her. It’s beautiful! This means
setting out on a new path. Man is everything for woman and woman is everything
for man.
The responsibility of guarding this covenant between
man and woman is ours, although we are sinners and are wounded, confused and
humiliated, discouraged and uncertain; it is nevertheless for us believers a
demanding and gripping vocation in today’s situation. The same narrative of
creation and of sin ends by showing us an extremely beautiful icon: “The Lord
God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them” (Gen
3:21). It is an image of tenderness towards the sinful couple that leaves our
mouths agape: the tenderness God has for man and woman! It’s an image of
fatherly care for the human couple. God himself cares for and protects his
masterpiece.
Special greetings:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the
English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including
those from Ireland, Finland, Norway, South Africa, Australia, China, Japan,
Canada and the United States. May the Risen Lord confirm you in faith and make
you witnesses of his love and mercy. May God bless you all!
I address a cordial welcome to Italian-speaking
pilgrims. I am pleased to welcome the young sisters gathered for the formative
conference at the USMI, [Italian Union of Superiors Major] the religious of the
Most Holy Sacrament and the seminarians from various Italian dioceses: I hope
you are able to bear joyful witness of the vocation received, knowing that
missionary commitment does not depend on our efforts alone, but above all on
the grace that the Lord extends with both hands.
Today Earth Day is being celebrated. I urge all to
look at the world through the eyes of the Creator: the Earth is an environment
to protect and a garden to cultivate. May the relationship between man and
nature not be driven by greed, to manipulate and exploit, but may the divine
harmony between beings and creation be conserved in the logic of respect and
care, so as to be placed at the service of brothers and sisters, of future
generations as well.
I offer a special thought to young people, to the sick
and to newlyweds. May you learn from the Virgin Mary to live this Easter Season
allowing space for listing to the Word of God and the practice of charity,
experiencing with joy belonging to the Church, the family of disciples of the
Risen Christ.
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