{"id":6454,"date":"2021-06-02T10:25:15","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T14:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/popes-june-prayer-intention-beauty-marriage\/"},"modified":"2021-06-02T10:25:15","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T14:25:15","slug":"popes-june-prayer-intention-beauty-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/popes-june-prayer-intention-beauty-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope\u2019s June prayer intention: \u2018The beauty of Marriage\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Vatican News<\/a>
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\n\u201cIs it true, what some people say\u2014that young people don\u2019t want to get married, especially during these difficult times?\u201d Pope Francis opens a video accompanying his prayer intention for the month of June with that question. He goes on to admit that marriage is a \u201cdemanding journey\u201d which can be complicated at times. But he adds that \u201cgetting married and sharing one\u2019s life is something beautiful.\u201d \u201cAnd on this life-long journey, the husband and wife aren\u2019t alone,\u201d says the Pope. \u201cJesus accompanies them.\u201d
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\nVocation of love<\/strong>
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\nPope Francis then reflects on the importance of the Sacrament of Marriage, and its centrality in the life of the Church and of those who undertake this path. \u201cMarriage isn\u2019t just a \u2018social\u2019 act,\u201d he notes. \u201cIt\u2019s a vocation that\u2019s born from the heart, a conscious decision for the rest of one\u2019s life that requires specific preparation.\u201d And the Pope urges everyone to remember that God has a dream for us, which is love.
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\nCommunity support<\/strong>
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\nFinally, the Pope invites Catholics to pray for young people preparing for marriage with the support of a Christian community. \u201cMay they grow in love, with generosity, faithfulness and patience,\u201d he prays. \u201cBecause a great deal of patience is necessary in order to love.\u201d He closes his video with a brief reminder: \u201cBut it\u2019s worth it, eh?\u201d \u2018Year of the Family\u2019
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\nThe Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network, which prepares \u201cThe Pope Video\u201d each month, released a press statement accompanying the prayer intention.
\nThe communique recalls that the Church is currently marking the \u201cSpecial Year of the Family\u201d, which kicked off on 19 March 2021.
\nMarriage rates, says the statement, have plummeted around the world since 1972, while divorce rates have skyrocketed and the age at which people marry has grown steadily.
\nThese trends have likely worsened since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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\nFinding Christ in daily life<\/strong>
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\nIn this context, the Church is called to accompany young people as they discover their vocation to marriage. \u201cPreparing young people and engaged couples for a real vocation, not just for the celebration of a wedding, is a priority,\u201d says Dr. Gabriella Gambino, the Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life.
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\nShe adds that the Church can help young Catholics understand the presence of Christ in their daily lives by building on the meaning Baptism. \u201cIn a secularized society that no longer believes in marriage,\u201d says Dr. Gambino, \u201cwe must proclaim the strength and power of the sacrament as a vocation and show that family relationships can have a salvific value for people and be a path to holiness. It is a matter of concretely bringing Christ into the lives of families.\u201d
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\nThe full text of the Pope’s prayer intention is below:<\/strong>
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\nIs it true, what some people say\u2014that young people don\u2019t want to get married, especially during these difficult times?
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\nGetting married and sharing one\u2019s life is something beautiful.
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\nIt\u2019s a demanding journey, at times difficult, and at times complicated, but it\u2019s worth making the effort. And on this life-long journey, the husband and wife aren\u2019t alone; Jesus accompanies them.
\nMarriage isn\u2019t just a \u201csocial\u201d act; it\u2019s a vocation that\u2019s born from the heart; it\u2019s a conscious decision for the rest of one\u2019s life that requires specific preparation.
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\nPlease, never forget this. God has a dream for us \u2014love\u2014 and He asks us to make it our own.
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\nLet us make our own the love which is God\u2019s dream for us.
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\nAnd let us pray for young people who are preparing for marriage with the support of a Christian community: may they grow in love, with generosity, faithfulness and patience. Because a great deal of patience is necessary in order to love. But it\u2019s worth it, eh?<\/em><\/p>\n\n