Compassion, Humility, and Faith. The Centurion’s Virtues in the Family

Hundreds of families have, for years, gravitated around—and are the protagonists of—a great project built on these pillars: the family is an active agent of pastoral care, an agent building up the Church and society, with an identity and a specific mission. The sacraments of the Order and of Marriage are for the salvation of others while also contributing to personal salvation through the service of others. During this eighth gathering, the participants reflected on some resources dealing with “Family, Parish, Evangelization”, “Formative Paths for Engaged Couples and Spouses”, “Particular Situations of the Couple / Family”, “Family and Children”.

The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life gave the homily at the Eucharistic celebration on Saturday, June 30^th. In this homily on the Gospel passage that tells how Jesus miraculously healed the servant of Capernaum’s centurion, Cardinal Farrell indicated and suggested that the families should apply, within themselves, the centurion’s virtues: attention to others, with compassion, humility, and faith. The homily contains this significant passage on the latter: “This is a theme that you have reflected on a lot these days, precisely the faith in the work that God accomplishes in marriage: ‘I believe in the Sacrament of marriage’.

And, indeed, just as the centurion believed in the divine efficacy of Jesus’ word, so you are called to believe every day in the divine efficacy of the sacrament that has sealed and transformed your union. Faith is that supernatural gaze which leads to the recognition of reality’s deepest dimension, where God’s presence and work are hidden and, at the same time, reveal themselves. We Christians must always look at marriage with this gaze of faith.”

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