WEDDING CALVIN AND GAELLE
Kinshasa, 26th July 2008
Dear Calvin and Gaëlle,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. According to Holy Scripture, «God is Love» (1 John 4,8.16). The nature of God is to be love. "God is love": this is why God is Trinity, since one cannot love, when there is nobody beside him, nobody with him, nobody to love. Therefore God is ONE God in THREE Persons : Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father loves the Son; the Son loves the Father and this infinite love between God the Father and God the Son is the Holy Spirit. This Spirit has been given to us, so that we become able to call God "Abba", Father, just as the only Son of God calls him "Abba" (Rom 5,5; 8,14; Gal 4,6). We belong to God's family (Eph 2,19).
2. Thus by nature God is Love. By nature he is incline to spread Love. This is why God created the universe and especially humankind out of love ; "For his love endures forever" (Ps 107(106),1).
3. God is love : he is the fountain of Love. He gave man and woman a heart to love, and so male and female could continue his marvelous work of creation.
4. To fulfill this noble mission, God wanted "man to leave father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body" (Mt 19,5) and found a new family in view to perpetuate mankind. To make this great mission joyfull, attractive and generous, God gave love to man and woman.
5. As we see, love is in the midst of God's life and human life. Love is essential to God and to the human being. Love is one of the links between God and man. Love is also one of the similarities between God and the human being.
6. This is the reason why God wanted to set a sign of his love among the human beings. He sent his only Son, Emmanuel, into the world, to teach us by living examples how we must love : the Son of God, Emmanuel, loved us graciously, "when we were sinners" (Rom 5,6) ; he loved us "until the end" (John 13,1), until his death on the cross. He didn't stop on the way of love. His love is for ever ; his love is eternal faithfulness.
7. Therefore He can give us "a new commandment" : "love one another just as I loved you" (John 13,34 ; 15,12). As Love is the very nature of God and his distinctive sign, in the same way, love must be the distinctive sign of Christ's disciples. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another", says the Lord (John 13,35). The Lord himself describes the nature of his love for us, and the love we must try to have for our brothers and sisters. "There is no greater love than this to give one's life for one's friends" (ibid. 15,13). Love is endless. Love is fidelity.
8. Such a love is beyond our strength. Therefore the Lord left two signs of his love : the sacraments of the Eucharist and Marriage, which, as active presence of the Lord in our life, give us the heavenly strength to love as Jesus did. By your marriage today, dear Calvin and Gaëlle, Jesus intends to be in the center of your love and your life. "A part from him you cannot do anything : your union could rather be a disaster. But Jesus gives you the chance and the privilege of loving as he loved the Church and humankind (cf. 5,25-33). By your marriage, Jesus reminds you that your life is destined to love God and, through God, to love your spouse, your children, your friends and other people.
9. Since we contemplate human live from above, from God's love, remember that there is no love without forgiveness and reconciliation if needed, exactly as God forgives us whenever we trespass against Him. Remember also that no family or couple can stay and resist without humility in mutual relationship, without a spirit of dialogue, without a high sense of sharing, without patience and capacity to listen to each other. "Love excuses everything, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor 13,7).
10. Dear Calvin and Gaëlle,
The Church celebrated yesterday the feast of Saint James, apostle and first Martyr. We pray for you Saint James who dies out of love for his Lord. Could you share with him your joy and your pain, your success and your problem, the light and shadow of your life. May the Lord Jesus be your protector and your guardian. May he give you the sustainable joy of your love and generosity. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Church, be everyday with you and your family.
"May God the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace, so that your hope may increase (from day to day), by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom 15,13). Amen.
+ L. MONSENGWO PASINYA
Archbishop of Kinshasa
26.07.08
| 
){kind=link}