Standing against the culture: Pope Francis, since Friday, on life, marriage and the Gospel

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Nov 17, 2014

1. On Human Life: To Association of Italian Catholic Doctors, November 14.

The dominant thinking sometimes suggests a "false compassion", believing that it is: helpful to women to promote abortion; an act of dignity to obtain euthanasia; a scientific breakthrough to “produce” a child and to consider it to be a right rather than a gift to welcome; or to use human lives as guinea pigs presumably to save others.

Instead, the compassion of the Gospel is that which accompanies in times of need, that is, the compassion of the Good Samaritan, who “sees”, “has compassion”, approaches and provides concrete help (cf. Lk 10:33).... Fidelity to the Gospel of life and respect for life as a gift from God sometimes require choices that are courageous and go against the current.

2. On Marriage: To a conference on complementarity between man and woman hosted by the CDF, November 17.

[The] complementarity of man and woman [is] at the root of marriage and family...[and] I urge you to lift up yet another truth about marriage: that permanent commitment to solidarity, fidelity, and fruitful love responds to the deepest longings of the human heart.

Let us bear in mind especially the young people, who represent our future. It is important that they do not give themselves over to the poisonous mentality of the temporary, but rather be revolutionaries with the courage to seek true and lasting love, going against the common pattern: this must be done.

3. On Evangelization: Angelus Address, November 16.

The man of the parable represents Jesus, we are the servants and the talents are the wealth the Lord entrusts to us. What is this wealth? His Word, the Eucharist, faith in the Heavenly Father, His forgiveness, so many things. In short, his most precious goods. This is the wealth that he entrusts to us. Not just to guard it, but to make it grow.

Any environment, even the most distant and impractical, can become a place where talents can bear fruit. There are no situations or places that are closed to the Christian presence and witness. The witness that Jesus asks us is not closed, it is open, it depends on us.

Let us not close [forgiveness] in ourselves, but rather let it unleash its power.