Christian Marriage Icon Advent Study

Introduction

Advent: A Time of Expectation

“No one has ever seen God” (Jn 1:18). This is the reason why, in the Old Testament, God
prohibited his people to make any kind of images of Him: “You shall not make for yourself an
image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Ex 20:4-5).

Nonetheless, we human beings need to see things, to hear the sounds they make, to feel, to taste,
to smell. We perceive the world through our senses. Aristotle once said, “Nothing can come into
the mind without first passing through the senses." That was his experience, and it is probably
yours too. Isn’t it?

But we long to see the face of our Creator. This desire lies deep within us, even if we are not
aware of it; just as a baby, even if he is not aware of it, longs to see his mother’s face.

Many have expressed this desire since the beginning of time. Moses asked the Lord to see his
glory, and He replied: “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Ex 33, 20) And
in the psalms we read: “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek.” (Psalm
27:8).

With expectation the desire increases, and this is Advent: a time of expectation, in which our
desire to see God is called to grow.

The Image of the Invisible God

This desire has been increasing in the hearts of men and women since the beginning of time.
But God, who is all-loving and all-good, will not leave any true desire unfulfilled. And so, “when
the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem
those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Gal 4:4-5).

“The Son”- as st. Paul tells us- “is the image of the invisible God”. (Col 1:15), “
For all the fullness of God’s being dwells bodily in Christ.” (Col 2:9).

Since the invisible God became visible in Christ, we can now see the face of God and live. The
apostles proclaimed this message and gave witness to it in the power of the Holy Spirit. They
said: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the
Word of life” (1 John: 1).

But many saw Jesus’ humanity without recognizing his divinity. They saw his body with their
own eyes, even his miracles, but still they failed to recognize Him as the Son of God. For as it
was prophesied:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Mt 13:13).

It is not enough to see Jesus through our bodily senses, we need to learn how to see Him
through our spiritual senses. Faith, Hope and Charity make it possible for us to see God in the
person of Jesus Christ, but we need training to learn how to perceive the world through our
spiritual senses.

The ancient art of iconography is meant to be a window into heaven, which makes visible the
spiritual, invisible realities of heaven.

Towards the Fulfillment of all Desire

St. Therese of Lisieux once wrote: “God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be
realized…” (St. Thérèse de Lisieux, Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux).
This conviction helped her not to give up her striving for holiness, despite her littleness.

In the same way, we can know, with the certainty that comes from faith, that God will fulfill the
deepest desires and longings of our hearts, including, of course, the deep desire to see God face
to face. Just as the Prophets and the Patriarchs desired the coming of the Messiah, so the
Church unites herself with them in expecting the second coming of our Lord.

This expectation is especially cultivated during the time of Advent. The Catechism explains:

“When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this
ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's
first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming” (CCC 524).

We will see God face to face at the end of time. Just as the disciples saw Jesus rise unto heaven,
we will see Him come back to us (Acts 1:11). In his first coming, Christ came in humility; in his
second, He will come in glory:
 “In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with
God will be laid bare. The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences
the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life” (CCC 1039).

On this day, no one knows the time nor the hour, only the Father. The Church invites us to
prepare for it, to be always ready, expectant in hope. As it says in Matthew 24:27, “For as
lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of
Man.”

A good way to prepare for this second coming comes precisely from the East: we’re talking
about the prayer of contemplation through icons. Letting Christ look at you is an exercise by
which you can anticipate, so to speak, his second coming into your soul. Letting Him look at you
reveals to you the Truth about yourself, and allows you, as the letter to the Hebrews states, to
live with “your eyes fixed on Jesus” (Heb 2:12).

Basics about Icons

On a blog about Icons, I found a great explanation of what an Icon is through this little story:

“I once visited Sr. Aloysius McVeigh in her studio in Derry to enquire about icons and the
practice of iconography. In answer to my many questions she told me a great deal about the
process of writing an icon. When my questions dried up, she looked at me closely and said, ‘You
must understand that icons are not just lovely pictures or art objects to invest in – they are
1
prayer, they join heaven and earth.’”

Icons are not “painted”, they are “written”, because Icons are basically Sacred Scripture in a
2
visible form. Their colors are all made out of natural elements, and iconographers meditate
about the spiritual reality they are painting for days, sometimes weeks, before writing an Icon.
Many of them fast too, asking God for the right dispositions to write the icon. Icons are a
window to heaven, as they make visible invisible realities so that through them, we may come
into contact with these invisible realities.

1
https://iconographersireland.wordpress.com/2023/06/02/lectio-divina-and-icons/ quote drawn on Nov 22,
2023.
2
Cf. https://americanassociationoficonographers.com/2017/02/28/why-icon-writing-and-not-painting/
How to Pray with Icons
The first thing that we need to know is that icons are read with faith. They are not meant to
impact us with their objective beauty, but rather meant to slowly draw us into their message and
meaning through calm contemplation, over and over again. Icons are not to be displayed in a
museum; we see them in Churches, in monasteries, in houses of prayer.

So the first thing to keep in mind when it comes to praying with Icons, is to open a space to the
interior voice of the Spirit through an act of faith. We can internally say “Lord, I believe in You”,
or “Lord, increase my Faith”. What’s important is that we become more and more aware of His
presence. God wants to speak to you. Strive to acknowledge this truth to thus acknowledge Him
and how He wishes to speak to you.

The second principle is perseverance. You need to keep contemplating the Icon over and over
again, until suddenly, there it is! It’s telling you something about your very own life. This is why
it is a good idea to keep the icon in a place where you can notice it during different moments of
your day: it could be in the dining room, or in a hallway, or at the wall of the stairs. It needs to
have a certain dignity for the Icon reveals a presence, and in a way, “becomes” one. You can also
have it in your bedroom, but make sure you spend some time everyday with it.

Simple Steps:
These simple steps of the lectio divina will help you meditate with your icon. It is important to
set apart around 10 minutes every day for this prayer. Planning out the time of the day when this
will happen and setting it apart can be really helpful.

1. Lectio: Put yourself in front of the icon in a prayerful position. Invoke the Holy Spirit in
your heart and ask Him to lead you in your prayer. Prayerfully read the Scripture passage
that is proposed to you for that day.

2. Meditatio: Meditate on what the Scripture says. Ask yourself: what is this Scripture
saying in and of itself? What is–so to speak– its objective meaning?
 3. Oratio: What does the Scripture say to me? What is its subjective meaning, what is it
saying to me right now? Speak with Christ about this, pour out your heart to Him. Be not
afraid to tell Him what you really carry with you.

4. Contemplatio: Look at the icon with patience and contemplate it. Let the Lord speak to
you through it. Let the icon look at you, let the spiritual reality which it represents hit
your heart and your soul. Do not force this, it’s about opening yourself to the Lord. You
do not have to create any message. Rest in his Peace, let Him speak to you. Be not afraid
of silence.

It is a good idea to write down what the Lord told you in prayer. If you don’t have a journal, it
could be a good idea to start one. If not, you can write down what you received or how the prayer
went. Sometimes it is in the process of writing when it hits us: “This is what He meant…!”

Attention: Be not afraid of looking at the icon at some random moments of the day after prayer.
Sometimes it is a specific part of the icon that draws our attention. This is also revealing. You
can then ask the Lord about what it is that called your attention, and even do some research to
find out what it means. Remember: the icon is never a goal to stay in and of itself. It is supposed
to connect us with a spiritual reality. What or who is that spiritual reality with which it’s putting
you in contact with? Sometimes we need to give ourselves to the Lord in prayer to find out.

Special Direction: We encourage you and your spouse to take time to pray with the icon and
scripture/magisterial teaching outlined for each week, ideally before your group meets together to help
facilitate fruitful discussion.
Week One: Creation
 Scripture
Genesis 1:25-28
“God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything
that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let Us
make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and
over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of
the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

Genesis 2: 7-8
“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the
breath of life, and the man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the
east, and placed there the man whom he had formed.”

Genesis 2: 15-25

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but
you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you
will certainly die.”

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for
him.”

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky.
He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called
each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in
the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep
sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with
flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he
brought her to the man.

The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.’ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to
his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no
shame.”

Magisterial Teaching
“…the first man (Adam), created from "dust from the ground," is defined as a "male" ('ish) only
after the creation of the first woman (isha). So when God-Yahweh speaks the words about
solitude, it is in reference to the solitude of "man" as such, and not just to that of the male.”
(John Paul II, General audience, Oct 10 1979)

“…the Lord God ‘formed out of the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and
brought them to man to see what he would call them’ (Gn 2:19). In this way, therefore, the first
meaning of man's original solitude is defined on the basis of a specific test or examination
which man undergoes before God (and in a certain way also before himself). By means of this
test, man becomes aware of his own superiority, that is, that he cannot be considered on the
same footing as any other species of living beings on the earth.”
(John Paul II, General audience, Oct 10 1979)

“‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh—she shall be called woman, because she
was taken out of man’ (Gn 2:23). In this way the man manifests for the first time joy and even
exaltation, for which he had no reason before, owing to the lack of a being like himself. Joy in
the other human being, in the second "self," dominates the words spoken by the man on seeing
the woman.”
(John Paul II, General audience, Nov 7 1979)

“According to Genesis 2:25, the man and the woman were not ashamed seeing and knowing
each other in all the peace and tranquility of the interior gaze. They communicate in the fullness
of humanity, which is manifested in them as reciprocal complementarity precisely because they
are "male" and "female." At the same time, they communicate on the basis of that communion
of persons in which, through femininity and masculinity, they become a gift for each other. In
this way they reach in reciprocity a special understanding of the meaning of their own body.”
(John Paul II, General audience, January 2 1980)
Week Two: Wedding Feast at Cana
 Scripture
John 2: 1-12

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the
mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘What business do you
have with Me, woman? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever
He tells you, do it.’ Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of
purification, containing two or three measures each. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the waterpots with
water.’ So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it
to the headwaiter.’ And they took it to him. Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had
become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water
knew), the head waiter called the groom, and said to him, ‘Every man serves the good wine first,
and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine
until now.’ This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and
His disciples believed in Him.

After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers and His disciples;
and they stayed there a few days.”

Magisterial Teaching:

In accordance with this design, the Virgin Mary was found obedient when she said, “Behold
your handmaid, O Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). But Eve
disobeyed, and she did so while still a virgin.

Even though Eve had Adam for a husband, she was still a virgin. For “they were both naked” in
paradise “and were unashamed” (Gen 2:25), since they had been created a short time previously
and had no idea about the generation of children; indeed, they first had to become adults, and
only then did they begin to multiply. By disobeying, Eve became the cause of death for herself
and for the whole human race. In the same way Mary, though she also had a husband, was still a
virgin, and by obeying, she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human
race.
For this reason, the law calls a woman engaged to a man his wife, even though she is still a
virgin; this indicates the parallel (recirculatio) between Mary and Eve. Just as, once something
has been bound, it cannot be loosed except by undoing the knot in reverse order, even so the
first knots were untied by the (undoing of the) second ones, and, inversely, these last free the
first. It works out that the first knot is untied by the second, and the second causes the loosing
of the first.

This is the reason why the Lord declared that the first would be last and the last would be first
(cf. Mt 19:30). And the prophet affirms the same thing when he says, “Sons shall be born to you
in place of your fathers” (Ps 45:16). The Lord, having become “the firstborn of the dead” (cf. Col
1:18) and having received the ancient fathers in his bosom, regenerated them into the life of
God, becoming himself the first of the living (cf. Col 1:18), as Adam had become the first of the
dying. That is why Luke began his genealogy from the Lord and then worked back to Adam: to
show that it was not the fathers who regenerated the Son, but rather the Son who regenerated
them into the gospel of life. And so the knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s
obedience. What Eve bound through her unbelief, Mary loosed by her faith.

Irenaeus of Lyons, Adversus Haereses 3:22.

 Week Three: Vocations & The New Jerusalem

Translation of writing: the gift of an indissoluble love to be lived and to be communicated

 Scripture
John 19: 25-29

“Now beside the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene. So when Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing
nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold,
your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the
Scripture would be fulfilled, said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they
put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.”

Ephesians 5: 23-33

“Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of
the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as
the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so
that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He
might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such
thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands also ought to love their own wives
as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own
flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are parts of
His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to
Christ and the church. Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to love his own wife
the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”

Revelation 21:1-11

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away,
and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from
the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe
away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be
any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’
And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write,
for these words are faithful and true.’ Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the
water of life, without cost. The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his
God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and
murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part
will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, full of the seven last plagues, came and
spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’

The New Jerusalem

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy
city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance
was like a very valuable stone, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.”

Magisterial Teaching:

“Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of
others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they
do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God.”

(Catechism of Catholic Church 1534)

Through these sacraments those already consecrated by Baptism and Confirmation for the
common priesthood of all the faithful can receive particular consecrations. Those who receive the
sacrament of Holy Orders are consecrated in Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word and
grace of God. On their part, "Christian spouses are fortified and, as it were, consecrated for the
duties and dignity of their state by a special sacrament."

(Catechism of Catholic Church 1535)

Those of the faithful who are consecrated by Holy Orders are appointed to feed the Church in
Christ's name with the word and the grace of God. Finally, Christian spouses, in virtue of the
sacrament of Matrimony, whereby they signify and partake of the mystery of that unity and
fruitful love which exists between Christ and His Church, help each other to attain to holiness
in their married life and in the rearing and education of their children. By reason of their state
and rank in life they have their own special gift among the people of God. From the wedlock of
Christians there comes the family, in which new citizens of human society are born, who by the
grace of the Holy Spirit received in baptism are made children of God, thus perpetuating the
people of God through the centuries. The family is, so to speak, the domestic church. In it
parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children;
they should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of them, fostering with
special care vocation to a sacred state.

(Second Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 11)

Week Four: The Mission of the Sacrament
 Scripture
Luke 1:26-38 Annunciation to Mary
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named
Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David;
and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The
Lord is with you.’ But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of
greeting this was. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor
with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall
name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and His kingdom will have no end.” But Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a
virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son
of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and
she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.’
And Mary said, ‘Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.”
And the angel departed from her.’”

Matthew 1:18-25 Annunciation to Joseph

“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed
to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. And her
husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send
her away secretly. But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the
Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son; and you
shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place so
that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: ‘BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN
WILL CONCEIVE AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON, AND THEY SHALL NAME HIM IMMANUEL,’ which translated
means, ‘GOD WITH US.’ And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son;
and he named Him Jesus.”

Galatians 4:19-20
“My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— but I could wish to
be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for I am at a loss about you!”
1 Corinthians 4:14
“I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.”

Magisterial Teaching:

Mother of Fairest Love

20. The history of "fairest love" begins at the Annunciation, in those wondrous words which the
angel spoke to Mary, called to become the Mother of the Son of God. With Mary's "yes", the One
who is "God from God and Light from Light" becomes a son of man. Mary is his Mother, while
continuing to be the Virgin who "knows not man" (cf. Lk 1:34). As Mother and Virgin, Mary
becomes the Mother of Fairest Love. This truth is already revealed in the words of the Archangel
Gabriel, but its full significance will gradually become clearer and more evident as Mary follows
her Son in the pilgrimage of faith.

The "Mother of Fairest Love" was accepted by the one who, according to Israel's tradition, was
already her earthly husband: Joseph, of the house of David. Joseph would have had the right to
consider his promised bride as his wife and the mother of his children. But God takes it upon
himself to intervene in this spousal covenant: "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as
your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 1:20). Joseph is aware,
having seen it with his own eyes, that a new life with which he has had nothing to do has been
conceived in Mary. Being a just man, and observing the Old Law, which in his situation imposed
the obligation of divorce, he wishes to dissolve his marriage in a loving way (cf. Mt 1:19). The
angel of the Lord tells him that this would not be consistent with his vocation; indeed it would
be contrary to the spousal love uniting him to Mary. This mutual spousal love, to be completely
"fairest love", requires that he should take Mary and her Son into his own house in Nazareth.
Joseph obeys the divine message and does all that he had been commanded (cf. Mt 1:24). And so,
thanks also to Joseph, the mystery of the Incarnation and, together with it, the mystery of the Holy
Family, come to be profoundly inscribed in the spousal love of husband and wife and, in an indirect
way, in the genealogy of every human family. What Saint Paul will call the "great mystery" found
its most lofty expression in the Holy Family. Thus the family truly takes its place at the very heart
of the New Covenant.

…
"Fairest love" always begins with the self-revelation of the person. At creation Eve reveals herself to
Adam, just as Adam reveals himself to Eve. In the course of history newly-married couples tell
each other: "We shall walk the path of life together". The family thus begins as a union of the
two and, through the Sacrament, as a new community in Christ. For love to be truly "fairest", it
must be a gift of God, grafted by the Holy Spirit onto human hearts and continually nourished in
them (cf.Rom 5:5). Fully conscious of this, the Church in the Sacrament of Marriage asks the
Holy Spirit to visit human hearts. If love is truly to be "fairest love", a gift of one person to
another, it must come from the One who is himself a gift and the source of every gift.

(John Paul II, Letter to Families)