By Paola and Mario Martinez
Our beloved Shepherd Pope Francis gave it his all until the very end, modeling for us what it means to be a total gift of self. His 12-year pontificate exemplified a deep love and respect for the dignity of the human person at all stages of life and consistently reminded us of God’s love and mercy which are new every day, especially in the context of marriage and family life. Although we find ourselves in a time of mourning, we are also invited to joyfully remember his life, his legacy, and our own special memories of the Holy Father.
One of the greatest blessings of our life was meeting Pope Francis on September 18th, 2019 at one of his Wednesday audiences in St. Peter’s Square. We were part of a U.S. delegation to Rome, on pilgrimage, to present the findings and conclusions of the V Encuentro Hispanic Ministry consultation process, to different offices of the Roman Curia, and to the Holy Father. As we know, one of the main priorities that came out of the V Encuentro had to do with marriage and family life; an area which had long been a priority for the Pope. In his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia he emphasized that marriage was a gift from God, that marriage was good – and, in fact, “a good of extraordinary value for everyone,” not just spouses and children, but other families, the Church, and the whole world.
At that special Papal audience, we received his blessing, and it was extended to our families and our faith community back home as well. Immediately following the audience, we were escorted from our seats to the front steps of Saint Peter’s Basilica, where we huddled together, and waited for the Holy Father to make his way to our group. We were extremely excited and nervous all at once. As he approached us, his warm smile and peaceful gaze filled our hearts with joy!
One of the first things that we were able to tell him, was “Santo Padre, lo amamos!” (Holy Father, we love you!) He was silent for a couple of seconds, and then he asked us “Y oran por mi?” (and do you pray for me?) to which we all emphatically said “Si!” (Yes!). We then let him know that we came representing “los matrimonios” (married couples) to which he said, “El matrimonio… el matrimonio es la base de la sociedad, pero se ha relativizado; hoy en día se cambia de cónyuge como se cambia de camisa. Se trata de fidelidad” (Marriage… marriage is the foundation of society, but it has been relativized; today people change spouses like they change shirts. It’s about fidelity.) We will forever cherish the words he shared with us.
He concluded his encounter with us in the usual Francis way; by asking us to pray for him.
In the midst of our sadness at his passing, let us remember his words of encouragement to all married couples on December 26th, 2021, Feast of the Holy Family: “May Saint Joseph inspire in all families a creative courage, so essential for these times of epochal change. May Our Lady help you to foster in your married lives the culture of encounter that we so urgently need to face today’s problems and troubles. No amount of difficulty can take away the joy of those who know that they are walking with the Lord ever at their side. Live out your vocation with enthusiasm. Never allow your faces to grow sad or gloomy; your husband or wife needs your smile. Your children need your looks of encouragement. Your priests and other families need your presence and your joy: the joy that comes from the Lord!”
We will miss you so much Holy Father, and will continue to pray heartily for the peaceful repose of your soul.
Paola is the current and Mario is the former Director of Marriage & Family Life Ministry.