"The Bridegroom is with you". The soteriological perspective of the Letter to Families

Abstract

Research purpose of the article is to show the soteriological perspective of the Letter to Families by John Paul II. The author, using the method of critical source analysis and comparative analysis of texts relevant to the issue, tried to answer the question: how the papal document interprets marriage and family in the light of the mystery of Christ’s redemption. The refl ection allowed to formulate the following conclusions. John Paul II reminded families that Jesus Christ, the unique Redeemer of man, removes fear and strengthens human love, including it in the circulation of God’s supernatural love. In this way, „saved love” helps to correctly perceive the anthropological truth about man and woman, about their mutual giving of themselves as a „personal gift” in marriage, about motherhood and fatherhood as a service to life and upbringing, about parenthood through which the life-giving nature of God himself constantly spreads in the world. Jesus Christ, remaining eternally in a spousal relationship with the Church, reveals to the world the full truth about the love of a man and a woman and helps to realize it in concrete family bonds.