Marriage is a 'noble, exalted' vocation, path to holiness, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Sacramental marriage and traditional family life increase joy in the good times, give strength during hard times and are a path to true holiness, Pope Leo XIV said.

Marking the 10th anniversary of the canonization of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Pope Leo said the couple "bears witness to the ineffable happiness and profound joy that God grants, both here on earth and for eternity, to those who commit themselves to this path of fidelity and fruitfulness."

The pope's comments came in a message to Bishop Bruno Feillet of Séez, France, the home diocese of the Martin family. The message was released at the Vatican Oct. 18, the date of the anniversary of the Martins becoming "the first couple to be canonized as such," the pope said.

At a time when much of the media and popular culture seem to present lifelong marriage and a commitment to family life as "outdated and dull," the pope said, "Louis and Zélie Martin testify that this is not the case: they were happy -- deeply happy! -- giving life, radiating and transmitting the faith, seeing their daughters grow and flourish under the gaze of the Lord."

Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin's lives highlight "marriage as a path to holiness," the pope wrote. "Among the vocations to which men and women are called by God, marriage is one of the most noble and exalted."

Anyone with "a sincere desire to lead a beautiful and good life under the gaze of the Lord, in joy as in trial," should look to the Martins for inspiration, he said.

They are "the model of a couple that the holy church presents to young people who wish –- perhaps hesitantly –- to embark on such a beautiful adventure," Pope Leo said. They are "a model of fidelity and attention to one another, a model of fervor and perseverance in the faith, of Christian education of children, of generosity in the exercise of charity and social justice; a model also of trust in times of trial."