The Church’s saints have much to say on marriage and the religious life:

“In the newborn child is realized the common good of the family,” wrote Blessed Pope John Paul II in his “Letters to Families.”

“The woman is at the heart of the home. Let us pray that we women realize the reason for our existence: to love and be loved and through this love become instruments of peace in the world,” said Blessed Mother Teresa.

“Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family, a domestic church,” John Paul also said. “To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others.”

He also said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

“The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus,” said St. John Vianney. “The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: It is he who opens the door; he is the steward of the good Lord, the administrator of his goods. …The priest is not a priest for himself; he is a priest for you.”

Have you always wondered about some aspect of the faith? Or maybe you’d like to know some trivia about Pope Benedict. If you do, email us your question at [email protected] and look for the answer in an upcoming issue.