Every person desires happiness. The Creator has endowed us with a nature marked by reason and the power of freedom, which we are called to realize in the best of ways. Because of our innate longing for truth, goodness and beauty, humankind has always sought ways to live together in harmony as a path to human flourishing. We see the results of this search in the philosophical insights of Athens, the laws of Rome, and the treasure trove of the biblical worldview associated with Jerusalem. The efforts to build a Christian world in Europe brought these riches of humanity together as the basis for Western civilization. Recognition of the Creator’s voice and action within Creation, and especially acceptance of the divine authority and teachings of Jesus Christ, together with the noblest achievements of civilization on the European continent, created propitious conditions for the unfolding of the potential contained in human nature. It is in this that the authentic foundation of our civilization consists; without it the Western world could not endure.

Humanity’s experience shows that laws alone are not enough to create a better society if its members do not foster virtues and inner moral principles. The human virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude, reinforced with the gifts of faith, hope and charity inspired by the Creator, are the basis of true personal freedom. A society that is truly free and democratic is possible only when its members uphold firm moral principles. Governmental dictates cannot create or change moral principles, which arise from the conscience that the Creator instilled in the human heart. The government, however, without infringing upon citizens’ basic freedoms, can and should support those morally motivated decisions of citizens that are necessary to preserve the common good and ensure the prosperity and survival of the society. Human freedom requires assistance. Christians obtain such assistance from Christ, the Saviour of humankind, and a democratic government has the obligation to protect the freedom and the fundamental goods of the state and its citizenry.

We rejoice that Šiluva was the site of one of the most notable apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Europe. Here, four hundred years ago, the Mother of God urged us to worship Her Son, and not merely “till the soil and sow”. We see this not only as a call to prayer and renewal of our personal relationship with God. The exhortation is also a reminder of the importance of the God-given order of things. The Creator’s designs are visible to us not only in nature. They can be recognized as well in the human spirit and in human nature. We must respect the moral principles which are set out in Holy Scripture, since they are guidelines for leading a life in keeping with the truth of the human person as an image of God.

Our Nation has learned painfully what it means to become a field of social experimentation where the inherent dignity of the human person is disregarded and fundamental human rights are trampled upon. Perhaps that is why it was precisely here, in Lithuania, that Heaven’s call to respect the Creator’s will was heard. We believe this voice which rang out in Šiluva was meant not only for our Nation, but for all of Europe.

A free and democratic state must respect fundamental personal and social goods including:

• human life from the moment of conception to a natural death;
• the inherent difference and equal dignity of men and women;
• the family as ties of blood and kinship arising from the marriage of a man and a woman;
• the right of parents to educate their children according to their own moral principles;
• freedoms of conscience, religion and speech, which safeguard society against the temptations of totalitarianism.

It is only by preserving these natural goods that we can survive and prosper. There is no justification for ignoring them when legally defining the concepts of person, gender, freedoms, rights and family. Human nature, family and personal freedom are prior to the state. The laws of the state should conform to the truth about human nature. They should safeguard this truth, not change it. In the message of Šiluva, we recognize a call to respect God as the author of man. But the order of things established by the Creator is not merely a truth of faith. This order can be recognized by each and every human being. Therefore, we all have a duty to defend fundamental human rights, foster virtue and promote the common good for the sake of people’s happiness, the freedom of society and the future of the Nation!

Year of Saint Joseph and Amoris laetitia Family

12 September 2021