On the occasion of the International Day of the Family which is celebrated every May 15, here are some thought-provoking 12 messages from Pope Francis on the value of the family.
“And let us commit ourselves to safeguard its precious and delicate ties, which allow us to live well and make humanity more fraternal,” he encouraged.
The International Day of Families is promoted by the United Nations (UN) “to raise awareness of the fundamental role of families in the education of children from early childhood, and the lifelong learning opportunities that exist for children. and young people”, considering that “the family constitutes the basic unit of society”, indicates the UN website.
1. In December 2021, Pope Francis wrote a letter to couples
on the occasion of the Year of the Family Amoris Laetitia in which he recalled that “the first area of education continues to be the family, in small gestures that are more eloquent than words”.
2. On the Feast of the Holy Family in 2021, the Holy Father warned that “to preserve harmony in the family, we must fight against the dictatorship of the self.”
3. In December 2020, Pope Francis indicated that “the family of Jesus, that of Nazareth, is the model family, in which all the families of the world can find their solid point of reference and firm inspiration.”
4. In 2017, the Pontiff explained in the Vatican that families are a precious treasure and “they are not museum pieces, but through them, the ability to give oneself, the reciprocal commitment and the generous openness to others, are concretized. as well as service to society”.
5. In September 2015, Pope Francis said that the family “is capable of warming the heart of an entire city with its testimony of love.”
6. In January 2015, the Holy Father recognized that “the perfect family does not exist, but there is no need to fear imperfection, fragility, or even conflict; You have to learn to deal with them constructively. For this reason, the family in which, with its own limits and sins, everyone loves each other, becomes a school of forgiveness”.
7. In August 2014, the Pope described the family as a “center of love, where the law of respect and communion reigns, capable of resisting the onslaught of manipulation and domination by the ‘centers of power. ‘worldly’.
8. During the World Meeting of Families in Ireland that took place in August 2018, Pope Francis pronounced numerous phrases for all the families of the world, which are worth remembering for their evangelical and formative character. Here are some of them:
Jesus is always found in the family
“The Gospel of the family is truly joy for the world, since there, in our families, Jesus can always be found; he lives there, in simplicity and poverty, as he did in the house of the Holy Family of Nazareth”.
9. The family is the most important place to transmit the faith
“The first and most important place to transmit the faith is the home, through the serene and daily example of parents who love the Lord and trust in his word.”
10. The family must be based on forgiveness
“Small and simple gestures of forgiveness, renewed each day, are the foundation on which strong Christian family life is built. Children learn to forgive when they see their parents forgive each other. If we understand this, we can appreciate the greatness of Jesus’ teaching on fidelity in marriage.”
11. Family is the hope of the world
“You, families, are the hope of the Church and of the world. With your testimony of the Gospel, you can help God to realize his dream, you can contribute to bringing all God’s children closer together so that they grow in unity and learn what it means for the whole world to live in peace as one big family”.
12. The church is “a family of families”
The Church is true “a family of families, and feels the need to help families in their efforts to respond faithfully and joyfully to the vocation that God has given them in society.”
A translation and adaptation from ACI Prensa