We pray for Christian families around the world; may they embody and experience unconditional love and advance in holiness in their daily lives.
Pope Francis – June 2022
In this month’s video Pope Francis highlights that:
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- “Family love is a personal path of holiness”.
- “There is no such thing as a perfect family,” and at the same time he reminds us that “God is with us.”
- The Holy Father encourages Christian families to express their love in concrete gestures, to learn from mistakes, and to discover God’s presence at every moment.
“Francis reminds us that the family is the place where we learn to live with differences, with those who are younger and those who are older. Encountering people who are different is a richness, not a threat. In today’s world it seems as if differences create confrontation when they should instead open new paths. The family is a place to learn to love, to live with differences, learning from mistakes, being aware that the Lord is present to help and accompany us. This experience of God’s presence is born from prayer; this is why it is important to pray for this intention of the Pope.” Fr. Frédéric Fornos, S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network,
TEXT OF THE VIDEO MESSAGE
The family is the place where we learn to live with one another, to live with young people and with those who are older.
And by being united —young people, the elderly, adults, children—, by being united in our differences, we evangelize with our example of life.
Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect family. There are always “buts.”
But that doesn’t matter. We shouldn’t be afraid of mistakes; we have to learn from them so we can move forward.
Let’s not forget that God is with us: in our family, in our neighborhood, in the city where we live, He is with us.
And He takes care of us. He remains with us at all times in the swaying of the boat tossed by the sea: when we argue, when we suffer, when we’re joyful, the Lord is there and accompanies us, helps us, and corrects us.
Family love is a personal path of holiness for each one of us.
This is why I chose it as the theme for this month’s World Meeting of Families.
Let us pray for Christian families around the world; may each and every family embody and experience unconditional love and advance in holiness in their daily lives.