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Read the Pope’s catechesis here in a Vatican Radio working translation. You will find the official translation shortly at www.vatican.va.
Dear brothers and sisters, good afternoon!
A few days after Christmas, the liturgy invites us to turn our gaze to the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is nice to think that the Son of God, like all children, wanted to feel the need for the warmth of a family. It is precisely for this reason that the Nazareth family is the model in which all families in the world can find inspiration and a sure reference. In Nazareth, the source of the human life of the Son of God dawned the moment he was received by the Holy Spirit in the virginal womb of Mary. In the hospitable walls of the house of Nazareth, the childhood of Jesus developed with joy, surrounded by the maternal care of Mary and the care of Joseph, in which Jesus was able to recognize the tenderness of God (cf. Apostolic Letter from the heart, 2).
Rediscover the educational value of the family
In imitation of the Holy Family, we are called to rediscover the educational value of the family: it must be based on a love that constantly renews relationships and opens horizons of hope. Sincere fellowship can be experienced in the family when it is a house of prayer, when mutual affection is sincere, deep, and pure, when forgiveness triumphs over discord, and the harsh daily life is alleviated through loving interaction between us and the adherence to God’s will. . In this way the family opens itself to the joy that God gives to those who know how to give with joy. And thus, she not only finds the spiritual strength to open herself to the outside world, to be open to the service of her brothers and sisters and to help build a new and better world, but also to become a bearer of positive impulses and through the example of she. Evangelize life.
It is true that there are problems in all families: Sometimes there is an argument … We are weak, we all have these conflicts in the family. I tell you one thing: if you argue, don’t let the day go by without making up … because the cold war the next day is very, very dangerous …
A thematic year dedicated to the church for families begins on March 19
Today’s feast brings us closer to the heart of this urgency to evangelize life through the family, proposing anew the ideal of love in marriage and in the family, which is also found in the Apostolic Letter. Joy It stands out, which will be published for the fifth time on March 19. And there will be a year of reflection on Amoris laetitia. It will be an opportunity to deepen the content of the document.
These reflections will be made available to ecclesial communities and families to guide them on their way. Now I invite everyone to join the initiatives that will be promoted during this year and that the Dicastery will coordinate for the laity, the family and life. We entrust the Holy Family of Nazareth, especially Saint Joseph, Spouse and Father in solidarity, to this journey with families from all over the world.
May the Virgin Mary, to whom we now turn with the prayer of the angel of the Lord, work so that families around the world feel more and more fascinated by the ideal of the Holy Family established by the Gospel, all the more to do a new. Concrete and universal humanity and solidarity.
(vaticannews – skr)
