The family as the conduit of faith was the theme of Pope
Francis' catechesis during the September 2 General Audience.
His Holiness remarked first that Jesus, both in His words and
His signs, frequently presented family bonds as an example of our relationship
with God. These bonds “within the experience of faith and God's love, are
transformed and acquire a higher meaning, and are able to go beyond themselves,
to create a broader paternity and maternity, and to welcome as brothers and
sisters those who are at the margins”. To this purpose, the Bishop of Rome
cited the Gospel passage in which Jesus responded to those who said that His
mother and brothers were seeking him outside: “Here are my mother and my
brothers! For whoever does the
will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother”.
“The wisdom of affections that cannot be bought or sold is the
finest quality of the family. It is precisely in the family that we learn to
grow in that atmosphere of emotional wisdom. … When family affections are
allowed to be converted by the witness of the Gospel, they become capable of
unimaginable things, the actions that God works in history, like those that
Jesus achieves for the men, women and children he encounters”.
“The family that responds to Jesus' call restores the rule of
the world to the alliance of man and woman with God”, Pope Francis emphasized.
“Let us imagine that the helm of history (of society, the economy, or politics)
is finally passed to the alliance between man and woman, so that they might
govern with a view to the generation to come. The themes of the earth and the
home, the economy and work, would play a very different tune!”
“Effectively, the alliance between the family and God is called
upon to oppose to the community desertification of the modern city. But our
cities have been desertified through a lack of love, a lack of smiles. There is
so much entertainment, so many things to pass the time, to make us laugh, but
there is a lack of love. The smile of a family is able to conquer this
desertification of our cities. And this is the victory of family love”.
“No form of economic or political engineering is able to
substitute the contribution families make”, he concluded. “The project of Babel
builds lifeless skyscrapers. The Spirit of God, instead, makes deserts bloom.
We must leave the towers and strongholds of the elites, in order to frequent
once more the homes and open spaces of the multitudes, open to the love of the
family”.
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Can we take some time to reflect on our Holy Father’s remarks in
relation to the gift of our own faith and family as well as our experience of
God’s love? Let’s place ourselves in the
Gospel scene and hear Jesus say that we are His mother, sister, brother…
because we do the will of our Loving God and Father. What an incredible affirmation of our faith! What a challenge for us to tirelessly share
our faith, hope and love with all of the members of God’s family! Realistically it may be easier to share on
some days and with certain people…
Yes? But always we can try again
to give to others that which the Lord has generously given to us.
Let us pray for and encourage each other to grow in love, to
nurture smiles, and to live in the fullness of the Spirit which makes the
deserts bloom.
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