This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every other corner of the world.
In his speech, the Pope focused his meditation on the theme of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the modern world (4-25 October 2015).
Following the summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
A few days ago, the Synod of Bishops on the theme: The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the modern world began. The family walking in the ways of the Lord is essential to the testimony of God's love and therefore is worthy of all the dedication of which the Church is capable. The Synod is called to interpret this solicitude and care on the part of the Church today. Let us accompany the synodal process first with our prayer and with our attention. During this period, these catecheses will be a series of reflections inspired by some of the aspects of the relationship - which we can well refer to as unbreakable! - between the Church and the family, with the horizons open to the good of the entire human community.
A careful look at the daily life of men and women today immediately demonstrates the widespread need for a robust injection of family spirit. In fact, the style of our relations - civil, economic, juridical, professional and among fellow citizens - appears to be very rational, formal, organized, but also very dehydrated, arid and anonymous. Sometimes, it becomes unbearable. While wanting to be inclusive in its forms, in reality, an increasing number of people are abandoned to solitude and rejected.
This is why the family opens for all of society a much more human prospect: it opens the eyes of children to life - and not only their sight but all the other senses - representing a vision of human relationships built on a free covenant of love. The family introduces its children to the need for bonds of fidelity, sincerity, trust, cooperation and respect; it encourages them to build a habitable world and to grow in their relationships of trust, even in difficult conditions; it teaches them to be people of their word, to respect single people, to share their personal limitations and more. We are all aware of the necessity for families to pay attention to their smallest members, their most vulnerable members, their most wounded members, and those who are most affected by natural disasters in the day-to-day conduct of their lives. In society, those who practice these attitudes have assimilated the spirit of family, certainly not out of a spirit of competence or of any self-centred desire.
Even knowing all this does not provide families with the respect that is their due - to say nothing of recognition or support - in the political and economic facets of modern society. I want to say a word or two about this: not only does the family not receive adequate recognition, but it also does not generate learning any longer! At one time, people used to say that with all this knowledge, these technical advancements, modern society is still not able to translate all this knowledge into better forms of civil society. Not only does the organization of community life get stuck deeper and deeper into a bureaucracy that is completely foreign to fundamental human bonds, but, even the social and political customs often betray signs of degradation - aggression, vulgarity, contempt - which are well below the threshold of even a minimum level of educated families. In such situations, extreme opposite to such brutalization of relationships - that is to say the dullness of technocracy and amoral attitudes - come together and feed off each other. This is a paradox.
The Church is looking today, in this very spot, for the historical sense of its mission for the sake of families and the authentic family spirit: beginning with a revised attempt at life, which concerns its own life. If it is possible to say that the family spirit is a constitution for the Church: that Christianity should be apparent, then so be it. This is written clearly: You who once were far off - says Saint Paul - ... are no longer strangers, nor guests, but fellow citizens with the saints and family members of God (Eph 2:19). The Church is and should be the family of God.
When Jesus called Peter to follow him, he told him that he would make him a fisher of men; and for this reason, he needs a new type of network. We can say that today, families are one of the most important networks for the mission of Peter and of the Church. This is not a network that takes prisoners! On the contrary, it frees us from the captive waters of abandonment and indifference, which drown many human beings in the sea of solitude and indifference. Families know well what it means to have dignity and to know that we are brothers and not slaves, strangers or merely numbers written on an identity card.
From this point, from the family, Jesus begins again his passage among human beings in order to persuade them that God has not forgotten them. From this, Peter draws strength for his ministry. From this, the Church, obedient to the word of the Master, goes fishing in the deep, certain that, if we should catch anything, the fish will be marvelous. May the enthusiasm of the Synod Fathers, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, stir up the momentum of a Church that abandons the old nets and returns to our fishing, trusting in the word of our God. Let us pray intensely for this gift! Moreover, Christ has promised, and we are encouraged: even if wicked fathers should refuse bread to their hungry children, no harm if God will give the Spirit to those who - imperfect as they are - should ask for it with passionate insistence (cf Lk 11:9-13)!
At the conclusion of this catechesis, translations were offered in summary in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, the Netherlands, Norway, Nigeria, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. I ask you to continue to pray for the Synod on the Family, and to recommit your families to Christ. May you always be witnesses to his mercy and love in the world. God bless you all!
In his speech, the Pope focused his meditation on the theme of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the modern world (4-25 October 2015).
Following the summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
A few days ago, the Synod of Bishops on the theme: The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the modern world began. The family walking in the ways of the Lord is essential to the testimony of God's love and therefore is worthy of all the dedication of which the Church is capable. The Synod is called to interpret this solicitude and care on the part of the Church today. Let us accompany the synodal process first with our prayer and with our attention. During this period, these catecheses will be a series of reflections inspired by some of the aspects of the relationship - which we can well refer to as unbreakable! - between the Church and the family, with the horizons open to the good of the entire human community.
A careful look at the daily life of men and women today immediately demonstrates the widespread need for a robust injection of family spirit. In fact, the style of our relations - civil, economic, juridical, professional and among fellow citizens - appears to be very rational, formal, organized, but also very dehydrated, arid and anonymous. Sometimes, it becomes unbearable. While wanting to be inclusive in its forms, in reality, an increasing number of people are abandoned to solitude and rejected.
This is why the family opens for all of society a much more human prospect: it opens the eyes of children to life - and not only their sight but all the other senses - representing a vision of human relationships built on a free covenant of love. The family introduces its children to the need for bonds of fidelity, sincerity, trust, cooperation and respect; it encourages them to build a habitable world and to grow in their relationships of trust, even in difficult conditions; it teaches them to be people of their word, to respect single people, to share their personal limitations and more. We are all aware of the necessity for families to pay attention to their smallest members, their most vulnerable members, their most wounded members, and those who are most affected by natural disasters in the day-to-day conduct of their lives. In society, those who practice these attitudes have assimilated the spirit of family, certainly not out of a spirit of competence or of any self-centred desire.
Even knowing all this does not provide families with the respect that is their due - to say nothing of recognition or support - in the political and economic facets of modern society. I want to say a word or two about this: not only does the family not receive adequate recognition, but it also does not generate learning any longer! At one time, people used to say that with all this knowledge, these technical advancements, modern society is still not able to translate all this knowledge into better forms of civil society. Not only does the organization of community life get stuck deeper and deeper into a bureaucracy that is completely foreign to fundamental human bonds, but, even the social and political customs often betray signs of degradation - aggression, vulgarity, contempt - which are well below the threshold of even a minimum level of educated families. In such situations, extreme opposite to such brutalization of relationships - that is to say the dullness of technocracy and amoral attitudes - come together and feed off each other. This is a paradox.
The Church is looking today, in this very spot, for the historical sense of its mission for the sake of families and the authentic family spirit: beginning with a revised attempt at life, which concerns its own life. If it is possible to say that the family spirit is a constitution for the Church: that Christianity should be apparent, then so be it. This is written clearly: You who once were far off - says Saint Paul - ... are no longer strangers, nor guests, but fellow citizens with the saints and family members of God (Eph 2:19). The Church is and should be the family of God.
When Jesus called Peter to follow him, he told him that he would make him a fisher of men; and for this reason, he needs a new type of network. We can say that today, families are one of the most important networks for the mission of Peter and of the Church. This is not a network that takes prisoners! On the contrary, it frees us from the captive waters of abandonment and indifference, which drown many human beings in the sea of solitude and indifference. Families know well what it means to have dignity and to know that we are brothers and not slaves, strangers or merely numbers written on an identity card.
From this point, from the family, Jesus begins again his passage among human beings in order to persuade them that God has not forgotten them. From this, Peter draws strength for his ministry. From this, the Church, obedient to the word of the Master, goes fishing in the deep, certain that, if we should catch anything, the fish will be marvelous. May the enthusiasm of the Synod Fathers, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, stir up the momentum of a Church that abandons the old nets and returns to our fishing, trusting in the word of our God. Let us pray intensely for this gift! Moreover, Christ has promised, and we are encouraged: even if wicked fathers should refuse bread to their hungry children, no harm if God will give the Spirit to those who - imperfect as they are - should ask for it with passionate insistence (cf Lk 11:9-13)!
At the conclusion of this catechesis, translations were offered in summary in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, the Netherlands, Norway, Nigeria, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States. I ask you to continue to pray for the Synod on the Family, and to recommit your families to Christ. May you always be witnesses to his mercy and love in the world. God bless you all!
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