Pope's
Angelus Address: On the Feast of the Holy Family
"Jesus is the One who brings the generations
together. He is the source of that love that unites families and people,
overcoming all mistrust, all isolation, every distance."
Vatican City, December
28, 2014 (Zenit.org) |
Here is a translation of the address Pope Francis gave
today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
* * *
Dear brothers and sister,
Good morning!
In this first Sunday after
Christmas, while we are still immersed in the joyful climate of the
celebration, the Church invites us to contemplate the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Today's Gospel presents the Madonna and St. Joseph in the moment in which, 40
days after the birth of Jesus, they go to the temple in Jerusalem. They do it
in religious obedience to the Law of Moses, which prescribes to offer the
firstborn to the Lord (cfr. Lk. 2,22-24). We can imagine this little family, in
the midst of so many people, in the great courtyard of the Temple.
They do not stand out to the
eye, they can't be distinguished. Yet they do not go unnoticed! Two elderly
people, Simeon and Anna, moved by the Holy Spirit, approach them and begin to
praise God for that Child, in which they recognize the Messiah, light of the
peoples and salvation of Israel (cfr Lk 2,22-38). It is a simple moment but
rich in prophecy: the meeting between a young couple full of joy and faith for
the graces of the Lord and two elderly people also full of joy and faith for
the actions of the Spirit. Who brings them together? Jesus! Jesus brings them
together, the youth and the elderly. Jesus is the One who brings the
generations together. He is the source of that love that unites families and
people, overcoming all mistrust, all isolation, every distance. This makes us reflect
on grandparents: how important is their presence, the presence of grandparents!
How precious is their role within the family and society! The good relation
between youth and the elderly is decisive for the path of the civil and
ecclesial community. And looking at these two elderly people, Simeon and Anna,
we greet with applause all the grandparents of the world!
The message that comes from
the Holy Family is above all a message of faith. In the family life of Mary and
Joseph, God is truly at the center, and it is in the person of Jesus. This is
why the Family of Nazareth is holy. Why? Because it is centered on Jesus!
When parents and children
breathe together this climate of faith, they possess an energy that allows them
to confront difficult trials, as shown by the experience of the Holy Family,
for example, during the tragic event of the flight into Egypt: A hard trial.
The Child Jesus with his
Mother Mary and with Saint Joseph are the icon of the family, simple yet
illuminating. The light they radiate is a light of mercy and salvation for the
whole world, a light of truth for every man, for the human family and for
individual families. This light that comes from the Holy Family encourages us
to offer human warmth in those family situations in which, for various reasons,
lack peace, lack harmony and lack forgiveness. Our concrete solidarity does not
fail especially in the challenges of the families that are living in more
difficult situations due to sickness, lack of work, discrimination, the need to
migrate. And here we pause for a moment and in silence, we pray for all these
families in difficulty. Be it difficulties of sickness, lack of work,
discrimination, the need to migrate, be it the lack of understanding each
other, as well as also disunion. In silence, we pray for all these families.
[After a brief moment of
silence, the Pope leads the faithful in praying the Hail Mary.]
We entrust to Mary, Queen
of the family, all the families of the world so that they may live in faith, in
harmony, in mutual help, and for this we invoke upon them Her maternal
protection, who was mother and daughter of Her Son.
[Translation by Junno Arocho Esteves]
(December
28, 2014) © Innovative Media Inc.
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