At the Angelus today, Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis addressed a message to all families urging them to avoid the dangers of selfishness.

Newsroom  (26/12/2021 11:51 AM, Gaudium Press) On this Sunday, as the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family, Pope Francis considered some crucial considerations for families today.

Before the traditional Angelus prayer, Pope Francis spoke about the need and significance of being tied to a family. Just as the Son of God came to earth in the bosom of a family and grew up there amid the bonds of affection, we too are inserted into a family. We are part of a story; even with problems and difficulties, the family is our root.

 At the same time, “we need to learn each day how to be a family,” the pontiff noted. When Mary and Joseph lost the Child Jesus in the Temple, they are distressed, but “they need time to learn to know their son,” Francis explained.

The Pope then spoke about the need for mutual understanding, for dealing with the difficulties of everyday life and overcoming them with simple, caring gestures. Our Lady sets the example when she says, “your father and I; it does not say, I and your father. Before the ‘I’ comes ‘you’! To protect harmony in the family, the dictatorship of the ‘I’ needs to be fought,” Francis pointed out. 

The Pope also showed concern when there is no dialogue within families, but only criticism. Dialogue, “listening to one another,” can help to live the family’s roots. “How many times, unfortunately, conflicts originate and grow within the domestic walls due to prolonged periods of silence and from unchecked selfishness! (…)Let us convert ourselves from ‘I’ to ‘you,'” Francis recommended. (FM)

Compiled by Gustavo Kralj