POPE FRANCIS TOP 10 QUOTES ON THE FAMILY.
Dear friends, here you have the top 10 quotes of Pope Francis’ two interventions in the World Meeting of Families held in Philadelphia (USA) on Sept 26-27, 2015 which I think are very important for all of us.
Happy reading and meditation!
-Fr. Rolly Arjonillo, priest of Opus Dei. CATHOLICS STRIVING FOR HOLINESS.
1. FAMILY IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY
“It is worthwhile to live as a family, that a society grows strong, grows in goodness, grows in beauty and truly grows if it is built on the foundation of the family.”
2. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING GOD MADE: THE FAMILY
“Before creating the world, God loved, because God is love. But there was so much love that He had within Himself, this love between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, it was so great, so overflowing that — I don’t know if this is very theological, but you’ll understand what I mean — it was so great that He couldn’t be egotistical. He had to come out of Himself so as to have that which He could love outside of Himself
But the most beautiful thing that God made, the Bible says, was the family. He created man and woman, and He gave them everything. He gave them the world! Grow, multiply, cultivate the earth, make it produce, make it grow. He presented to a family all of the love that He made in this marvelous creation… All of the love that God has in Himself, all of the beauty that God has in Himself, all of the truth that God has in Himself, He gives to the family. And a family is truly a family when it is able to open its arms and receive all of this love.”
3. GOD SENT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD IN A FAMILY WHICH HAD ITS HEARTS OPEN TO LOVE.
“When the man and his wife made the mistake and distanced themselves from God, God did not leave them alone. There was so much love, so much love that He began to walk with humanity. He began to walk with His people, until the fullness of time arrived, and He gave the greatest sign of His love, His Son.
And His Son, where did He send Him? To a palace? To a city, to start a business? He sent Him to a family! God came into the world in a family. And he was able to do this because this family was a family that had its heart open to love, that had the doors open to love.”
4. GOD WANTS FAMILIES WHERE MEMBERS LOVE EACH OTHER AND EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN IN GOODNESS.
“God always knocks at the door of hearts. He likes to do this. It comes from His heart. But, do you know what He likes best? To knock on the doors of families and find families that are united, to find families that love each other, to find the families that bring up their children and educate them and help them to keep going forward and that create a society of goodness, of truth, and of beauty.”
5. DIFFICULTIES IN THE FAMILY EXIST BUT THEY ARE OVERCOME WITH LOVE
“In families, there are difficulties. In families, we argue; in families, sometimes the plates fly; in families, the children give us headaches. And I’m not even going to mention the mother-in-law. But in families, there is always, always, the cross. Always. Because the love of God, of the Son of God, also opened for us this path. But, in families as well, after the cross, there is the resurrection. Because the Son of God opened for us this path. Because of this, the family is — forgive the term I’ll use — it is a factory of hope, of hope of life and of resurrection. God was the one who opened this path… In families, there are difficulties, but these difficulties are overcome with love. Hate doesn’t overcome any difficulty. Division of hearts doesn’t overcome any difficulty. Only love is capable of overcoming difficulties. Love is a festival. Love is joy. Love is to keep moving forward.”
6. PAY ATTENTION TO CHILDREN AND GRANDPARENTS.
“We must pay special attention to this: the children and the grandparents. Children and young people are the future, they are the strength, those who take us forward. They are the ones in which we place our hope. Grandparents are the memory of a family, they are the ones who gave us the faith, transmitted to us the faith.”
7. HOLINESS AND LOVE ARE MANIFESTED IN THE LITTLE GESTURES OF EACH DAY.
“Like happiness, holiness is always tied to little gestures.” These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children, by siblings. They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion. Like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work. Homely gestures. Like a blessing before we go to bed, or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. “
8. THE FAMILY, THE HOME IS WHERE FAITH IS LEARNED AND GROWS.
“Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life to grow in faith.”
9. JESUS ENCOURAGES THESE LITTLE LOVING GESTURES AS SIGNS OF HIS PRESENCE IN THE WORLD.
“Jesus tells us not to hold back these little miracles. Instead, he wants us to encourage them, to spread them. He asks us to go through life, our everyday life, encouraging all these little signs of love as signs of his own living and active presence in our world.
So we might ask ourselves, [today, here, at the end of this festival]: How are we trying to live this way in our homes, in our societies? What kind of world do we want to leave to our children (cf. Laudato Si’, 160)?”
10. THE IMPORTANCE OF PARENTS BEING GOOD MODELS OF VIRTUE.
“May our children find in us models and incentives to communion! [Not of division.] May our children find in us men and women capable of joining others in bringing to full flower all the good seeds which the Father has sown!”
“I leave you a question for each one to answer to himself, since I said the word impatient,” he said: “In my house, do we yell? Or do we speak with love and tenderness? This is a good way to measure our love.”
“We renew our faith in the word of the Lord which invites faithful families to this openness. It invites all those who want to share the prophecy of the covenant of man and woman, which generates life and reveals God. [May he help us to participate in the prophecy of peace, of tenderness and family affection. May he help us to participate in this prophetic gesture of caring for our children and our grandparents with tenderness, patience and love].”
PHOTO CREDIT: http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/REU-POPE1.jpg
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