Pope Leo: Families are the cradle of humanity’s future
Closing the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Leo presides over Mass and challenges everyone to ground their love in Christ, which can bring peace to the world.
Firstly it is a gift
The Gospel passage for the day showed Jesus at the Last Supper praying that all “may be one”, which the Pope described as “the greatest good that we can desire.” This unity that Jesus prayed for is one that comes from the same love God created life and brought salvation into the world – “as such, it is firstly a gift that Jesus comes to bring.”
God’s love, Pope Leo continued, is an infinite love that knows no end. The love God has for each and every one of us is no less than the love He has for His son, Jesus. We need each other
Reflecting on the gift of life, the Pontiff called to mind the words of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who explained how we are all sons and daughters, “but none of us chose to be born.” Furthermore, the Pope highlighted, from the moment of our birth we depend on others to survive. “All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship,” he stated, “a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.”
Pope Leo underscored that this is the message we are to share with the world. We are here to be “‘one’ in our families and in those places where we live, work, and study.” But he clarified that being one does not mean being the same. While we are all different, he said, we are called to be one, always and in every situation and stage of life.
