by Peter Schineller, SJ
Pope’s Prayer Intention: Let us pray that today’s families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance, and especially, that they may be protected by the State.
The family ought to be protected.
It faces many dangers: the fast pace of life, stress…
Sometimes, parents forget to play with their children.
The Church needs to encourage families and stay at their side, helping them to discover ways that allow them to overcome all of these difficulties.
Let us pray that today’s families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance, and especially, that they may be protected by the State.
Much writing about the family, for example in letters of the Pope and bishops, emphasises the mission or tasks of the family – what the family should do, and what we expect of families.
But the intention of this month shifts a bit to what we should do for the family to make their mission possible. This is important because we know the many challenges facing the family today. We see photos of children separated from parents, homeless and refugee children, and the tyranny of the cellphone which interrupts family conversation.
So it is appropriate and indispensable that we pray in accord with the Pope’s intention that today’s families may be accompanied with love, respect, and guidance. To accompany means to support, encourage, walk with and stand up with and for families.
Who can do this? I think of Church and civil authorities, but first of all, I look to the family itself and to other families. It starts there, with grandparents, relatives and friends. In accepting the sacrament of matrimony, every Christian family pledges to be a sign, witness, model and encouragement to accompany to other families. The sacrament gives grace and power to do this in imitating the Holy Family.
Indeed, in this month let us all pray that today’s families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance.