(Vatican Radio) Continuing his catechesis on the family this Wednesday Pope Francis spoke about the joy of children in family life and how the choice to have children is not irresponsible but vital for a healthy, happy society.
Below a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s Catechesis
Dear brothers and sisters,
After reflecting on the figures of mother and father, in this catechesis on the family I would like to mention the child or, rather, the children. I draw inspiration from a beautiful image from Isaiah. The prophet writes: “Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you— your sons from afar, your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall throb and overflow”(60, 4-5a).
It is a beautiful image of the happiness that is realized in the reunion between parents and children, walking together towards a future of freedom and peace, after a long period of deprivation and separation.
In fact, there is a close bond between a people’s hope and the harmony between generations. There is a very close link between a people’s hope and inter-generational harmony. The joy of children makes their parents hearts throb and reopens the future.
Children are the joy of family and society. They are not a problem of reproductive biology, or one of many ways to realize oneself in life. Let alone their parent’s possession. Children are a gift. Do you understand? Children are a gift!
Each is unique and each is unrepeatable; and yet unmistakably tied to his or her roots. Being a son or daughter, according to God’s plan, means carrying within the memory and the hope of a love that has realized itself in lighting up another original and new human being. And for parents every child is different, is an individual…
Allow me to share a childhood memory, my mother would always say – there were five of us in our family – when asked which one was her favorite, she would say ‘I have five children like I have five fingers…if they beat one of my fingers all five hurt…all of my children are mine, but each one is different, just like my fingers…this is the way it is in the family, all children are different but all children…
You love your child because he is a child, not because he is beautiful, healthy, and good; not because he thinks like me, or embodies my desires. A child is a child: a life created by us but destined for him, for his good, the good of the family, society, humanity.
This is where the depth of the human experience of being son and daughter comes from, which allows us to discover the most gratuitous dimension of love , which never ceases to amaze us. It is the beauty of being loved before:
How often I meet mothers here [the Holy Father indicates the Square] who show me their pregnant bellies and ask me to bless them, because these children are loved before coming into the world!
Before we have done anything to deserve it, before we can speak or think, even before coming into the world!
Being a child is the fundamental condition to know God’s love, which is the ultimate source of this real miracle. In the soul of every child, not matter how vulnerable, God puts the seal of this love, which is the basis of his or her personal dignity, a dignity that nothing and no one can destroy.
Today it seems more difficult for children to imagine their future. Fathers – as I mentioned in the previous catechesis – have perhaps taken a step back and the children have become more uncertain in taking their steps forward. We can learn about good inter-generational relations from our Heavenly Father, who leaves us each of us free but never leaves us alone. And if we fail, He continues to follow us patiently without diminishing His love for us. Our Heavenly Father never takes a step back, Our Heavenly Father never takes a backward step in His love for us never, he always moves forward and waits for us, but never, ever backwards; He wants his children to be brave, He wants us to progress.
The children, for their part, should not be afraid of the commitment to build a new world: it is only right that they should want to improve on what they have received! But this must be done without arrogance, without presumption. We must know how to recognize a child’s worth, and children should always honor their parents.
The fourth commandment asks children- and we all are children! – to honor their father and mother (cf. Ex 20:12). This commandment comes right after the ones concerning God Himself. After the first three about God we have this fourth one. In fact it contains something sacred, something divine, and something that is at the root of every other kind of respect among men. And the biblical formulation of the fourth commandment adds: “That you may live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving to you gives you”.
The virtuous link between generations is a guarantee of the future, and it is a guarantee of a very human story. A society of children who do not honor their parents is a society without honor, when you do not honor your parents you lose your honor! It is a society destined to fill itself with arid and greedy young.
However, even a society with a greedy generation, that doesn’t want to surround itself with children, that considers them above all worrisome, a weight, a risk, is a depressed society.
Just think of the many societies we know here in Europe. They are depressed societies because they don’t want children, they don’t have children. The birth rate doesn’t even reach 1%, why? Everyone should think about that and answer it personally.
If a generous family of children is viewed as if it were a burden, there is something wrong! As the Encyclical Humanae Vitae of Blessed Pope Paul VI teaches, but having more children cannot be automatically viewed as an irresponsible choice. The choice to not have children is selfish. Life rejuvenates and acquires energy when it multiplies: It is enriched, not impoverished! Children learn to take charge of their family, they mature in the sharing of sacrifices, and they grow in appreciation of its gifts. The experience of joyful fraternity animates the respect and care of parents, who are due our gratitude.
Many of you, here, have children. And we are all children. Let’s do something, it won’t take long. Let each one of us think, privately, about your children – if you have them – and about our parents, and let us thank God for the gift of them…[followed by a lengthy pause]
May the Lord bless our parents and your children.
Jesus, the eternal Son, made child in time, help us to find the way of a new outpouring of this human experience so simple and so great that is being children. In the multiplication of generations there is a mystery enrichment of life for all, which comes from God Himself. We must rediscover it, challenging prejudice; and live it, in faith, in perfect joy.
And let me tell you how beautiful it is to pass among you and see the Dad’s and Moms who lift up their children for a blessing, it is an almost divine action! Thank you
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Continuing his catechesis on the family this Wednesday Pope Francis spoke about the joy of children in family life and how the choice to have children is not irresponsible but vital for a healthy, happy society. Below a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s Catechesis Dear brothers and sisters, After reflecting on…
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(Vatican Radio) Continuing his catechesis on the family this Wednesday Pope Francis spoke about the joy of children in family life and how the choice to have children is not irresponsible but vital for a healthy, happy society. Below a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s Catechesis Dear brothers and sisters, After reflecting on…
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(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has told the United Nations it is concerned that economic growth “has not benefited everyone in society equally.”
Speaking at a session of the UN’s Commission for Social Development, The Holy See’s Permanent Observer, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, said that “by placing the human person at the center of development and encouraging investments and policies that meet real needs, the progress made toward eradicating poverty remains permanent and society more resilient in the face of potential crises.”
Archbishop Auza said it is not enough for a person to have gainful employment.
“Work must also be dignified and secure,” he said. “Investments in education, access to basic health-care services, and the creation of social safety nets are primary, not secondary factors to improving a person’s quality of life, and ensuring the equitable distribution of wealth and resources in society.”
He also said the market economy does not exist to serve itself, but rather to serve the common good of all of society.
“With this in mind, we must pay particular attention to the welfare of the most vulnerable among us since they are often overlooked in the name of greater productivity, efficiency and general economic growth,” said Archbishop Auza. “Social development cannot be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach; thus universal policies and programs must be reinforced by a more targeted approach that addresses the needs of the most vulnerable.”
The full statement of Archbishop Auza can be found below
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN Economic and Social Council
53rd Session of the Commission for Social Development
Agenda Item 3 (a): Rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world
New York, 10 February 2015
Madam Chair,
At the outset, allow me to congratulate Your Excellency and the bureau on your elections. My Delegation looks forward to working with other delegations during this policy cycle to redouble our efforts to assist those living in all forms of poverty around the world.
Madam Chair,
Though economic growth has slowed in recent years, millions continue to be lifted out of poverty, particularly in the developing world. My delegation, however, shares the concern of the Secretary General in his recent report and recognizes that economic growth, which has led to new challenges, has not benefited everyone in society equally. Significant inequalities remain and many of the most vulnerable groups in society have been left behind. Without addressing these inequalities, especially as we transition into the post 2015 development agenda, we risk undermining the impact of economic growth on poverty and on the well-being of society as a whole.
To be sustainable and beneficial for all, social development must be ethical, moral and person-centered. Here again, we echo the Secretary General’s report when we emphasize that economic growth is not a sufficient indicator of social development. Rather, we must be attentive to those indicators that give a complete picture of the wellbeing of every individual in society while promoting policies that encourage a truly integral approach to the development of the human person as a whole.
In this regard, for example, it is not enough to have gainful employment. Work must also be dignified and secure. Investments in education, access to basic health-care services, and the creation of social safety nets are primary, not secondary factors to improving a person’s quality of life, and ensuring the equitable distribution of wealth and resources in society. By placing the human person at the center of development and encouraging investments and policies that meet real needs, the progress made toward eradicating poverty remains permanent and society more resilient in the face of potential crises.
Madam Chair,
The market economy does not exist to serve itself, but rather to serve the common good of all of society. With this in mind, we must pay particular attention to the welfare of the most vulnerable among us since they are often overlooked in the name of greater productivity, efficiency and general economic growth. Social development cannot be a “one-size-fits-all” approach; thus universal policies and programs must be reinforced by a more targeted approach that addresses the needs of the most vulnerable.
As Pope Francis has reminded us time and time again, “Our faith in Christ, who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members… [This] means working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor, as well as small daily acts of solidarity in meeting the real needs which we encounter.” 1
Madam Chair,
The authentic integral development of the person and the eradication of poverty are achievable only by focusing on the tremendous value of the family to society, where every human being receives his or her primary education and most formative development. The family is society’s most natural social safety net, sharing resources for the benefit of the entire family unit and offering intergenerational support. In the family, we learn to love and to contribute without pay and, unlike in the global economy, every individual person has a place.
Madam Chair,
In conclusion, my Delegation believes that we need to embark on a strategic approach towards poverty eradication based on true social justice in order to help reduce the suffering of millions of our brothers and sisters. It is our firm conviction that social development policies must address not only the economic and political needs, but also the spiritual and ethical dimension of each human person. In this manner, every individual in the society can be free from all forms of poverty, both material and spiritual.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
1 Pope Francis. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, nn. 186, 188.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has told the United Nations it is concerned that economic growth “has not benefited everyone in society equally.” Speaking at a session of the UN’s Commission for Social Development, The Holy See’s Permanent Observer, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, said that “by placing the human person at the center of development and…
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