Pope Francis in the Philippines Read Free

we must get up and act ( cf . Rom 13:11). Faith does not remove us from the world , but draws us more deeply into it . Each of us , in fact , has a special role in preparing for the coming of God ’ s kingdom in our world . Just as the gift of the Holy Family was entrusted to Saint Joseph , so the gift of the family and its place in God ’ s plan is entrusted to us . The angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus and Mary , forcing them to flee to Egypt and then to settle in Nazareth . So too , in our time , God calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm . The pressures on family life today are many . Here in the Philippines , countless families are still suffering from the effects of natural disasters . The economic situation has caused families to be separated by migration and the search for employment , and financial problems strain many households . While all too many people live in dire poverty , others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian morality . The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage , by relativism , by the culture of the ephemeral , by a lack of openness to life . Our world needs good and strong families to overcome these threats ! The Philippines needs holy and loving families to protect the beauty and truth of the family in God ’ s plan and to be a support and example for other families . Every threat to the family is a threat to society itself . The future of humanity , as Saint John Paul II often said , passes through the family ( cf . Familiaris Consortio , 85). So protect your families ! See in them your country ’ s greatest treasure and nourish them always by prayer and the grace of the sacraments . Families will always have their trials , but may you never add to them ! Instead , be living examples of love , forgiveness and care . Be sanctuaries of respect for life , proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death . What a gift this would be to society , if every Christian family lived fully its noble vocation ! So rise with Jesus and Mary , and set out on the path the Lord traces for each of you . Finally , the Gospel we have heard reminds us of our Christian duty to be prophetic voices in the midst of our communities . Joseph listened to the angel of the Lord and responded to God ’ s call to care for Jesus and Mary . In this way he played his part in God ’ s plan , and became a blessing not only for the Holy Family , but a blessing for all of humanity . With Mary , Joseph served as a model for the boy Jesus as he grew in wisdom , age and grace ( cf . Lk 2:52). When families bring children into the world , train them in faith and sound values , and teach them to contribute to society , they become a blessing in our world . God ’ s love becomes present and active by the way we love and by the good works that we do . We extend Christ ’ s kingdom in this world . And in doing this , we prove faithful to the prophetic mission which we have received in baptism . During this year which your bishops have set aside as the Year of the Poor , I would ask you , as families , to be especially mindful of our call to be missionary disciples of Jesus . This means being ready to go beyond your homes and to care for our brothers and sisters who are most in need . I ask you especially to show concern for those who do not have a family of their own , in particular those who are elderly and children without parents . Never let them feel isolated , alone and abandoned , but help them to know that God has not forgotten them . You may be poor yourselves in material ways , but you have an abundance of gifts to offer when you offer Christ and the community of his Church . Do not hide your faith , do not hide Jesus , but carry him into the world and