The Deacon's Bench
I think that also includes the family of Christ’s Church.
The “enemy attacks the family so much. The devil does not want it. He tries to destroy it, to prevent love from becoming free,” said Pope Francis in responding to a family present at the National Convocation of the Renewal in the Spirit, who told their story to the Pope along with a priest, a young man and a young disabled woman.
The venue was Rome’s Olympic Stadium before a gathering of some 52,000 people from more than 50 countries. Here, before the Pope addressed the crowd, the people representing four groups related their stories, followed by the pope’s response (translation from the Italian by AsiaNews)…
…The family came next: mother, father and three children. “We are here with our children and so many good hopes. For us, Renewal means rediscovering the beauty of creating a family, a joyful experience. It is possible to talk to each other, listen to each other, support each other but above all exchange with each other. A new love leads us to educate our children to the faith in Jesus. Every day we need the faith that comes from the other, the force that helps us reach the grace of unity in the family. May it confirm us in our faith and bring upon all the families of the world, especially those in difficulty, the graces we expect. We pledge you our prayers.”
After listening, the pope stood and embraced the members of this family. Addressing them, he said, “Families are the home Church where Jesus grows. He grows in the spouses’ love and in the children’s lives. For this reason, the enemy attacks the family so much. The devil does not want it. He tries to destroy it, to prevent love from becoming free. Families are the home church. But married people are sinners like everyone else, they do not want to go in faith, in its fertility, in children and the faith of their children. May the Lord bless the family, and make it strong in the face of the crisis by which the devil wants to destroy it.”
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