Skip to content

Pope Francis asks families to put down their phones on Holy Family feast

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

On the feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth Sunday, Pope Francis encouraged families to get off their cell phones and talk to one another.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis

Highlights

By Courtney Mares
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
12/30/2019 (4 years ago)

Published in Europe

Keywords: FAMILY, VATICAN CITY, VATICAN

Vatican City, (CNA) - On the feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth Sunday, Pope Francis encouraged families to get off their cell phones and talk to one another.

"In your family, do you know how to communicate with each other, or are you like those kids at the table -- each one has their own cell phone, chatting? In that table there is a silence as if they were at Mass, but they don't communicate with each other," Pope Francis said in his Angelus address Dec. 29.

"We need to retake communication within the family: parents, children, grandparents and siblings must communicate with each other," the pope said. "This is your assignment for today for the feast of the Holy Family."

Pope Francis said that the Holy Family is a model for families today in "following the Gospel, the foundation of holiness in a family," as they prayed, worked, and communicated with each other.

"The Holy Family of Nazareth represents a choral response to the will of the Father. The three members of this exceptional family help each other to discover and carry out God's plan," he said.

"The family is a precious treasure: we must always support and protect it," the pope said.

The Holy Family was "totally available to God's will," he said, providing an example of obedience and openness for families today.

The pope pointed to Mary's obedience to God at times when she did not fully understand God's plans for her.

"Mary silently meditates, reflects and worships the divine initiative. Her presence at the foot of the cross consecrates this total availability," the pope said.

"As for Joseph, the Gospel does not bring us a single word: he does not speak, but acts by obeying," Francis added.

An example of this was Joseph's trust in God's will as he fled with his family to Egypt.

"Under the guidance of God, represented by the Angel, Joseph removes his family from the threats of Herod," he said. "The Holy Family is thus in solidarity with all the families of the world forced into exile, solidarity with all those who are forced to abandon their land because of repression, violence, war."

Pope Francis asked for prayers for the victims of a car bomb in Mogadishu, Somalia that killed over 70 people Dec. 28, and expressed his closeness to all family members mourning their loss.

"Let us entrust to Mary, 'Queen of the family,' all the families of the world, especially those experiencing suffering or unease, and we invoke her maternal protection on them," Pope Francis said.
 

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Lent logo
Saint of the Day logo
Light Your Free Payer Candle for a departed loved one

What is Palm Sunday?

Live on March 20, 2024 @ 10am PDT

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.