In his final Angelus address of 2023, Pope Francis paid tribute to Pope Benedict XVI on the first anniversary of his predecessor's death and reflected on how the Holy Family endured trials.
In his final Angelus address of 2023, Pope Francis paid tribute to Pope Benedict XVI on the first anniversary of his predecessor's death, stating that the late pontiff continues to bless and assist the Church from heaven.
Speaking on December 31 from the window of the Apostolic Palace, after a longer discourse on the Holy Family's secret for enduring trials, Francis said that Benedict XVI served the Church "with love and wisdom."
"We feel so much affection for him, so much gratitude, so much admiration. From heaven, he blesses us and accompanies us," Pope Francis said on the Feast of the Holy Family, as pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square applauded.
Benedict died on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95. The Bavarian prelate was pope from 2005 to 2013 and is considered by many to be one of the most important theologians of the contemporary era. He lived the last nine years of his life as "pope emeritus" in the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae monastery, after resigning from the Petrine See on February 11, 2013, becoming the first pope to do so in 600 years.
Earlier in the day, a special Mass in honor of Benedict XVI was celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica, as part of a two-day conference on the life, teaching, and legacy of the late pope, sponsored by EWTN and others.
During his Angelus address, Pope Francis also reflected on how the Holy Family went through trials but endured them by marveling at God's presence in their lives.
The Pope noted the "surprising" fact that Jesus was born into a family "expert in suffering," as shown in today's Gospel reading: when Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the temple, they offer the most humble prescribed sacrifice, a pair of birds, and Simeon tells Mary that "a sword will pierce your soul."
"How is it that the family of Jesus, the only family in history that could boast of having God present in flesh and blood among them, instead of being rich, was poor?" said the Pope. "Instead of having things easy, it seems this family encounters obstacles! Instead of being free from difficulties, this family is plunged into great sorrow!"
Pope Francis said this fact shows that God, in Christ, "came to live our life with its problems" and "saved us in this way, by living among us." By becoming incarnate in a family facing trials, Pope Francis said that Christ says to families facing difficulties today:
"I know what you are going through. I lived it, my mother and my father, we lived it, so we can also say to your family: You are not alone!"
Pope Francis said the Holy Family also has a lesson to teach families facing challenges: the importance of the "capacity to marvel" before God, "not getting used to the ordinariness of things," which "can be a secret for moving forward properly in family life."
The Pontiff spoke of the importance of marveling at one's own spouse, taking their hand, or "looking at the other tenderly in the eyes for a few seconds in the evening."
"Marveling always leads us to tenderness," said the Pope, emphasizing that "tenderness is beautiful in marriage."
Francis also recommended marveling at the miracle of life by taking time to play with children. In his spontaneous manner, he shared that during a phone call yesterday, he had asked a friend where she was. She told him she was at the park on a walk with her children.
"That is good parenting," said the Pope.
Pope Francis also said that instead of keeping grandparents at a distance from our lives, families should marvel at their wisdom by listening to their stories.
"Grandparents bring us back to the essentials," said Francis.
Also read | A Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Family
Concluding his remarks on the Holy Family and the importance of marveling, Pope Francis said that every person should marvel at "their own love story," paying attention to how God has walked with us, even amidst the negative aspects. The Pope asked Mary, Queen of the Family, to "help us to marvel each day at the good and to know how to teach others the beauty of marveling."
After reciting the Angelus prayer, the Pope expressed his closeness to the people of Nigeria's Plateau State, where Muslims killed more than 140 people in attacks on Christmas Eve, as well as to those in Liberia, where a tanker truck explosion killed 40 people on December 27. Pope Francis also asked for continued prayers for those suffering due to the wars in Ukraine, Palestine and Israel, Sudan, as well as for the Rohingya people in Indonesia.
Echoing his reflection on the Gospel, the Pope emphasized that the family is the basic cell of society, which "always needs to be defended and supported, always!"
In conclusion, Pope Francis wished everyone a serene end to the year and expressed his eagerness to see them again in 2024.
This article was originally published by the National Catholic Register (Article Link). It is republished and translated with the author's permission.