Marking the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, during a
recent Angelus address Pope Francis said the transmission of faith takes places
first and foremost in the home and among families. "Saints Joachim and
Anne were part of a long chain of people who had transmitted their love for
God, expressed in the warmth and love of family life, down to Mary, who
received the Son of God in her womb and who gave him to the world, to us,"
Pope Francis told World Youth Day pilgrims on July 26. "How precious is
the family as the privileged place for transmitting the faith!" he said.
Pope Francis began his Angelus address by telling the pilgrims he would be
happy if his visit to Rio were to "renew, in each one of you, your love
for Christ and his Church and your joy in being one with him, belonging to the
Church and being committed to offering a living witness to the faith." He
praised the Angelus as a "beautiful popular expression of the faith"
which "punctuates the rhythm of our daily activities," encouraging
all to pray it regularly. "It reminds us of a luminous event which
transformed history: the Incarnation, the moment when the Son of God became man
in Jesus of Nazareth." The Pope turned to reflecting on the day's feast of
Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary and grandparents of Jesus, and
emphasized to the young pilgrims the importance of honoring their own
grandparents. "In their home, Mary came into the world ... (she) grew up
in the home of Joachim and Anne; she was surrounded by their love and faith: in
their home she learned to listen to the Lord and to follow his will." He
noted that Grandparents Day is also celebrated today, marking the feast of
God's own grandparents. "How important grandparents are for family
life," the Pope said, "for passing on the human and religious
heritage which is so essential for each and every society." "How
important it is to have intergenerational exchanges and dialogue, especially
within the context of the family. Children and the elderly build the future of
peoples: children because they lead history forward, the elderly because they
transmit the experience and wisdom of their lives," he said. Pope Francis
added, "This relationship and this dialogue between generations is a
treasure to be preserved and strengthened!" He said the pilgrims at World Youth Day
"wish to acknowledge and honour their grandparents," saluting them
with "great affection" and thanking them for the "ongoing
witness of their wisdom." Having said that, Pope Francis led the crowd in
the Angelus prayer as "one big family," turning to Mary "that
she may protect our families and make them places of faith and love in which
the presence of Jesus her Son is felt." I ask you pray with me that Pope
Francis' message resonate with those seeking God and that Our Lord continue to
use the Pope as his vessel on earth.
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...