Posted February 17, 2015

See the daily excerpt from the preparatory catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”

116. Poverty and economic hardship undermine marriage and family life around the world. Pointing to a sign in the crowd one day at an Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said:

I read there, in large print: “The poor cannot wait.” It is beautiful! And this makes me think of Jesus born in a stable, he was not born in a home. Afterwards he had to flee, to go to Egypt to save his life. Then he returned to his home in Nazareth. And I think today, also in reading what is written there, of the many families who do not have a home, either because they never had one or because they lost it for any number of reasons. Family and home go together. It is very difficult to bring up a family without living in a house…. I invite everyone — persons, social institutions, authorities — to do everything possible so that every family might have a home.

***

In its introduction, the document says its aim is to present “Catholic teaching in a way that is fresh, insightful, and accessible to contemporary Catholics and all people of good will.” The catechesis “offers a narrative beginning with our creation, soberly noting our fall and the challenges we face, but emphasizing God’s plan for our salvation. Love is our mission, and it is by loving God and one another that we will be fully alive.”

Each day in CatholicPhilly.com’s World Meeting of Families section you can reflect on the official Catholic teaching on the family presented in the catechesis, pray a special prayer together as a family or individually, and stay on top of breaking news about the events coming Sept. 22-27, 2015.

Order the catechesis for your home via Our Sunday Visitor, and visit WorldMeeting2015.org for more information on the events.

Sign up for our newsletter so you won’t miss any development about the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.