杏MAP导航

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

杏MAP导航 Francis' monthly prayer intention this March is for "families in crisis."

The 杏MAP导航 invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month's The 杏MAP导航 Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the 杏MAP导航’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

The images and audio in the video were prepared prior to the Holy Father's arrival at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on 14 February, where he continues his treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

In The 杏MAP导航 Video for March, the Holy Father acknowledged the great difficulties facing familiies.

'No such thing as a perfect family' 

"We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family. But," 杏MAP导航 Francis recognized, "there’s no such thing as a perfect family," for each family "has its own problems," "as well as its tremendous joys."

While every member of the family is important because each is unique, the 杏MAP导航 lamented how often their differences cause conflict and painful wounds, as he suggests a solution.

"The best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family," he stressed, "is forgiveness," adding that forgiveness requires giving our family members "another chance."

"God," 杏MAP导航 Francis pointed out, "does this with us all the time." Reminding that God’s patience is infinite, the Holy Father reminded how He "forgives us, lifts us up, and gives us a new start."

Renewing the family through forgiveness

In the same way, the 杏MAP导航 suggested, pardoning one another "always renews the family" and makes "it look forward with hope."

Even when there’s no possibility of the “happy ending” we’d like, he noted, God’s grace gives us the strength to forgive.

Doing so, he explained, "brings peace," because "it frees us from sadness, and, above all, from resentment."

杏MAP导航 Francis concluded by saying, "Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences."