On Sunday 27 August last, Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin celebrated Mass in Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral to mark the fifth anniversary of the World Meeting of Families 2018.
During his homily, Archbishop Farrell said, “Families are good news because they are the place where God begins to reveal to us who we are, how we are, and what we are: that we are someone who is precious to others, that we need each other—not just to survive, but—to live, and that our lives together are filled with paradox and mystery—that love and loss are deeply entwined, as are failure, forgiveness and mercy. Families are “a chance to take part in God’s dream…of building a world in which no will feel alone” (Amoris Laetitia, 319–21).
The Archbishop of Dublin continued, “Family is the place where we may be ourselves. Indeed, family is the place where we are known, and have no other option but to be ourselves. In today’s Gospel (Matt 16:13-20), Jesus goes from asking the disciples, “who do people say that I am?” to asking them, “who do you—you as a group—say that I am?” The healthy family is the safe place where we begin to hear who we truly are. Where that discovery happens, God is profoundly at work. Like the Church, instead of remaining closed within themselves, families become more themselves by “going forth”, “caring for others”, and “transforming the world” (Amoris Laetitia 324).”
To read this homily in full, click here.
ENDS
