On Sunday morning, St. Peter’s Square was filled with families for the concluding Mass in honor of the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly. Pope Leo XIV presided over the celebration and, in his homily, he reflected on the family as a source of communion and faith.

Firstly it is a gift

The Gospel passage for the day showed Jesus at the Last Supper praying that all “may be one”, which the Pope described as “the greatest good that we can desire.” This unity that Jesus prayed for is one that comes from the same love God created life and brought salvation into the world – “as such, it is firstly a gift that Jesus comes to bring.”

God’s love, Pope Leo continued, is an infinite love that knows no end. The love God has for each and every one of us is no less than the love He has for His son, Jesus.

We need each other

Reflecting on the gift of life, the Pontiff called to mind the words of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who explained how we are all sons and daughters, “but none of us chose to be born.”

Furthermore, the Pope highlighted, from the moment of our birth we depend on others to survive. “All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship,” he stated, “a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care.”

However, this kindness is sometimes betrayed. Yet, despite the evil that opposes life, Jesus does not stop praying for us and His prayer “makes fully meaningful our experience of love for one another as parents, grandparents, sons and daughters.”

Pope Leo underscored that this is the message we are to share with the world. We are here to be “‘one’ in our families and in those places where we live, work, and study.” But he clarified that being one does not mean being the same. While we are all different, he said, we are called to be one, always and in every situation and stage of life.

Sign of peace

In a world full of conflict and disagreement, the Pope encouraged everyone to ground their love in Christ because if we do this, “we will be a sign of peace for everyone, in society and the world.” This, he reminded everyone, starts at home as families are the “cradle of humanity’s future.”

In recent decades, there are more and more examples of holy families. There are number of married couples who have been beatified and canonized, not separately but together. Pope Leo gave the examples of the parents of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Louis and Zélie Martin, and the Ulma family from Poland. Pope Leo explained the Church’s call for the marriage covenant to be respected today because it has “unifying and reconciling power” that can change the world.

He reiterated that “marriage is not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful and fruitful.” And this relationship, he urged, should be an example of integrity for children on how to act.

Turning to the children present, the Pope reminded them of their duty to honor their parents and thank them each day for the gift of life. He also gave grandparents and the elderly a task: watch over their loved ones “with wisdom and compassion, and with the humility and patience that comes with age.”

Pope Leo concluded by stressing that the family is where faith is handed on from generation to generation — “it is shared like food at the family table and like love in our hearts.” Therefore, the family is a privileged place to meet Jesus.