Family difficulties: Pope’s March prayer intention

Pope Francis' prayer intention for the month of March is families in crisis.

In a video message illustrating the prayer intention and produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the Pope asks that we pray “that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.” The video was recorded before the Pope was admitted to the hospital on February 14.

Doors slamming, shouting at home in front of the children, strong arguments between parents and children, conflict between brothers and sisters – The Pope Video accompanying Pope Francis’ words shows scenes of family that most of us are familiar with.

In fact, every family has its sufferings, its joys, and its crisis moments: “We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family. But there’s no such thing as a perfect family,” the Pope confirms.

Conflicts often originate because of differences between members of the family itself. This is why it is necessary to know how to respect and appreciate each person, with the conviction that everyone contributes something to family unity.

Pope Francis also states that when conflicts create deep wounds, “the best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness.”

“Forgiveness always renews the family, making it look forward with hope.”

Even in those cases when restoring the family unit is not possible, when, in the words of the Pope, “there’s no possibility of the ‘happy ending’ we’d like,” forgiveness frees us from sadness and resentment.

However, as Pope Francis explains in his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, “experience shows that with proper assistance and acts of reconciliation, through grace, a great percentage of troubled marriages find a solution in a satisfying manner. To know how to forgive and to feel forgiven is a basic experience in family life.”

What can be learned by surmounting a crisis is that “every new step along the way can help couples find new ways to happiness.”

Commenting on this month’s video, the International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Father Cristóbal Fones, S.J., explains several attitudes that can enhance a family’s daily life.

“First of all, we need to accept everyone’s differences, considering them as an opportunity to enrich family relationships. The family unit is composed of different people who love and respect each other and try to learn from each other.

Secondly, and closely related to the first, another basic attitude is that of appreciating others, recognizing their richness and gifts.”

This means we should try not to judge people. “We cannot expect others to be perfect, or their love to be perfect, in order to appreciate them. As Pope Francis says, the other person loves me as I am, and as he or she can, with their limitations and defects. But this does not mean that their love is not true.”

Understanding one’s own weaknesses, and those of others, leads to the most important attitude in the family – asking for forgiveness and forgiving when necessary.

“We can learn from the Lord’s humility and mercy,” Father Fones continues. “It can be difficult to forgive the family member who hurts us deeply, because wounds caused by family members are usually the most painful. This is why it is always good to keep in mind that Jesus has forgiven us first, as Pope Francis often reminds us.”

The International Director for the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network ends his list of attitudes for daily life by referring to accompaniment.

“The Christian community can and must be a place of acceptance, dialogue, prayer, and accompaniment. It is where families can find hope and help for reconciliation when is necessary, without feeling judged. Our model to follow is always that mercy our Lord has for us.

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