Pope Francis. Photo by Jeffrey Bruno via Wikimedia Commons

The Pope in Ireland: Family and "Love in the Heart of the Church"

Yesterday, Pope Francis' apostolic visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families came to an end. We publish his homily delivered in Phoenix Park, Dublin, on August 26.
Pope Francis

At the end of this World Meeting of Families, we gather as a family around the table of the Lord. We thank God for the many blessings we have received in our families. And we want to commit ourselves to living fully our vocation to be, in the touching words of Saint Therese, “love in the heart of the Church”.

In this precious moment of communion with one another and with the Lord, it is good to pause and consider the source of all the good things we have received. Jesus reveals the origin of these blessings in today’s Gospel, when he speaks to his disciples. Many of them were upset, confused or even angry, struggling to accept his “hard sayings”, so contrary to the wisdom of this world. In response, the Lord tells them directly: “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (Jn 6:63).

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Read the full text on w2.vatican.va