Pope Audience: Family togetherness

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his General Audience on Wednesday in St Peter's Square continued his catechesis on the family, this week focusing on the importance of togetherness.

Below are the Pope remarks read out in English

Dear Brothers and Sisters:  In our continuing catechesis on the family, today we consider the importance of togetherness.  Sitting at table for the family dinner, sharing our meal and the experiences of our day, is a fundamental image of togetherness and solidarity.  Because Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a meal, there is a close relationship between families and the Mass.  The togetherness we experience in our families is meant, in the family of the Church, to extend to all as a sign of God’s universal love.  In this way the Eucharist becomes a school of inclusion, in which we learn to be attentive to the needs of everyone.  Sadly, the family meal, this great symbol of togetherness, is disappearing in some societies.  Food itself, the very sign of our sharing with other, is wantonly wasted in some places, while our brothers and sisters go hungry in others.  The Eucharist reminds us that our bread is meant to be shared with all.  May our families, and the entire Church, be signs of togetherness and solidarity for the good of the whole human family, especially during the coming Jubilee of Mercy.