BENEDICT XVI at the Angelus on the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. St. Peter’s Square, Sunday, December 30th, 2012
The concern of Mary and Joseph for Jesus is like that of every parent who educates a child, introducing him to life and to understanding reality. Today, therefore, a special prayer should be addressed to the Lord for all the families of the world. Imitating the Holy Family of Nazareth, may parents seriously be concerned about the growth and education of their children, so that they may mature as responsible people and honest citizens, without ever forgetting that faith is a precious gift to be nourished in their children through personal example. At the same time, let us pray that every child may be welcomed as a gift from God, sustained by the love of his father and mother, and so to grow as the Lord Jesus did “in wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Lk 2:52). The love, loyalty and dedication of Mary and Joseph are an example for all Christian couples, who are not friends or masters of their children’s lives but the guardians of this incomparable gift from God.