On 25 May 2024, the Church around the world will mark its first ever World Children’s Day. There will be a gathering in Rome of children with their families to mark the occasion, but in the lead-up, Pope Francis has shared a message for children everywhere, telling them they are ‘precious in God’s eyes’ (Isaiah 43:4).
In the message, the Pope encourages children to ‘pay attention to the stories of grown-ups’, especially those of their parents and grandparents who, through terrible hardship, may give voice to the ‘tenacious yearning for goodness that endures in the hearts of those who have truly seen the horror of evil’.
He also urges them to remain close to Christ, saying that ‘it is not enough to be united with one another; we need, above all else, to be united with Jesus. From him we receive a great deal of courage.’
Prayer fills our hearts with light and warmth; it helps us to do everything with confidence and peace of mind.
Pope Francis shares with them the ‘special secret’ of happiness.
‘If we really want to be happy, we need to pray, to pray a lot, to pray every day, because prayer connects us directly to God,’ he says. ‘Prayer fills our hearts with light and warmth; it helps us to do everything with confidence and peace of mind. Jesus constantly prayed to the Father. Do you know what Jesus called him? In his language, he simply called him “Abba”, which means “Daddy” (cf. Mark 14:36). Let’s do the same thing! We will always feel that Jesus is close to us.’
In the same way that friendship grows through being with friends, ‘Playing, singing, discovering new things … sharing and forgiving’, so can happiness only grow if we share it, he says.
Joy is born of gratitude for the gifts we have received and which we share in turn.
‘The fact is that we cannot be happy all by ourselves … Joy is born of gratitude for the gifts we have received and which we share in turn and it grows in our relationships with others.’
The theme for the very first World Children’s Day is ‘Behold, I make all things new’ (Revelation 21:5).
‘These words invite us to become as clever as children in grasping the new realities stirred up by the Spirit, both within us and around us,’ the Pope says. ‘With Jesus, we can dream of the renewal of our human family and work for a more fraternal society that cares for our common home.’
Banner image: © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.
