Two books on the occasion of the "Amoris Laetitia Family Year"
Published : 03/16/2021 12:37:05
Categories : News
For the "Amoris Laetitia Family Year" called for by Pope Francis, the Libreria Editrice Vaticana has published two small texts on family spirituality and catechesis for children. They are: "Insieme è bello! Pensieri per gli sposi e le famiglie" and "Un amico vestito di bianco. Il Papa parla ai piccoli".
"Insieme è bello! Pensieri per gli sposi e le famiglie" is a collection of "luminous" and positive thoughts" (p. 7) taken from the Magisterium of Pope Francis. It is a text dedicated to married couples and families throughout the world, with a preface by Kevin Joseph Farrell, Cardinal Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. The reflections contained therein "are charged with depth, penetrating the reality of the family in its daily facets, in the dynamics that are created among all its members: mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, young people, children, the sick and with the entire community that surrounds them" (p. 7). In his contribution, Cardinal Farrell highlights "the beauty of being a family, the strength that comes from knowing how to value family ties when they are well rooted in God" (p. 8). He also emphasises how the concept of family is underpinned by a "message of great prophetic power and full of hope in a post-modern society that easily forgets about bonds, the beauty of the sacrament of marriage, the wonderful gift of children, the tenderness of grandparents" (pg. 8). In the "Amoris laetitia Family" year, this little book is a real treasure, "a nimble read to deepen, rethink, meditate on or even discover for the first time Pope Francis' words on the family" (p. 11).
"Un amico vestito di bianco. Il Papa parla ai piccoli" collects dialogues with children and thoughts dedicated to them from the Magisterium of Pope Francis. A fresh and agile text designed for children and realised with their contribution. Some children, in fact, starting from the suggestion given by the title of the book, have seen in Pope Francis "a friend dressed in white" and have portrayed him - as little artists - in scenes of everyday life, as their friend. These drawings have enriched the pages of A friend dressed in white and are the work of ten children, boys and girls, aged between 5 and 12.
Pope Francis has always had a special relationship with children and the dialogues he loves to have with them are true catecheses on God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, prayer, the sacraments of the Eucharist and baptism, family relationships and the importance of the Gospel for everyday life.
In this way, A Friend Dressed in White can become a beautiful and attractive means of catechesis in the family, even in view of the first confession and/or communion, given the difficulties of this period for the classic formation to the sacraments in the parish.
"Insieme è bello! Pensieri per gli sposi" and "Un amico vestito di bianco. Il Papa parla ai piccoli" are part of the series Celebrare; a "container" that - drawing on the depth of Pope Francis' words - helps us to live the appointments of the liturgical year and family life with simplicity, love and taste, through simple everyday thoughts.
