Vatican City: Amid the joyful gathering of multigenerational families in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV brought the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly to a stirring close with a powerful message on the indispensable role of the family in shaping a peaceful and united world.
Presiding over Sunday’s Mass, the Pope reflected deeply on the spiritual and communal foundation of the family. Drawing from the Gospel account of Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper, he highlighted unity as “the highest good we can seek,” describing it as a divine gift rooted in the same love that created life and brought salvation. “God’s love is boundless and eternal,” he proclaimed, “a love that embraces each of us as intimately as it does His only Son.”
Pope Leo emphasized the fundamental truth that life itself begins with relationship. Quoting his predecessor Pope Francis, he reminded the faithful, “We are all someone’s children, but none of us chose to be born.” From the moment of birth, our survival depends on others—a profound reflection of human interconnectedness. “Every one of us owes our life to a bond freely given,” he said, “a bond built on compassion and care.”
Acknowledging that love can sometimes be betrayed or wounded, the Holy Father offered reassurance: Christ never stops praying for us, even amidst the trials of life. “In that prayer,” he said, “we find meaning in our roles as parents, grandparents, and children—called to love each other with enduring faith.”
He challenged families to be living testimonies of unity—not uniformity—by embracing their differences and remaining bound by mutual love through every season of life. “Our call,” the Pope said, “is to be one in spirit in our homes, in our communities, and wherever we go.”
In a world increasingly marred by division and conflict, Pope Leo called on families to anchor their love in Christ. “When our homes are founded on His love, we become signs of peace to a fractured world,” he said. “This peace must start at home, because it is the family that shapes the future of humanity.”
The Pope drew attention to real-life examples of holiness within family life, citing canonized couples like Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and the heroic Ulma family of Poland. These are not distant ideals, he said, but attainable realities that show the transformative power of married love when lived fully and faithfully. “Marriage,” he declared, “is not a lofty dream but the true measure of total, faithful, and fruitful love between a man and a woman.”
Addressing children directly, he urged them to honor and thank their parents daily, while entrusting grandparents and elders with the sacred duty of guiding families with their wisdom, humility, and patience. “Yours is the role of guardian,” he told them, “watching over your loved ones with grace born of experience.”
Concluding his homily, Pope Leo reminded everyone that the family is not only the first school of love but also the sacred ground where faith is handed down—“nourished like daily bread and cherished like shared affection.” It is, he affirmed, in the warmth of the family that one encounters Jesus most intimately.
With his final blessing, the Pope called upon families to stand as pillars of peace and communion, radiating the love of Christ and inspiring the world to heal, reconcile, and hope again.