VATICAN: Children to Embrace Gift of Sharing: Pope’s Message for the First World Children’s Day
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
As Pope Francis prepares to have the first ever International Children’s Day and interact with them from 25 to 26 May 2024 in Rome, the Holy Father emphasizes in his message the need for children to begin embracing the gift of sharing at tender age.
He noted that, one cannot be happy by him or herself, “because our joy increases to the extent that we share it.” As a German polymath, poet, novelist and writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who lived between 18th and 19th century quoted, “A joy shared is a joy doubled.”
In the message for the first World Day for Children themed “Behold, I make all things new,” as inspired by Rev 21:5, the Pontiff says, “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.”
He cautions children, “When we keep the blessings, we have received to ourselves, or throw tantrums to get this or that gift, we forget that the greatest gift that we possess is ourselves, one another: all of us, together, are “God’s gift.” Other gifts are nice, but only if they help us to be together. If we don’t use them for that purpose, we will always end up being unhappy; they will never be enough.
The upcoming meeting has been sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education and thousands of boys and girls from all over the world are expected in Rome to share, interact, and learn from one another.
According to the Vatican, World Children’s Day was proposed to the Holy Father by a nine-year-old Alessandro last year July on the occasion of the Popecast, the second podcast made by Vatican Media with Pope Francis in view of the World Youth Day that took place in Lisbon, Portugal.
Stressing the essence of sharing, collaboration and togetherness, the Pope reminds children that when we are all together, everything is different!
“Think of your friends, and how great it is to spend time with them: at home, at school, in the parish and the playground, everywhere. Playing, singing, discovering new things, having fun, everyone being together and excluding no one,” reads part of the message for the first world day for children as it continues, “Friendship is wonderful and it grows only in this way: through sharing and forgiving, with patience, courage, creativity and imagination, without fear and without prejudice.”
He reminded children that their presence is a source of joy for their parents, their families, the entire human family, and the Church since each child “is like a link in a great chain stretching from the past to the future and covering the whole earth.” That is why I encourage you to pay attention to the stories of grown-ups: your moms and dads, your grandparents and great-grandparents.”
Other than uniting and sharing with one another to enhance growth, the Holy Father points out that this is not enough but we need, above all else, “to be united with Jesus.”
“From him (Jesus), we receive a great deal of courage. He is always close to us; his Spirit goes before us and accompanies us on all the world’s pathways,” the Pope said in his message and will emphasize further when he meets children between 5 and 12 years end of the month and he adds, “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.”
He noted that children can build a fraternal society by embracing little actions such as, “Saying hello to others, asking permission, begging pardon, and saying thank you. Our world will change if we all begin with these little things, without being ashamed to take small steps, one at a time.”
He further shared “a special secret with children” saying, “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. Prayer fills our hearts with light and warmth; it helps us to do everything with confidence and peace of mind.”
As he shared his message, Pope Francis remembered children and young people who are battling illness and hardship, those being cruelly robbed of their childhood, victims of war and violence, those experiencing hunger and thirst, those living on the streets, those forced to be soldiers or to flee as refugees, separated from their parents, those prevented from going to school, and those who fall prey to criminal gangs, drugs or other forms of slavery and abuse.
“Let us listen to their voices. We need to hear those voices, for amid their sufferings they remind us of reality, with their tearful eyes and with that tenacious yearning for goodness that endures in the hearts of those who have truly seen the horror of evil,” he wrote.
As he appreciates those responsible for passing his message to children worldwide, the Holy Father tasked the children to recite daily the prayer of Our Father every morning and evening, in their families, together with parents, brothers, sisters, and grandparents.
And together with the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, Pope Francis offers to children this prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, show us your beauty, reflected in the faces of children all over the world.
Come, Jesus, you who make all things new, who are the way that leads us to the Father, come and remain with us always. Amen.
