Learn how to talk to one another – Pope Francis
Write-up by Isaac Fritz Andoh
|
Pope Francis says the great challenge facing humankind today is to learn how to talk to one another, not simply how to generate and consume information.
He stated this in the 49th World Communication Day Message, with the theme: Communicating the Family; a Privileged Place of Encounter with the Love of God. The Day would be marked on Sunday, May 17, 2015. The Holy Father said the family is the point of reference in his message because it is a subject of profound reflection by the Church and of a process involving two Synods: the recent Extraordinary Assembly and Ordinary Assembly scheduled for this October. |
POPE FRANCIS
|
In the family, he said, we learn to embrace and support one another, to discern the meaning of facial expressions and moments of silence, to laugh and cry together with people who did not choose one another, yet are so important to each other.
This greatly helps us to understand the meaning of communication as recognizing and creating closeness.
When we lessen distances by growing closer and accepting one another, we experience gratitude and joy.
The Holy Father said we can draw inspiration from the Gospel message which relates to the visit of Mary to Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit cried out in a loud voice and said, Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
This episode first shows that communication is a dialogue intertwined with the language of the body. The first response to Mary’s greeting is given by the child, who leaps for joy in the womb of Elizabeth. Joy at meeting others, which is something we learn even before being born, is, in one sense, the archetype and symbol of every other form of communication.
The womb which hosts us is the first school of communication, a place of listening and physical contact where we begin to familiarize ourselves with the outside world within a protected environment, with the reassuring sound of the mother’s heartbeat.
When it comes to the challenges of communication, families who have children with one or more disabilities have much to teach us. A motor, sensory or mental limitation can be a reason for closing in on ourselves, but it can also become, thanks to the love of parents, siblings, and friends, an incentive to openness, sharing and ready communication with all.
It can also help Schools, Parishes and Associations to become more welcoming and inclusive of everyone.
The Message was released at the Vatican on January 23, Vigil of the memorial of Saint Francis de Sales.
This greatly helps us to understand the meaning of communication as recognizing and creating closeness.
When we lessen distances by growing closer and accepting one another, we experience gratitude and joy.
The Holy Father said we can draw inspiration from the Gospel message which relates to the visit of Mary to Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit cried out in a loud voice and said, Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
This episode first shows that communication is a dialogue intertwined with the language of the body. The first response to Mary’s greeting is given by the child, who leaps for joy in the womb of Elizabeth. Joy at meeting others, which is something we learn even before being born, is, in one sense, the archetype and symbol of every other form of communication.
The womb which hosts us is the first school of communication, a place of listening and physical contact where we begin to familiarize ourselves with the outside world within a protected environment, with the reassuring sound of the mother’s heartbeat.
When it comes to the challenges of communication, families who have children with one or more disabilities have much to teach us. A motor, sensory or mental limitation can be a reason for closing in on ourselves, but it can also become, thanks to the love of parents, siblings, and friends, an incentive to openness, sharing and ready communication with all.
It can also help Schools, Parishes and Associations to become more welcoming and inclusive of everyone.
The Message was released at the Vatican on January 23, Vigil of the memorial of Saint Francis de Sales.
