Appearing at the window of the Apostolic Palace before thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square, the American pontiff dedicated his message to the flight of the Holy Family after Herod's order to kill the newborn boys. "As we contemplate this mystery with awe and gratitude, let us think of our own families and the light they too can bring to the society in which we live. Unfortunately, the world always has its 'Herods,'" he said. He referred to “its myths of success at any price, of unscrupulous power, of empty, superficial well-being, and often suffers the consequences with loneliness, despair, divisions, and “Conflicts,” he warned.

“Mirages” of the modern world

Therefore, he asked that Christian families not let “these mirages smother the flame of love in Christian families.”

“On the contrary, let us protect the values ??within them.” ??of the Gospel: prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments, especially confession and communion, healthy affections, sincere dialogue, fidelity, the simple and beautiful realism of words and good deeds each day."

And he asked for a blessing "on our families and on all the families of the world, so that, following the model of the family of his Son made man, they may be for all an effective sign of his presence and his endless love."