“Sadly, in our day, the family all too often needs to be protected against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture,” the Pope said.
These threats include “social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corruption.”
Pope Francis observed that when faced with “troubles, difficulties and wrongs,” the faithful may be “tempted to give up.”
“It seems that the promises of the Gospel do not apply; they are unreal. But the Bible tells us that the great threat to God’s plan for us is, and always has been, the lie. The devil is the father of lies. Often he hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being ‘modern,’ ‘like everyone else.’ He distracts us with the promise of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes. And so we squander our God-given gifts by tinkering with gadgets; we squander our own money on gambling and drink; we turn in on ourselves,” he said.
But according to the Pope, Filipinos should always remember that they are “children of God.”
“The Apostle tells us that because God chose us, we have been richly blessed. God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. These words have a special resonance in the Philippines for it is the foremost Catholic country in Asia; this is itself a special gift of God, a blessing. But it is also a vocation. Filipinos are called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia,” he said.
Pope Francis commended Filipinos for showing the world their unshakeable faith and compassion in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
“We saw a beautiful expression of this when Filipinos rallied around our brothers and sisters affected by the typhoon,” he said.