In his Message for the World Day of Peace – January 1st – Pope Francis gives us a beautiful teaching on FRATERNITY. I quote an excerpt from it here, which emphasises the importance of Fraternity for building a just world and for achieving peace.
He also stresses the
importance of the FAMILY for teaching the value of Fraternity to
children so that this human quality becomes embedded in society:
Fraternity is an essential human quality, for we are relational beings. A lively awareness of our relatedness helps us to look upon and to treat each person as a true sister or brother; without fraternity it is impossible to build a just society and a solid and lasting peace. We should remember that fraternity is generally first learned in the family, thanks above all to the responsible and complementary roles of each of its members, particularly the father and the mother. The family is the wellspring of all fraternity, and as such it is the foundation and the first pathway to peace, since, by its vocation, it is meant to spread its love to the world around it.
May we all be more aware of the value of fraternity in the year ahead. May we try more consciously to practice it in all our relationships, whether in our families, work or recreation.
May we see
also a greater awareness of the importance of fraternity in our country
and in the community of nations and may our leaders endeavour to build a
more fraternal world of justice and peace.