I will now read the homily prepared by the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. "The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church" (Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, 19 March 2016, 1). With these words, ten years ago, Pope Francis began the apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia (AL). Today we celebrate the Eucharist, presenting to the Lord the fruits of the work carried out on the Document during this period, seeking to assimilate its richness and put its pastoral guidance into practice. Today's Liturgy offers us some points for reflection in this regard. In the first Reading we heard Saint Paul's "hymn to charity" (cf. 1 Cor 12:31-13:13), which the Exhortation, in its fourth chapter, places at the foundation of a rich meditation on the virtues of Christian marriage, a union that is "affective, spiritual and oblative" (AL, 120) and an icon of God's love (cf. AL, 121). It is indeed through these values that spouses, in the image of the Trinity and with the help of grace, grow together day by day, each maturing in his or her own uniqueness while at the same time achieving that mutual likeness that grows through the "stable project of sharing and building their whole life together" (AL, 123). Thus, the true joy of love is a slow fusing together, in which the uniqueness of each person blossoms, as a gift, through the presence of the other. The Apostle, moreover, was addressing a community rich in gifts and charisms (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-11), yet in need of maturing in charity. He reminded the Corinthians that without it, for all the talents received, a person is "a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor 13:1): a voice devoid of love, an ear incapable of carrying messages to the heart, an individuality that is distant, cold, impenetrable. We are not made for this. The responsorial Psalm also reminded us of this, calling us the "people" and "flock" of a God whose "love endures forever" and whose faithfulness extends "from generation to generation" (Ps 99:5), of a Lord who loves without ever drawing back, who never stops seeking us out, giving us his trust and renewing his friendship with us. This is the charity that Amoris laetitia invites us to place at the foundation of our families. It is the true love to which it exhorts us, in a special way, to educate young people preparing for marriage, teaching them "the importance of the virtues," among which it assigns a special place to chastity, a "precious condition for the genuine growth of love between persons" (AL, 206). The efforts made with dedication at the parish or pastoral-area level are commendable in this regard. Let us remember, however, that these paths are not enough on their own, unless they are preceded and sustained by an education in love that accompanies the whole of growth, from infancy onward. Pope Francis observed on this point that "learning to love someone is not something we can do on our own... nor can it be the goal of a... course prior to the celebration of marriage" (AL, 208). And he explained: "In fact, every person prepares for marriage from birth" (ibid.), and everything a young person experiences in the family must help to "make them capable of a full and definitive commitment" (ibid.). Thus domestic charity, concrete, not without moments of hardship, mistakes and failures, and at the same time wonderful in its unpredictable everydayness, is the first school of the affections, the first precious and irreplaceable apprenticeship in the "joy of love." For this reason, the efforts of so many families who, in our cities and countries, live out their vocation and mission day by day, without fanfare but with sometimes heroic fidelity, deserve to be valued and supported. They are a generous and universally understandable response to the words of Jesus that we heard in the Gospel: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain" (Jn 15:16). Through the witness of these parents, children, grandparents, young and old, small and great, the Gospel's message of truth and fullness of life spreads effectively throughout the world. The Evangelist John has handed down to us the simple and clear commandment left to us by Jesus at the end of his earthly life: "This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 15:12). Let us put this into practice, so as to grow as a Church that is a "family of families" (AL, 87), in a climate of mutual care from which we will all benefit: young married couples, who will feel encouraged as they begin their married life; parents, who will find help in facing the demanding challenges of raising children and managing family life; the elderly, who will see their role as witnesses of wisdom and virtue recognized and valued, even as their physical strength declines. Here, too, support and motivation will be found by those who are more fragile, or who live through difficult situations and moments of crisis, surrounded by affection and protected from judgment and prejudice. Let us remember that "however wounded a family may be, it can always grow, beginning with love" (XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Final Report, 10). In this charity, fundamental to our very existence and to our being together as human beings, are also rooted the values of openness and respect for life, from conception to natural death. The family is the preeminent guardian of these values, as a beacon for the good of humanity. Pope Francis noted, in this regard, that "no uncertain commitment or one closed to the transmission of life can ensure the future of society" (AL, 52). Without solid families, open to the gift of children, attentive to their upbringing and growth, the world has no future. In the texts we have heard, there is, however, one more important invitation from Jesus that I would like to recall: that of "asking the Father in his name" (cf. Jn 15:16). These words remind us that the family is a privileged place of prayer. We must acknowledge, unfortunately, that today, in many parts of the world, the custom of praying together within the home — before meals, at the beginning and end of the day, or on special occasions — has grown considerably weaker. Amoris laetitia reminds us that doing so is essential: "Emphasis", it states, "needs to be placed on the importance of family spirituality, prayer and participation in the Sunday Eucharist" (AL, 223), and it recommends that families also gather together "regularly to foster the growth of the spiritual life and solidarity in the concrete demands of life" (ibid.). Common prayer and the Sacraments play a very important role in family life because, by opening hearts to the working of God, they make it possible to reach, together, places that could never be reached alone. They are solid nourishment and a healthy medicine; I therefore warmly urge everyone to rediscover and promote this practice. Dear brothers and sisters, I also have the honor of presiding at this celebration with a special mandate from the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, in order to publicly manifest the ecclesiastical communion granted by him to His Beatitude Polis III Nona, Patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, who is taking part in this Eucharist. The communion of a Patriarch with the Successor of Peter recalls an ancient practice, which sanctioned the unity in faith and charity of a patriarchal Church with the See of Rome and, at the time, of the same Churches among themselves: it therefore represents not a mere formality, but a living reality, which draws its very reason for being from Eucharistic Communion, the source and summit of the Church's unity in Christ. Your Beatitude, your presence helps us to better understand our being Church, a communion in Christ the Lord of Churches of various rites and traditions in the unity visibly manifested with the Successor of Peter. We assure you of the affection of the whole Catholic Church and our prayers for the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, long tested, yet steadfast and often heroic in bearing witness, amid many adversities, to faith in Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters, let us entrust all families and the whole Church to the Holy Family of Nazareth, taking up the prayer placed by Pope Francis at the end of Amoris laetitia. "Holy Family of Nazareth, make our families places of communion and cenacles of prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches. [...] May violence, closed-mindedness and division never again find a place within our families; [...] may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing. [...] Grant that we may all regain a appreciation for the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God's plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer. Amen" (AL, 325).