The full JUNE month’s Thoughts for the Day are available @https://marfam.org.za/thoughts-for-the-day-june-2026/

Overview:  JUNE.  Children belong in Families.  Birth, childhood and growth into adolescence  are the most vibrant stages in all of creation, human, animal and plant. Growth and regrowth can often be stressful and conflict-filled. However, ideally in any family, the young need conscious protection, love, care and support to monitor and direct their youthful energy towards full and responsible maturity. Pope Francis:  Difficulties the youth experience in their own family can lead the young to ask whether it is worthwhile to start a new family, to be faithful and to be generous. I say it is worth your every effort to invest in the family, there you will find the best incentives to mature and the greatest joys to experience and share. Letter to Youth.                   

The term CIVILISATION OF LOVE is used various times by Pope Leo in Magnifica Humanitas. The 1994 1st World Meeting of Families theme was THE FAMILY – HEART OF THE CIVILISATION OF LOVE.May that be a guiding vision for us at this time.                                

Setting the Scene.  AI is certainly a topic of interest for everyone, not just Catholics and churchgoers but families, educators and workers too.  Coming hard on the heels of synodality dialogue, listening and sharing it is very helpful for families with members of all ages, to address relevant life related issues.  Of particular interest can be those relevant to children, fathers and youth during this month. Family faith sharing can be linked with Pope Leo’s Magnifica Humanitas (MH) AI from a fully human perspective while also considering the needs of all the families of creation.  The Year of St Francis continues and can be commemorated by praying the Prayer of St Francis regularly, personally and together.

June 1.  Global Parents Day.  SEE.    Politics of the day wasn’t above the heads of the post-confirmation youth. Although State Capture was all but forgotten, and the Madlanga Commission were brought up quite regularly.  However, it was really when their local councillor, who was well known and liked, was charged with corruption that it hit home for them more forcibly. “Do you remember that one lesson we had when we considered how corruption was driven by passion,” Dominic asked.  “I think his passion for fancy cars got him to this point. We all better watch out that greed and a good life doesn’t get in our way too.”   

JUDGE. Reflect, share. Scripture.  He has granted us his divine power and precious and great promises that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion and become partakers of the divine nature.   2 Peter 1:2-7.   Pope Francis: Economic powers continue to justify the current global system where priority tends to be given to speculation and the pursuit of financial gain, which fail to take the context into account, let alone the effect on human dignity and the natural environment. LS 56.  Pope Leo: In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization,, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human. We must lovingly safeguard the grandeur of humanity bestowed upon us and revealed in its fullness in Christ, the splendor of which no machine can ever replace. True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence willing to listen and a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates. MH 15.  

ACT AND PRAY. Reflect on the question, “where does my passion lie” and pray for commitment to loving justice in family and life choices.