Mary's Maternal Affection to Jesus a Source Of Hope And True Joy – Pope Francis
Pope Francis stressed the significant role of the Mother of God in the life of every Catholic faithful and in the mission of the Church during his homily on the Solemnity of Mary, an event annually observed on Jan. 1, the beginning of the New Year.
The Pope asked everyone to entrust to her "our journey of faith, the desires of our heart, our needs and the needs of the whole world, especially of those who hunger and thirst for justice and peace."
Mary is our Mother, too, said Pope Francis, the leader of the world's more than 1.2 billion Catholics, reminding that "Jesus, dying on the cross, gave her to us as our Mother, saying: 'Behold your Mother!'"
Through the most difficult and trying times, Mary's sorrowing heart was enlarged to make room for all men and women, whether good or bad. She reaches out to all through "her maternal affection, a source of hope and true joy," the Pope said.
"Let us then together invoke her, Holy Mother of God!" the Pontiff urged.
He said Mary strengthens devotees in faith, in vocation and in mission. "She helps us to transmit our faith in a joyful proclamation of the Gospel to all, without reservation. In this way, our mission will be fruitful because it is modeled on the motherhood of Mary."
The Church has a particular devotion to Mary, Pope Francis said, citing the Council of Ephesus, which "authoritatively defined" the Divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary, and "the first Marian shrine in Rome and the entire West, the Basilica of St. Mary Major" that was erected in her honor.
In his message on World Day of Peace, also celebrated on Jan. 1, Pope Francis said everyone has a responsibility to build a world which "becomes a community of brothers who respect each other, accept each other's differences and take care of each other."
As children of God, he said, Christians are accountable for their actions towards their brothers and sisters and their human dignity. The Pope's peace message, "Fraternity: the Foundation and Pathway to Peace," emphasized that fraternity stems from the conviction that "we are all children of one God and are part of the same human family, sharing a common destiny."
He called on the faithful to see the violence and injustices present in many places around the world," asking them not to be "indifferent and immobile." Everyone must work to build a society of solidarity and one that is "truly more just," the Pope asked.
