杏MAP导航

By Vatican News staff reporter

Holy Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, was celebrated on the morning of New Year鈥檚 Day by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, standing in for 杏MAP导航 Francis, who is suffering a painful attack of sciatica.

In his homily, which was read by Cardinal Parolin, 杏MAP导航 Francis focused on three words from the day鈥檚 readings: to bless, to be born, and to find, which he said 鈥渇ind their fulfillment in the Mother of God.鈥�

To bless

Beginning with the first Reading, where God commands Moses to bless the people, 杏MAP导航 Francis writes, 鈥淭his is no pious exhortation: it is a specific request.鈥� We need to be blessed, the 杏MAP导航 said; and at Christmas, we receive 鈥渘ot only the words of blessing, but the blessing itself: Jesus is Himself the blessing of the Father.鈥�

Whereas Jesus is the blessing, Mary is blessed through grace, and 鈥渋n this way, brings us God鈥檚 blessing. Wherever she is, Jesus comes to us,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said. Similarly we too are called to bless, to speak well, of others, of society, and of ourselves, especially in a world so often 鈥減olluted鈥� by speaking and thinking badly.

To be born

In the second Reading, Saint Paul tells us Jesus was 鈥渂orn of a woman.鈥� 鈥淚n these few words," said 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渉e tells us something amazing: that the Lord was born like us.鈥� Jesus was conceived and shaped in Mary鈥檚 womb. Mary, said 杏MAP导航 Francis, 鈥渋s not only the bridge joining us to God; she is much more. She is the road God travelled in order to reach us, and the road that we must travel in order to reach Him.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis continued, saying, 鈥淲e are in this world not to die but to give live.鈥� Mary is an example for us, 鈥渒eeping all these things in our heart.鈥� From her we can learn 鈥渉ow important it is to keep our hearts pure, to cultivate our interior life and our prayer.鈥� When we do, we will be able to truly care for, 鈥渢o cherish others, the world, and creation.鈥�

In this new year, the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渨hile we hope for new beginnings and new cures, let us not neglect care.  Together with a vaccine for our bodies, we need a vaccine for our hearts. That vaccine is care.鈥� He added, 鈥淭his will be a good year if we take care of others, as Our Lady does with us.鈥�

To find

The third verb 杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on is 鈥渢o find.鈥� At the first Christmas, the shepherds, led by grace, found God, not 鈥渋n miraculous signs, but in a simple family.鈥� We, too, need grace to find Jesus; and once we have found Him, 鈥渨e must not lose sight of Him.鈥�

In this new year, we are called, like the shepherds, to be active in order to receive grace. In this new year, 杏MAP导航 Francis said, 鈥渋t would be good to find time for someone.鈥� 鈥淭ime is a treasure that all of us possess,鈥� he continued, but that we often guard jealously. Instead, 鈥淟et us ask for the grace to find time for those who need someone to listen and show concern for them.鈥� He said, 鈥淚f we can find time to give, we will be amazed and filled with joy, like the shepherds.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� homily concluded with a prayer: 鈥淢ay Our Lady, who brought God into the world of time, help us to be generous with our time鈥�:

Holy Mother of God, to you we consecrate this New Year.  You, who know how to cherish things in your heart, care for us, bless our time, and teach us to find time for God and for others.  With joy and confidence, we acclaim you: Holy Mother of God!  Holy Mother of God!  Holy Mother of God!