蜜桃交友

By Pope

In his prayer intention for Friday, during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis remembered those who are already focusing on the issues that will arise after the Covid-19 pandemic, including poverty, unemployment, and hunger. 鈥淲e pray for all the people who help today, but also think of tomorrow, to help us all鈥�, he said.

On this Passion Friday, which commemorates Mary's sorrows, Pope Francis dedicated his homily to Our Lady of Sorrows. Today, he said, 鈥渋t will do us good to think about Our Lady's Sorrows and to thank her because she accepted to be a Mother.鈥�

The Seven Sorrows

Pope Francis recalled that, 鈥淐hristian devotion has collected Our Lady's sorrows and speaks of the "Seven Sorrows".

The first, he said, is 鈥渏ust 40 days after the birth of Jesus, Simeon's prophecy that speaks of a sword that will pierce her heart鈥�. In the second sorrow, 鈥渟he thinks about the flight to Egypt to save her Son's life鈥�, while the third recalls, 鈥渢hose three days of anguish when the boy remained in the temple.鈥�

The fourth and fifth sorrow, he said, see Our Lady meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary and his subsequent death on the Cross.

Pope Francis noted that in the sixth and seventh sorrow, Mary continues to accompany Jesus when he is taken down from the Cross and then buried.

鈥淚t is good for me鈥�, said the Pope, 鈥渓ate in the evening, when I pray the Angelus, to pray these seven sorrows as a remembrance of the Mother of the Church鈥�, who, with so much pain, gave birth to all of us.

Mary as Mother

鈥淥ur Lady never asked anything for herself鈥�, Pope Francis underlined.  鈥淪he only agrees to be a Mother.鈥� She accompanied Jesus like a disciple, because the Gospel shows that she followed Jesus: with her friends, pious women, 鈥渟he followed Jesus, she listened to Jesus鈥�.

The Pope issued an invitation to 鈥淗onour Our Lady and say: 鈥楾his is my Mother鈥�, because she is a Mother. And this is the title she received from Jesus, right there, at the moment of the Cross.鈥�

鈥淥ur Lady did not want to take away any title from Jesus鈥�, said Pope Francis, 鈥渟he received the gift of being His Mother and the duty to accompany us as Mother, to be our Mother. She did not ask for herself to be a quasi-redeemer or a co-redeemer: no. The Redeemer is one and this title does not duplicate."

Concluding his homily, the Pope invited the faithful to thank Our Lady for being a Mother, and to 鈥渟top a little and think about Our Lady's pain and sorrows鈥�.