Mary, Pope Francis, and the Month of April

Due to a busy April, I was unable to post daily or weekly as I would desire.  I hope this month long summary for the month of April will suffice.  Now that we have commenced the month of May, the month of Mary, there will be much to share and write about, including the Pope's remarks from May 1st.  Below my commentary you will find the references of Pope Francis.  

The Help of Mary:

A common theme we find this month in the references is Mary's role of helping us.  On at least five occasions, Pope Francis invoked the help of Mary.  Let's take a look: 

• "Let us pray to the Virgin Mary that she help us, bishop and people, to walk together in faith and charity."  
• "let us ask for the help of Mary Most Holy so that the Church throughout the world may proclaim the Resurrection."    
• "May the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Paul help us on this journey and intercede for us." 
• "Mary our Mother, help us to recognize Jesus’ voice always better and to follow it to walk along the path of life! Thank you.
• "I say this in a special way to you who have received Confirmation today: may Mary help you to be attentive to that which the Lord asks of you, and always to live and to walk according to the Holy Spirit!"  

Mary will help us to walk in faith, proclaim the Lord, help us on the journey, help us to recognize the voice of Jesus, and to follow the way of the Holy Spirit.  

The Action of Mary

Another quick summation of the references can be seen in how Pope Francis either spoke of Mary's role or how he implored her:

• Mary leads us to Jesus.
• Mary inspires our mind to listen and put into practice the will of God
• She helps us in so many ways (as noted above).
• The Virgin Mary teaches us what it means to live in the Holy Spirit and what it means to welcome the newness of God in our life. 

Specific Quotes

April 5 Homily

Domus Sanctae Marthae

"Mary always leads us to Jesus," as she did at Cana when she said: "Do whatever he tells you. Let us trust in the name of Jesus, let us invoke the name of Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit push us to say this prayer trusting in the name of Jesus ... it will do us all good."

April 7, 2013

Homily  Domus Sanctae Marthae

The Pope said that the road taken by Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for the imperial census was a road of humility. There was the humility of Mary, who "did not understand well," but "[entrusted] her soul to the will of God." Joseph was humble, as he "lowered himself" to take on the "great responsibility" of the bride who was with child. (Zenit)

April 7, 2013

Regina Caeli

Dear friends, this afternoon I will celebrate the Eucharist in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. Let us pray to the Virgin Mary that she help us, bishop and people, to walk together in faith and charity, always confident in the mercy of the Lord: He always waits for us, he loves us, he forgave us with is blood and he forgives us every time we go to him to ask forgiveness. Let us have faith in his mercy!

April 10, 2013

General Audience

Finally, an affectionate thought to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Monday we celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation. May the Virgin Mary inspire your mind, dear young people, so that you may always listen to and put into practice the will of the Lord; may she warm your hearts, dear sick people, to offer your suffering for the good of the Church; and may she lead you, dear newlyweds, to recognize the presence of God and of His love in your new family life.

April 14, 2013

Regina Caeli

In praying the Regina Caeli together, let us ask for the help of Mary Most Holy so that the Church throughout the world may proclaim the Resurrection of the Lord with candour and courage and give credible witness to it with signs of brotherly love. Brotherly love is the closest testimony we can give that Jesus is alive with us, that Jesus is risen.

April 14, 2013

Homily, St. Paul Outside the Walls

The Lord is the only God of our lives, and he invites us to strip ourselves of our many idols and to worship him alone. May the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Paul help us on this journey and intercede for us.

April 20, 2013

Regina Caeli

And let us invoke Mary’s intercession. Today there were 10 young men who said “Yes” to Jesus and were ordained priests this morning... This is beautiful! Let us invoke Mary’s intercession, she who is the Woman of “Yes.” Mary said “Yes” her whole life! She learned to recognize Jesus’ voice from the time she carried him in her womb. Mary our Mother, help us to recognize Jesus’ voice always better and to follow it to walk along the path of life! Thank you.

Thanks so much for the greeting, but greet Jesus too. Cry out “Jesus,” loudly... Let us all pray together to Our Lady.

April 28, 2013

Regina Caeli

I would like to entrust the confirmandi and all of you to Our Lady. The Virgin Mary teaches us what it means to live in the Holy Spirit and what it means to welcome the newness of God in our life. She conceived Jesus by the work of the Spirit, and every Christian, each one of us, is called to welcome the Word of God, to welcome Jesus in ourselves and then bring him to everyone. Mary invoked the Spirit with the Apostles in the upper room: every time that we come together in prayer, we are supported by the spiritual presence of the Mother of Jesus, to receive the gift of the Spirit and to have the ability to bear witness to the risen Jesus. I say this in a special way to you who have received Confirmation today: may Mary help you to be attentive to that which the Lord asks of you, and always to live and to walk according to the Holy Spirit!

Pro Ecclesia Homily of Pope Francis

Vatican Radio News

Today Pope Francis offered his first homily during the Pro Ecclesia Mass in the Sistine Chapel with the Cardinals.  The Vatican Information Service indicates that the homily of Pope Francis was given without a script.   

In the homily Pope Francis reflected on the major theme of the three readings: movement, which he went on to specify three specific movements, walking, building, and witnessing.  The way in which he addressed these topics, it seems that these could become the hallmarks of his papacy.  In reflecting on Peter's words to Jesus, the Pope remarked:

In the Gospel, even Peter who confessed Jesus as Christ, says to Him: 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. I will follow you but let's not talk about the Cross. That doesn't have anything to do with it. … I'll follow you, without the Cross.” But, “when we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, when we profess a Christ without the Cross … we aren't disciples of the Lord. We are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord. And I wish that all of us, after these grace-filled days, might have the courage, yes, the courage to walk in the Lord's presence with the Cross of the Lord, to build the Church on the blood of the Lord that is poured out on the Cross and to witness to the sole glory: to the crucified Christ. And thus the Church will move forward.

The media has already spotlighted the humility and simplicity of our Holy Father.  His own reflection proves that this is innate, it is who he is.  The Vatican Information Service also clarified today that the Pope has chosen Francis after the great Francis of Assisi.  Initially some believed it to be Francis Xavier in order to pay homage the pope's Jesuit roots, but even more so because Francis Xavier was a great evangelist.  Alas, this is not the case.  As some have already commented, Francis of Assisi was told by the Lord to rebuild the Church.  The Church has indeed faced its share of scandal; and now we have another Francis, who who will help to rebuild the Church.  Just as Francis of Assisi's vision was connected to the cross of Christ, Pope Francis desires to build the Church on the blood of Christ and witness to the crucified Christ.  

In closing the homily, Pope Francis invoked the Holy Spirit through the intercession of Mary, “I wish for us all that the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of Mary, our Mother, grant us this grace: to walk, to build, and to witness to Jesus Christ.”

He invoked the Holy Spirit through the powerful intercession of Mary, our Mother.  Mary can be considered the spouse of the Holy Spirit because it was by the overshadowing of the Spirit that Jesus was conceived in her womb.  The Marian Movement of Priests has a prayer that specifically invokes the Holy Spirit through Mary's intercession:  "Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well-beloved Spouse."  (The locutions received by Fr. Gobbi have not, to my knowledge, been approved by the Church.)  While Pope Francis did not remark on how Mary fit into this movement, nonetheless, it is true that she walked, built, and witnessed to Christ throughout her life.  The beginning of her witness was to St. Elizabeth at the Visitation but continued throughout her entire life.  Mary, also helps to build the Church through her role as Mother of the Church.  And she witnessed to Christ throughout her life because of her initial yes to the Lord.  

Read his full homily here.