Pope Francis and the Month of Mary

On May 1, Pope Francis in his General Audience spoke both of St. Joseph the Worker and the Virgin Mary.  This post does not contain the entire audience, just the references to Mary.  Let's take a look at the Marian references.

Today, the 1st of May, we celebrate St. Joseph the Worker and begin the month traditionally dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Pope Francis acknowledges this longstanding tradition of the Church to honor Mary during the month of May. 

The second thought: in the silence of his daily activity, St. Joseph shared with Mary a single, common focal point of attention: Jesus. They accompany and guard, with dedication and tenderness, the growth of the Son of God made man for us, reflecting on everything that happens. In the Gospels, Luke points out twice the attitude of Mary, which is also that of St. Joseph: "She treasured all these things, and pondered them in her heart" (2:19.51).

Remember that Pope Francis has invoked Mary's protectress role and the role of Joseph protecting the Church from the first days of his papacy.  

And in this month of May, I would like to recall the importance and the beauty of the prayer of the Holy Rosary. Reciting the Hail Mary, we are led to contemplate the mysteries of Jesus, to reflect, that is, on the central moments of his life, so that, as for Mary and for St. Joseph, He may be the center of our thoughts, our attention and our actions. It would be nice if, especially in this month of May, you would pray together as a family, with your friends, in the parish, the Holy Rosary or some prayer to Jesus and the Virgin Mary! Praying together is a precious moment for making family life and friendship even more stable! Let us learn to pray more in the family and as a family!

It is nice to see Pope Francis recommending the prayer of the holy rosary for families and parishes.  The pope acknowledges that Jesus is at the center of the rosary prayer.  This is, of course, evidenced by the name of Jesus at the center of the Hail Mary.  Pope Francis' comment also helps us to call to mind the rosary priest Fr. Patrick Peyton's saying, "the family that prays together, stays together."

Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary to teach us to be faithful to our daily commitments, to live our faith in everyday actions and to give more space to the Lord in our lives, to stop to contemplate his face.

As I mentioned in a recent post, Pope Francis speaks about specific actions of the Madonna.  He has spoken often about her protection, help, and today he tells us that she can teach us to be faithful to our daily commitments.  Also, Pope Francis speaks about contemplating Christ's face.  Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Exhortaiton, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, referred to the rosary as an aid to contemplating the face of Christ in the school of Mary.  It seems that Pope Francis is inviting us to contemplate the face of Christ through the rosary.  

Pope Francis to Jesuits: Entrust Me to Mary's Protection

A consistent and constant theme for Pope Francis since is election is the theme of Mary acting as a protectress--as one who protects.  Again, Pope Francis referred to the protection of Mary in a letter to the Superior General of the Jesuits.   Before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, Pope Francis requested the prayers of his brother Jesuits:  

With these sentiments I ask all Jesuits to pray for me and entrust me to the loving protection of Mary, our Mother in Heaven, while, as a pledge of abundant heavenly favours, I impart with special fondness my Apostolic Blessing, which I also extend to all those who work with the Society of Jesus in their activities, benefit from their good works, and partake of their spirituality.

Emphasizing Mary's role as protectress is interesting.  Why protectress?  Let me suggest a few ideas as to how Mary acts as a protectress.

1.  From Bernard of Clairvaux's homily In Praise of the Virgin Mother, he poetically writes that in the midst of danger, trial, tribulation, one should call upon Mary.  Bernard writes: When the wind of temptation blows up within you, when you strike upon the rock of tribulation, gaze up at this star, call out to Mary. ... Following her, you will never go astray.  Asking her help, you will never despair. Mary can help to protect us against temptation.  She is the one who crushes the serpent's head.  The devil will try to bring down the Church and one way he does this is through the Church's ministers.  Let us pray through Mary's intercession and protection, Pope Francis will be protected from the snares of the Evil One.  

2.  The prayers of the Madonna are powerful.  Perhaps the request to entrust the pope to Mary's loving protection is a call for us to ask Mary to protect him from harm or violence.  It is a call for us to ask Mary to wrap her mantle of protection around Pope Francis, to safeguard him so he can persevere in his ministry.  

Like any mother, Mary, our Mother in Heaven, loves, desires, and hopes that all Christians will return to the Lord with their whole heart.  She wants to protect her children from the harm of war, envy, evil, etc.  Under the inspiration of Pope Francis, who has revealed himself as dedicated to Mary's role as a protectress, may we invoke Mary's protection for our Holy Father, the Church, and the people of God.  

Miscellaneous Marian References for the Day

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Pope Francis made a few other Marian references today.  

1.  He made a phone call to Argentina for a gathering in his honor.   The Pope remarked: "Do not be afraid of him. Draw near to him and may the Virgin bless you. May she, as a mother, protect you. Please do not forget this bishop who is far away but who loves you very much. Pray for me!”  Additionally, he also invoked the intercession of Mary for the gathering:  “Through the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin, and each of your guardian angels, the glorious patriarch St. Joseph, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and each of your protector saints, may God All-mighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you.”  Again, Pope Francis shows the role of Mary as one who acts as protectress.  Interesting today he says, "May the Virgin bless you."  

2.  The Vatican Information Service reports that "At the end, after the [Inauguration] Mass, the Pope went to pray before the statue of the Virgin that stood next to the altar."  Pope Francis consistently is revealing himself to be a man truly dedicated to the Virgin through his various prayers at different Marian sites (e.g. St. Mary Major, Lourdes Grotto, Statue next to the altar).  

3.  Like many of the Holy Fathers (and bishops for that matter), Mary typically finds a place in the coat of arms.  For Pope Francis, Mary is represented by a star.  St. Bernard of Clairvaux in his homily In Praise of the Virgin Mother states that the name of Mary means star.  In Catholic piety we call Mary the Star of the Sea, or the Star of the New Evangelization.  Zenit has a nice piece on the Pope's motto having both a Marian and Joseph dimension. 

Mary and the Installation of Pope Francis

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Today Pope Francis was installed as the Bishop of Rome, on this the feast of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church.  In Pope Francis' homily he reflected on the role of St. Joseph as protector and the similarities it shares with the Petrine ministry.  He also focused on the many roles that the Christian faithful have in protecting our families and the environment.  

And of course, when talking about St. Joseph, it would be difficult to not speak about Mary.  Below are the Marian references of Pope Francis during his Installation homily:

1.  Pope Francis acknowledged the fact that St. Joseph was the spouse of the Virgin Mary. He commented quite nicely on Joseph's role as spouse:  "As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus."

2.  He spoke about St. Joseph as the protector of Jesus and Mary and by extension, to the entire Church.  He quoted Blessed John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos:  "Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model."

3.  Pope Francis also elaborated on the role of the Bishop Rome as protector.  He said his role is "To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly.  Let us protect with love all that God has given us!"

From the very first days of Francis' pontificate he has constantly spoke of Mary's role as protectress.  Today he developed the theme of protector with St. Joseph and extended it to his own ministry.  He said he is protect Jesus with Mary.  Over the years we have seen Jesus protected through dogmatic declaration regarding Mary such as her Divine Motherhood.  Each of the dogmas of the Church reveals a truth about Jesus and allows us to better understand Jesus through Mary.  The Holy Father as a protector of Jesus though is also the protector of Mary, because he will defend her from the attacks by coming her to assistance by preaching and defending Mary through teaching and homilies.  

4.  He implored the Holy Spirit through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the intercession of Sts. Joseph, Peter and Paul, and Francis.  

Read the full homily here.

Pope Francis's First Angelus Address

Today Pope Francis delivered the first Angelus address of his pontificate.  Given that he spoke before and after a Marian prayer, the Angelus, one should not be surprised that Our Lady was invoked in some way.  He shared three pertinent things regarding Mary. 

1.  Pope Francis relayed the story of an event on the occasion of welcoming Our Lady of Fatima into Argentina (I presume this is a pilgrim statue that arrived for the first time in the country.)  Pope Francis recounted "Our Lady of Fatima had just arrived in Buenos Aires and there was a big Mass for the sick. I went to hear confessions at that Mass.And near the end of the Mass I got up, because I had to administer holy oil. ..."  Pope Francis by no means intended to covey a theological point about Our Lady of Fatima.  But what is important in this situation is to notice what happened.  Our Lady of Fatima arrived in Buenos Aires, and there was a Mass for the sick.  Additionally, the Archbishop went to hear confessions.  As he set up the scene to convey a story about mercy, Pope Francis found it necessary to reference the specific occasion, a celebration in honor of Our Lady of Fatima.  

The Church has a great devotion to Mary; on certain occasions festivals are held in her honor.  But the focus was not on Our Lady, but it was on the sacraments--Holy Eucharist, Confession, and Anointing   Our Lady brought together large numbers in order to present them to her Son.  Our Lady's apparition in Fatima in 1917 was the catalyst of conversions throughout the world and a return to the sacramental life of the Church.  While it was just a simple, scant reference to Fatima, there is much more that can be drawn from it as the Holy Father addressed the theme of mercy.  As seen by his story, Mary brought people together to experience the mercy of God in the sacraments. 

2.  Before praying the Angelus, Pope Francis stated: "We invoke the intercession of Our Lady who held in her arms the Mercy of God made man."  People can relate to this image of Mary.  Mother's can relate to Mary who held Jesus in her arms.  This image is evocative of many scenes in Christ's life, of course it evokes Mary holding the Christ child, but in this season of Lent, it also evokes the image of Mary holding the lifeless body of her son  in her arms.  Jesus, giving his life for the salvation of the world, was the supreme act of mercy par excellence.  By saying yes to the angel, Mary cooperated in God's plan for the redemption of the world through the mercy of the Father, Son, and Spirit.  Lastly, Pope Francis spoke of the incarnation, God made man, which looks to Mary as the Mother of God, a title that we so often pray in the Hail Mary.  In the Hail Holy Queen we even call Mary the "Mother of Mercy," that is, Mother of the one who is Mercy Himself.  

3.  In concluding his address, Pope Francis stated: "But Jesus has called us to be part of a new family: his Church, this family of God, walking together along the way of the Gospel. May the Lord bless you, may Our Lady protect you. Do not forget this: the Lord never wearies of forgiving! We are the ones who weary of asking for forgiveness."  

There are two important things to note from this reference.  The first is the fact Pope Francis invoked the protectress role of Mary.  He prayed for Mary's protection over Pope Benedict and over Rome, and made a special pilgrimage to Shrine of Our Lady Protectress of Rome at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.  This theme I believe will remain consistent over his papacy as seen by other writings as archbishop of Buenos Aires.  Secondly, He spoke of Jesus calling us to be part of a new family, his Church, which is the family of God.  At first glance it may not seem to be overtly Marian, but it is!  The constitutive elements of a family are a father, mother, and children.  If we view the Church as a family, then God is our Father, and the Church is mother.  But what can be said of the Church can be said of Mary.  So Mary also is our mother.  She is the mother of God's children.  She is in fact Mother of the Church.  In this Christian family then, it is necessary for there to be a mother, and that mother is both Mary and the Church.  

Protectress of the Roman People

As promised in his initial remarks, Pope Francis made his visit to the Madonna to ask her to protect Rome.  As I inferred yesterday from Pope Francis's statement of wanting to pray for the Roman people, I predicted he would visit Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore which is home to the Shrine of Our Lady Protectress of Rome.  

Pope Francis' visit to the Marian shrine underscores the importance of Marian pilgrimage and the prayers offered at these holy sites.  Spending time in prayer to the Madonna, one could reasonably think that Pope Francis consecrated his papacy to the Blessed Virgin Mary in addition to invoking her protectress role for Rome and the Church at large.  

Vatican News reports that the Holy Father remained at the Shrine for half an hour.  

More to come later today as news becomes available.  

On another note...

I have found some wonderful comments our Holy Father made in regard to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I look forward to compiling them in the coming days.  Be sure to check back often. 

Pope Francis, Mary and the Urbi et Orbi

Pope Francis I in his initial remarks following his papal election led those gathered at the Vatican and those watching on television or online, and listening via radio in a prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, asking the Lord to bless him and Our Lady to protect him.  The prayers he led were traditional prayers, the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

In the Urbi et Orbi blessing the intercession of Mary, ever-virgin was invoked along with the intercession of St. Michael and St. Paul.

After the blessing, Pope Francis shared that tomorrow he wanted to go and pray to the Madonna, that she would protect Rome.

Pope Francis has followed his successors by calling upon the intercession of the Virgin Mary.  It is interesting to note that in the English translations thus far, he specifically addressed Mary's protective role.  He wanted us to ask Our Lady to protect Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and he wants to go and pray to the Madonna that she would protect Rome.

Mary has often been hailed as a protectress.  For example, she is often invoked as the protectress of the unborn and the protectress of the faith.  Of a more interesting note, in Rome the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is home to the Shrine of Our Lady Protectress of Rome.  Furthermore, by wanting to go and pray to the Madonna, Pope Francis acknowledges the importance of pilgrimages, in this case, Marian pilgrimages.  Given that he wants to ask Mary to protect Rome, it may be fitting for him to pray at Santa Maria Maggiore.

This blog, Mary and the Pope, over the next several years of Pope Francis's papacy will chronicle and analyze the Marian references and devotion of Pope Francis.  Be assured that if and when Pope Francis makes a pilgrimage tomorrow to invoke Mary's intercession, this blog will be covering it.

Now that we know who our new Holy Father is, I will begin researching the Mariology of Pope Francis as Cardinal Bergoglio.

Updated 3/13/2013, 4:20 pm cdt

Nota Bene:  The English translation of the Pope Francis's message says "Virgin keep him" and 

"Tomorrow I'm going to pray to the Virgin, that she will safeguard all of Rome"  When the English translation is compared to that of the Spanish, a different translation can be rendered: "Virgen lo proteja." and "Mañana quisiera ir a rezar a la Virgen, para que proteja a toda Roma."  The Spanish uses the word "proteja" which is best translated protect and is used in both cases, rather than the word keep or safeguard.  Furthermore, the Spanish translates: Tomorrow I want to go pray to the Virgin, that she protect all of Rome."  The English in the Vatican Information Service differs than the first English translation, but the first matches well with other languages.  

Last updated 3/13/2013, 6:43 cdt