The Church: Our Mother

This morning's General Audience was held in Saint Peter's Square beginning at 10:30am.  The Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and from other countries of the world.

Speaking in Italian, the Holy Father continued the cycle of catechesis on the Mystery of the Church, focusing his meditation on the Church as Mother.

Following the syntheses of the catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular words of welcome to the various groups of pilgrims who were present.  He then issued a call on the occasion of the International Day of Peace which will be observed by the United Nations on September 21.

The General Audience concluded with the recitation of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Benediction.

Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the General Audience

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today, I return again to the image of the Church as Mother.  I like this image very much because it seems to me that it tells us not only how the Church is, but also what face the Church should always have.  This is our Church.

I would like to focus on three things, all of which concern our mothers, all that they do, all that they live and all that they suffer for their children, continuing the theme of what I said last Wednesday.  What does a mother do?

She teaches us how to walk through life.  She teaches us how to do well in life.  She knows how to teach her children.  She is always seeking ways to indicate the right way in life so that they can grow and become adults.  And she does so with tenderness and affection, always with love, even when she tries to correct our ways because we slip a bit in life or take paths that lead to a ravine.  A mother knows what is important for her child to be able to walk well in life and she doesn't learn this from books.  She learns this from her heart.

The Church does the same thing:  she orients our life; she gives us teachings to be able to walk well.  We can think of the Ten Commandments: they indicate a path we can take to maturity, to have firm guidance to teach us how to behave, and they are the fruit of the tenderness, and love of God, a love which he has given to her.  You may say to me: but they are commands!  They are an entire No!  I would like to invite you to read them - perhaps you have forgotten them somewhat - and then to think of them positively.  You will see that they concern our way of behaving toward God, toward ourselves and toward others.  In fact they are what a mother teaches us in order that we might live well.  They invite us not to make material idols of ourselves, idols which can make us slaves; they invite us to remember God; they invite us to have respect for our parents, to e honest, to respect the other ... Try to see them this way and to consider them as if they were the words, the teachings that a mother gives to her children so that they might walk well in life.  A mother never teaches what is evil; she wishes only good for her children, and the Church does the same.

I would like to say a second thing to you: when a child grows, becomes an adult, takes up his own way, assumes his responsibilities, walks with his own legs, does what he wishes and sometimes also happens to stray from the path, some incidents may happen.  A mother always, in every situation, has the patience to continue supporting her children.  What drives her is the force of love.  A mother knows how to follow the path of her children with discretion, with tenderness and also when they are mistaken she always finds the way to understand, to be close to them, to help them.  We say that a mother knows how to stick up for or stand up for her children, that is, she is always driven to defend them.  I think of mothers who suffer for their children in prison or in difficult situations: they don't ask if they are guilty or not; they continue to love them and often endure humiliation, but they are not afraid, they never stop giving of themselves.

The Church is like this, she is a merciful Mother who understands, who always tries to help, to encourage, even when her children have been mistaken and are mistaken; she never closes the door of the house; she doesn't judge, but offers God's forgiveness; she offers her love which invites us to take up the way again.  This invitation is offered even to those children who have fallen into a profound abyss; she is not afraid to enter into their darkness and to give them hope.

One last thought: a mother also knows how to ask, to knock on every door for her children, without calculating the cost, always with love.  I think of how mothers know how to knock and also, above all, to knock on the door of God's heart!  Mothers pray so much for their children, especially for those who are weakest, for those who have the greatest need, for those who have taken dangerous and misguided paths in life.  A short time ago, I celebrated Mass in the church of Saint Augustine here in Rome, where the relics of his mother, Saint Monica are kept.  How many prayers that holy mother raised to God for her son, and how many tears she shed!  I think of you, dear mothers: how much you pray for your children, and you never seem to get tired of doing that.  Continue to pray, to entrust your children to God; He has a great heart!

But the Church also doest the same thing: with prayer, she places in the Lord's hands all the situations of her children.  Let us have confidence in the strength of the prayer of Mother Church: the Lord doesn't remain insensitive.  He always knows how to astonish us, especially when we least expect it.  Mother Church knows this!

There, these are the thoughts that I wanted to share with you today: we see in the Church a good Mother who points out to us the way that we should go in life, who knows always how to be patient, merciful, understanding, and who knows how to place us in God's hands.

Following the syntheses in various languages, the Holy Father presented greetings to the various groups of pilgrims.  Here is the translation of the greetings he offered to English-speaking pilgrims:

I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience. In a particular way, I welcome the Inter-Ministerial Delegation of the Vietnamese Government for Religious Affairs. I welcome also all those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, India, Canada and the United States. May Jesus Christ confirm you in faith and make you witnesses of his love and mercy to all people. May God bless you!

After the Holy Father had greeted all the various linguistic groups of pilgrims he continued with a special call for prayer on the occasion of the International Day of Peace:

Every year, on September 21, the United Nations celebrates the International Day of Peace, and the Ecumenical Council of Churches calls its members to pray for peace.  I invite all the Catholics of the world to unite with other Christians to continually implore from God the gift of peace in the most tormented places on our planet.  May peace, the gift of Jesus, always live in our hearts and sustain the ambitions and actions of those responsible for the governance of our nations, as well as all men of good will.  I call on all people to encourage greater efforts toward finding diplomatic and political solutions to the threats of war which still concern us.  My thoughts are especially focused on the Syrian people, that the human tragedy they are facing may be resolved through dialogue and that they may be treated with respect, justice and dignity which is the right of every person, especially those who are most in need and defenceless.