“The fruitfulness of the Church is the same fruitfulness as Mary’s; it is realized in the lives of her members to the extent that they relive, “in miniature,” what the Mother lived, namely, they love according to the love of Jesus. All the fruitfulness of the Church and of the Holy See depends on the Cross of Christ. Otherwise, it is only appearance, if not worse.”
“Let us now turn to the second image, the one described by Saint Luke at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, which depicts the mother of Jesus together with the Apostles and disciples in the Upper Room (1:12-14). It presents Mary’s motherhood towards the nascent Church, an “archetypal” motherhood that remains relevant in every time and place. It is always and above all the fruit of the Paschal Mystery, of the gift of the Crucified and Risen Lord.”
“In the Upper Room, thanks to the maternal mission she received at the foot of the cross, Mary is at the service of the nascent community: she is the living memory of Jesus and, as such, she is the center of attention that harmonizes differences and ensures the unity of the disciples’ prayer.“
“And in fact, meditating on the Joyful Mysteries, during the journey, you entered and paused, as on pilgrimage, in so many places in the life of Jesus: in the house of Nazareth contemplating the Annunciation, in that of Zechariah contemplating the Visitation – which we celebrated today – in the cave of Bethlehem contemplating Christmas, in the Temple of Jerusalem contemplating the presentation and then the discovery of Jesus. They accompanied you, in the Hail Mary repeated with faith, the words of the Angel to the Mother of God: “Rejoice, full of grace: the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28) – and those of Elizabeth who welcomes her with joy: “Blessed are you among women and blessed the fruit of your womb!” (Lk 1:42).
Your steps, thus, were marked by the Word of God, which marked, with its rhythm, the progress, the stops and the departures, just like for the people of Israel in the desert, on a journey to the Promised Land.”
“Let us entrust ourselves to the intercession of Mary Most Holy. By the power of the Holy Spirit, she became “a dwelling-place consecrated to God.” With her, may we too come to know the joy of welcoming the Lord into our lives and of being signs and instruments of his love.“
“Our Mother Mary always wants to walk at our side, to remain close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love.“