Vatican City, 1 January 2016 (VIS) –
On the afternoon of Friday, 1 January, Pope Francis celebrated Mass
at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he then opened the Holy
Door.
The following is the full text of the
homily pronounced by the Holy Father:
“Salve, Mater Misericordiae! With
this invocation we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman
Basilica dedicated to her under the title of Mother of God. It is the
first line of an ancient hymn which we will sing at the conclusion of
this Holy Eucharist. Composed by an unknown author, it has come down
to us as a heartfelt prayer spontaneously rising up from the hearts
of the faithful: 'Hail Mother of mercy, Mother of God, Mother of
forgiveness, Mother of hope, Mother of grace and Mother full of holy
gladness'. In these few words we find a summary of the faith of
generations of men and women who, with their eyes fixed firmly on the
icon of the Blessed Virgin, have sought her intercession and
consolation.
“It is most fitting that on this day
we invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary above all as Mother of mercy. The
door we have opened is, in fact, a Door of Mercy. Those who cross its
threshold are called to enter into the merciful love of the Father
with complete trust and freedom from fear; they can leave this
Basilica knowing – truly knowing – that Mary is ever at their
side. She is the Mother of mercy, because she bore in her womb the
very Face of divine mercy, Jesus, Emmanuel, the Expectation of the
nations, the 'Prince of Peace'. The Son of God, made incarnate for
our salvation, has given us His Mother, who joins us on our
pilgrimage through this life, so that we may never be left alone,
especially at times of trouble and uncertainty.
“Mary is the Mother of God, she is
the Mother of God who forgives, who bestows forgiveness, and so we
can rightly call her Mother of forgiveness. This word –
'forgiveness' – so misunderstood in today’s world, points to the
new and original fruit of Christian faith. A person unable to forgive
has not yet known the fullness of love. Only one who truly loves is
able to forgive and forget. At the foot of the Cross, Mary sees her
Son offer Himself totally, showing us what it means to love as God
loves. At that moment she heard Jesus utter words which probably
reflected what He had learned from her as a child: 'Father, forgive
them; for they do not know what they are doing'. At that moment, Mary
became for all of us the Mother of forgiveness. Following Jesus’
example and by His grace, she herself could forgive those who killed
her innocent Son.
“For us, Mary is an icon of how the
Church must offer forgiveness to those who seek it. The Mother of
forgiveness teaches the Church that the forgiveness granted on
Golgotha knows no limits. Neither the law with its quibbles, nor the
wisdom of this world with its distinctions, can hold it back. The
Church’s forgiveness must be every bit as broad as that offered by
Jesus on the Cross and by Mary at His feet. There is no other way. It
is for this purpose that the Holy Spirit made the Apostles the
effective ministers of forgiveness, so what was obtained by the death
of Jesus may reach all men and women in every age.
“The Marian hymn continues: 'Mother
of hope and Mother of grace, Mother of holy gladness'. Hope, grace
and holy gladness are all sisters: they are the gift of Christ;
indeed, they are so many names written on His body. The gift that
Mary bestows in offering us Jesus is the forgiveness which renews
life, enables us once more to do God’s will and fills us with true
happiness. This grace frees the heart to look to the future with the
joy born of hope. This is the teaching of the Psalm: 'Create in me a
clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. […]
Restore to me the joy of your salvation'. The power of forgiveness is
the true antidote to the sadness caused by resentment and vengeance.
Forgiveness leads to joy and serenity because it frees the heart from
thoughts of death, whereas resentment and vengeance trouble the mind
and wound the heart, robbing it of rest and peace. What horrible
things are resentment and vengeance.
“Let us, then, pass through the Holy
Door of Mercy knowing that at our side is the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Holy Mother of God, who intercedes for us. Let us allow her to
lead us to the rediscovery of the beauty of an encounter with her Son
Jesus. Let us open wide the doors of our heart to the joy of
forgiveness, conscious that we have been given new confidence and
hope, and thus make our daily lives a humble instrument of God’s
love.
“And with the love and affection of
children, let us cry out to Our Lady as did the faithful people of
God in Ephesus during the historic Council: 'Holy Mother of God!' I
invite you to repeat together this acclamation three times, aloud and
with all your heart and with all your love: 'Holy Mother of God! Holy
Mother of God! Holy Mother of God!'”.
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