Pope ushers in 2014

January 01, 2014 - Pope Francis ushered in the new year, 2014 with a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on New Year Day, on which the Catholic Church celebrates the liturgical feast of the Mother of God and also marks the annual World Day of Peace. In his homily the Pope pointed out how the hope contained in a popular biblical blessing has been fully realized in Mary, the Mother of God, who accompanies the People of God in their pilgrimage of faith. Pope Francis, who is marked his first New Year as pontiff, recalled the traditional blessing from the Book of Numbers: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace”. The Pope said that there isn’t a more meaningful time for this blessing than at the dawn of a new year. He said they are words of strength, courage and hope – a hope that is not illusory, based on frail human promises, or a naïve hope which presumes that the future will be better simply because it is the future. Rather this hope is based precisely in God’s blessing.
The Pope explained that the message of hope in this blessing was fully realized in Mary, who was destined to become the Mother of God, and this hope was fulfilled in her before any other creature. Historically, he said, the ‘Mother of God’ was the first and most important title of Our Lady. It was at the Council of Ephesus of 431, that the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary was authoritatively defined. This truth of Mary’s divine motherhood found an echo in Rome where, a little later, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major was built, the first Marian shrine in Rome and in the entire West, in which the image of the Mother of God – the Theotokos – is venerated under the title of Salus Populi Romani (or the Protectress of the Roman People). It is said that the residents of Ephesus used to gather at the gates of the basilica where the Council bishops were meeting and shout, “Mother of God!”. The crowd was asking them to officially define this title of Our Lady, acknowledging her divine motherhood.
The Pope said that Mary has always been present in the hearts, piety and above in all the pilgrimage of faith of the Christian people. It is important element of the Christian faith that that the Mother of God, in her “pilgrimage of faith”, shared our condition and path like ours, which is sometimes difficult and obscure. And this pilgrimage of faith has been inseparably linked to Mary ever since Jesus, dying on the Cross, gave her to us as our Mother, saying: “Behold your Mother!” From that moment on, the Mother of God also became our Mother! For this reason, the Pope explained, Jesus entrusted his disciples to His Mother, the first to believe and whose faith would never fail, when their faith was most tested by difficulties and uncertainties. The “woman” became our Mother when she lost her divine Son, enlarging her heart to make room for all men and women, whether good or bad, loving them as Jesus loved. The woman who at the wedding at Cana in Galilee gave her faith-filled cooperation so that the wonders of God could be displayed in the world, at Calvary kept alive the flame of faith in the resurrection of her Son, and she communicates this with maternal affection to each and every person. Thus, in this way, Mary becomes a source of hope and true joy! Concluding his homily, the Pope invited all to join him as he turned to a statue of the Mother of God near the altar, and invoked her three times with the title, “Mother of God.”
After the homily and sung Credo, various intentions of the prayer of the faithful were read in 5 languages, including in Chinese and Arabic. They urged for the protection and promotion of life, and also for peace by overcoming division and hatred. Pope Francis concluded the New Year Mass with a solemn blessing.
Later, at midday on New Year Day, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square, to pray the ‘Angelus’ with a vast crowd on whom he bestowed his blessing. At the start of the new year, he greeted them with peace and every good, saying his wish is not a mix of magic and fatalism of the start of anew cycle, but has a definite goal in Christ, in God’s kingdom of peace, justice, liberty and love. And it is the Spirit of God who animates the works and plans of all peace builders. Reminding all about day’s feast of the Mother of God as well as World Day of Peace, the 77-year old pope urged all to imitate Mary, in making the Christmas message of ‘glory to God and peace to men’ our commitment in the new year. Recalling the theme of the 47th the World Day of Peace: "Fraternity, the Foundation and Pathway to Peace," Pope Francis said the commitment to peace is rooted in the fatherhood of God wherein we are all children of one heavenly father, we belong to the same human family and we share a common destiny. From this stems our duty to make the world a community of brothers who respect, accept and care for one another.
Setting aside his prepared text for a moment, he expressed impatience with violence in the world. `'What is happening in the heart of man? What is happening in the heart of humanity?'' Francis asked. `'It's time to stop.'' He told the crowd this reflection was inspired by letter he received from a man _ `'maybe one of you'' _ who lamented that there are `'so many tragedies and wars in the world.'' `'I, too, believe that it will be good for us to stop ourselves in this path of violence and search for peace,'' Pope Francis said. In his remarks to the often-applauding crowd, he also expressed hope that `'the gospel of brotherhood speak to every conscience and knock down the walls that impede enemies from recognizing that they are brothers.'' The violence and injustice in many parts of the world can leave us indifferent and immobile, but the Pope said all need to build a society that is truly more just and based on solidarity. He urged believers worldwide to pray for the gift of peace in every situation. He prayed that the Lord help us walk resolutely on the path of justice and peace, that the Holy Spirit melt hearts and hardness and make us tender in front of the Baby Jesus. “In fact,” the Pope said, “peace needs the strength of meekness, the non-violent power of truth and love.” He entrusted to the Mother of the Redeemer the cry for peace of all those oppressed by violence, so that the courage of dialogue and reconciliation prevail over the temptation for revenge, arrogance and corruption.