As a good Mother, Mary never wants to abandon her children

There can be a no more difficult experience for a mother than to witness the death of her child. It is heartrending. We see Mary there, at the foot of the cross, like every mother, strong, faithful, staying with her Child even to His death, and death on the cross... Then we see her encouraging and supporting the disciples.

We contemplate her life, and we feel understood, we feel heard. We can sit down to pray with her and use a common language in the face of the countless situations we encounter each day. We can identify with many situations of her life. We can tell her what is happening in our lives, because she understands.

Mary is a woman of faith; she is the Mother of the Church; she believed. Her life testifies that God does not deceive us—God does not abandon His people—even in moments or situations when it might seem that He is not there. Mary was the first of her Son’s disciples and in moments of difficulty she kept the hope of the apostles alive…

A woman attentive to the needs of others, she could say–when it seemed like the feast and joy were at an end–“See, they have no wine” (Jn 2:3). She was the woman who went to stay with her cousin for “about three months” (Lk 1:56), so that Elizabeth would not be alone as she prepared to give birth.

We know all this from the Gospel, but we also know that she is the mother who has stood beside us in so many difficult situations… Mary has always been in our hospitals, our schools and our homes. She has always sat at table in every home… Hers has been a discreet and silent presence, making itself felt through a statue, a holy card or a medal.

Under the sign of the Rosary, we know that we are never alone, that she always accompanies us. Why? Because Mary simply wants to be in the midst of her people, with her children, with her family. She followed Jesus always, from within the crowd. As a good mother, she never wants to abandon her children, rather, she always shows up whenever one of her children is in need. For the simple reason that she is our mother.

Taken from a homily by Pope Francis, Esplanade in of the Shrine of Caacupé, Paraguay, July 2015