Pope Francis: Let us bless mothers and praise God for the miracle of life

“Let us bless the mothers and praise God for the miracle of life,” was the invitation of Pope Francis during the Angelus this Sunday, December 22, offered from the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican.

In the process of recovery due to a cold, the Holy Father addressed the faithful a few days before Christmas, reflecting on a passage from the Gospel in which the Virgin Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth: “It is the meeting of two women happy for the extraordinary gift of motherhood: Mary has just conceived Jesus, the Savior of the world, and Elizabeth, despite her advanced age, carries in her womb John, who will prepare the way that will precede the Messiah.”

Although these “great miracles” may seem far away, Pope Francis emphasized that the Gospel is, in fact, quite close to our reality. “Contemplation of the prodigious signs of God’s saving action should never make us feel distant from Him, but rather help us recognize His presence and His love close to us, for example in the gift of each life, of each child, of their mother”.

The Pontiff stressed the importance of valuing and blessing mothers, especially pregnant women and their babies: “Let us not be indifferent to their presence, let us learn to admire their beauty and, as Elizabeth and Mary did, let us bless mothers and praise them. to God for the miracle of life.”

Furthermore, he fondly recalled his experience as Archbishop in Buenos Aires, when he observed how people gave up their seats on public transportation to pregnant women, a gesture that he described as “of hope and respect.”

In these days before Christmas, the Holy Father also invited the faithful to go beyond the decorations and lights: “Let us remember to express feelings of joy every time we encounter a mother carrying her child in her arms or in her arms. her lap… and let us also say, like Elizabeth: ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.'”

Before concluding, the Pope invited us to reflect on key questions for this upcoming Christmas: “Do I thank the Lord because he became man like us? Do I praise the Lord for every child born? Do I maintain and defend the sacred value of the life of children from their conception in the womb?”

“May Mary, the Blessed among all women, make us capable of experiencing amazement and gratitude before the mystery of life that is born,” he concluded.