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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Virgin is a pilgrim of hope, in the strong sense that she becomes the “daughter of her Son”, the first of His disciples. Mary brought into the world Jesus, Hope of humanity; she nourished Him, made Him grow, followed Him, letting herself be the first to be shaped by the Word of God". This is what can be read in the text of the catechesis that Pope Francis, hospitalized at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome since February 14 for bilateral pneumonia, should have delivered today in the Paul VI Hall for the traditional Wednesday general audience.
The Pope, continuing the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the life of Jesus read in the light of the themes of the Ordinary Jubilee that the Church is experiencing, focuses on the last of the stories of Jesus' childhood narrated in the Gospel of Luke, namely the discovery of Jesus in the Temple, when "at twelve years old, he stayed in the Temple without telling His parents, who were anxiously looking for Him and found Him three days later". A text - underlines the catechesis of Pope Francis - which presents us "with a very interesting dialogue between Mary and Jesus, which helps us to reflect on the path of the mother of Jesus, a journey that was certainly not easy. Indeed, Mary set out on a spiritual itinerary during which she advanced in her understanding of the mystery of her Son".
The catechesis of Pope Francis retraces all the stages, from the Annunciation to the tears shed under the Cross, up to Mary's choice to remain in Jerusalem after the Resurrection "as Mother of the disciples, sustaining their faith while awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit".
In the episode of the discovery of Jesus in the Temple - we read in the papal text released today - "The experience of twelve-year-old Jesus going missing during the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem frightens Mary to the point that she also speaks for Joseph as they take their son back: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” (Lk 2:48). Mary and Joseph felt the pain of parents with a missing child: they both thought that Jesus was in the caravan with their relatives, but after not seeing Him for an entire day, they began the search that would lead them to retrace their steps. Upon returning to the Temple, they discover that He who, in their eyes, until a short time before, was still a child to protect, suddenly seems grown up, capable now of getting involved in discussions on the Scriptures, of holding His own with the teachers of the Law".
Faced with His mother’s rebuke - Pope Francis continues in his catechesis - "Jesus answers with disarming simplicity: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49). Mary and Joseph do not understand: the mystery of God made child exceeds their intelligence. The parents want to protect that precious son under the wings of their love; instead, Jesus wants to live His vocation as the Son of the Father who is at His service and lives immersed in His Word".
The Pope defines Mary as a "pilgrim of hope." And in this regard, he quotes what Benedict XVI wrote in the Encyclical Deus caritas est, 41: “We see how completely at home Mary is with the Word of God … we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God. Since Mary is completely imbued with the Word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate”.
However, the Pontiff points out, "this unique communion with the Word of God does not however save her the effort of a demanding ‘apprenticeship’", such as the rebuke that Mary and Joseph address to the twelve-year-old Jesus. The response that reaches them, however, is not understood: "the mystery of God made child exceeds their intelligence".
Luke’s infancy narratives thus close "with Mary’s final words, which recall Joseph’s paternity towards Jesus, and with Jesus’ first words, which recognize that this paternity traces His origins from that of His heavenly Father, whose undisputed primacy He acknowledges". (FB) (Agenzia Fides, 5/3/2025)
