Mary, Mother of God

The first day of each new year begins with the Marian celebration known as the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. Pope Francis, like many of his predecessors, has demonstrated a deep devotion to Mary. In the very first days of his Pontificate, the newly elected Pope was seen praying in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. 
 
This Basilica was erected in honour of Mary, the Mother of God, which is the first and most theologically important title of Our Lady. It is a witness to that great synodal gathering in the history of the Church, the Council of Ephesus, in which the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary was authoritatively defined as an expression of the sensus fidei. This Church is also the first Marian shrine in Rome and the entire West, in which the image of the Mother of God – the Theotokos – is venerated under the title of Salus Populi Romani.

From the very first meeting with his brother cardinals, Pope Francis spoke of Mary’s essential role as Jesus’ mother. He said: “I entrust my ministry and your ministry to the powerful intercession of Mary, our Mother, Mother of the Church. Under Her maternal gaze may each one of you walk happy and docile on your path, listening to the voice of Her divine Son, strengthening your unity, persevering in your common prayer and bearing witness to the true faith in the constant presence of the Lord.”

Pope prays in front of the icon of Mary "Salus Populi Romani" at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Photo: Vatican Media.

It has become his custom to visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major on the eve of his pastoral trips abroad and to pray for her intercession. This devotional gesture teaches us that it is from Mary that the Church learns true discipleship, and that when it goes out on mission, it is always in the footsteps of Mary. In recent weeks he has expressed his desire that upon his death that he would be laid to rest in this Basilica and not at St. Peter’s which has been the tradition and practice of recent popes.
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In his homily at the First Vespers on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Dec. 31, 2023), Pope Francis reflected on gratitude and hope, and how faith enables us to live the beginning of each new year in contrast to a worldly mentality. This is because "faith in Jesus Christ, God incarnate, born of the Virgin Mary, gives us a new way of experiencing time and life". This faith allows us to express gratitude to God and to envision the future with hope rather than simply expressing feelings of satisfaction and optimism as we enter a new year. ​

Icon Salus Populi Romani in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome.

The Pope invited those present to think about the immense gratitude that would have been present in Mary's heart as she looked upon the newborn Jesus and pondered this experience in her heart, as the Mother of God, while knowing with Joseph the divine origins of this Child. The Church, he said, learns gratitude, but also hope from the example of Mary. She was full of hope, filled with grace, and living in the trust and hope that God’s will was being fulfilled through her fiat. This is not the optimism of the world. It is "faith in God who is faithful to his promises," and which "takes the form of hope" in our lives. "The Christian, like Mary, is a pilgrim of hope."

This year, the Pope recalled the theme of the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 and encouraged us to begin our preparation as "Pilgrims of Hope" in a Year of Prayer. He said that the Blessed Mother can teach us to "live each day, each moment, each effort with our inner gaze turned to Jesus. Joys and sorrows, satisfactions and challenges. All in the presence and with the grace of Jesus, the Lord. All with gratitude and hope."

​As we begin this new year may we experience through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, this renewed spirit of prayer.

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators
of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform
​from within both humanity
​and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee 
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, 
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen. 

Prayer by Pope Francis for the Jubilee 2025

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Written by Bishop William T. McGrattan

​December 31, 2023