Mary is the Mother of hope, the most expressive icon of Christian hope. Her whole life is an ensemble of attitudes of hope, beginning with the “yes” at the moment of the Annunciation. Mary did not know how she could become a mother, but she entrusted herself totally to the mystery that was about to take place, and she became the woman of waiting and of hope. Then we see her at Bethlehem, where he who was announced as Savior of Israel and as Messiah is born in poverty. Then, while she is at Jerusalem to present him in the Temple, with the joy of the elderly Simeon and Anna, she hears the promise of a sword that will pierce her heart and the prophecy of a sign of contradiction. She realizes that the mission and the identity itself of that Son exceed her being Mother. We then arrive at the episode of Jesus who is lost in Jerusalem, and she asks: “Son, why have you treated us so?” (Luke 2:48), and Jesus’ answer, who moves away from the maternal concerns and turns to the things of the Heavenly Father.

Yet, in face of all these difficulties and surprises of God’s plan, the Virgin’s hope never hesitates! Woman of hope. This tells us that hope is nourished by listening, by contemplation, by patience, so that the times of the Lord will mature. Also at the Wedding of Cana, Mary is the Mother of hope, which makes her attentive and solicitous to human things. With the beginning of his public life, Jesus becomes the Teacher and the Messiah: Our Lady looks at her Son’s mission with exultation but also with apprehension, because Jesus becomes increasingly the sign of contradiction that the elderly Simeon had pre-announced to her. At the foot of the cross, she is the woman of sorrow and at the same time of vigilant waiting of a mystery, greater than the sorrow, which is about to take place. Everything seems truly finished; every hope it could be said was spent. At that moment, recalling the promises of the Annunciation, she also could have said: they have not come true, I was deceived. But she did not say it. Yet she, blessed because she believed, sees blossom from her faith the new future and waits with hope for God’s tomorrow.

Pope Francis, 21 November 2013

This Sunday, 15 September, our province will celebrate the Final Profession of our brother Gareth Thomas C.P.
Gareth, who is from Wales, was a novice at the Passionist Retreat Centre, Tobar Mhuire, Crossgar, County Down; he is now studying theology at Heythrop College, London. The profession will take place during the 12.00 Mass in Holy Cross Church, Ardoyne, Belfast. In preparation, there will be a Vigil of Prayer for Vocations this evening at 7.00 p.m. in Holy Cross. The Vigil will begin with Mass and continue with Eucharistic Adoration. If you can’t be in Belfast this weekend, both the Vigil and the Profession Mass can be followed here. Here is a prayer for Passionist Vocations:

Jesus,
you gave your life on the Cross
so that we could share in God’s own life
and know his love for us,

May the love that flows from the Cross
transform our hearts,
so that we can bring your love and compassion
to those whose lives we touch,
especially those who are suffering.

Give the light of your Holy Spirit
to those young people who have received
the grace of a Passionist vocation.
Inspire them to give their lives
as Passionist priests, brothers or sisters,
keeping the Memory of your Passion alive
in their own hearts and in the hearts of others.

May Mary, who stood by the Cross, be their example,
and may Saint Paul of the Cross be their guide. Amen.