Pope Francis: Entrust 2024 to the Mother of God 

“For those words, Mother of God, express the joyful certainty that the Lord, a tiny Child in his Mama's arms, has united himself forever to our humanity, to the point that it is no longer only ours, but his as well,” the pope said. 

Pope Francis also underscored Mary’s continued role in mediating the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians today, just as she did at Pentecost. 

“The motherhood of Mary is the path leading us to the paternal tenderness of God, the closest, most direct and easiest of paths,” Pope Francis said. 

The pope continued, noting that Mary “leads us to the beginning and heart of faith, which is not a theory or a task, but a boundless gift that makes us beloved sons and daughters, tabernacles of the Father’s love.” 

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Therefore, Pope Francis said, “welcoming the Mother into our lives is not a matter of devotion but a requirement of faith.” The pope emphasized this point by quoting Paul VI, who said in a 1970 homily that “If we want to be Christians, we must be ‘Marians.’”  

Consistent with one of his ongoing points of emphasis, Francis also underscored that Mary can help the Church “to recover her own feminine face.”

The Pope has previously called for greater reflection on the “feminine dimension” of the Church. At a Nov. 30 meeting with members of the International Theological Commission, he emphasized the need for more women in theology and decried “masculinization” of the Church as “a great sin.” 

Francis also said that every society needs to “respect, defend, and esteem women,” and that “whosoever harms a single woman profanes God, who was ‘born of a woman.’” 

In his Jan. 1 homily, the Pope encouraged Christians to turn more readily to the Blessed Mother for aid and intercession. 

“Whenever we are tempted to retreat into ourselves, let us run to her; whenever we are no longer able to untie the knots in our lives, let us seek refuge in her.” 

He also noted Mary’s vital role in bringing harmony to the world in a time “bereft of peace.” 

“Let us look to Mary, in order to become artisans of unity.” 

Pope Francis concluded his homily with a prayer that 2024 would “be filled with the tender maternal love of Mary, the Holy Mother of God,” and invited those gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica to proclaim all together the Marian title being celebrated at the Mass. 

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“Holy Mother of God! Holy Mother of God! Holy Mother of God!”