Pope Francis: Let Us Place the New Year Under the Protection of Mary
Pope Francis presiding over Mass on the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jan. 1, 2022 (Photo by Vatican Media)
On New Year’s Day, Pope Francis encouraged people to entrust the year ahead to the protection of Mary, the Mother of God.
“The new year begins under the sign of the Holy Mother of God, under the sign of the Mother. A mother’s gaze is the path to rebirth and growth. We need mothers—women who look at the world not to exploit it, but so that it can have life,” he said during Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on January 1.
“At the beginning of the New Year, then, let us place ourselves under the protection of this woman, the Mother of God, who is also our mother. May she help us to keep and ponder all things, unafraid of trials and with the joyful certainty that the Lord is faithful and can transform every cross into a resurrection.”
Pope Francis began 2022 by celebrating Mass for the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God. In his homily, he reflected on how Mary teaches us to “keep and to ponder”—to reflect deeply on life in all its joy and suffering.
“Mary’s pensiveness … is the expression of a mature, adult faith—not a faith of beginners. Not a newborn faith, but a faith that now gives birth,” he said.
He emphasized that spiritual fruitfulness is born through trials:
“From the quiet of Nazareth and the triumphant promises received by the Angel, Mary now finds herself in the dark stable of Bethlehem. Yet that is where she gives God to the world.”
The pope asked the faithful to consider Mary’s experience:
“How can she hold together the throne of a king and the lowly manger? How can she reconcile the glory of the Most High with the bitter poverty of a stable? What can be more painful for a mother than to see her child suffering poverty? It is troubling indeed.”
“We would not blame Mary if she complained. Yet she does not lose heart. She does not complain, but keeps silent. Instead, she chooses a different part: the Gospel tells us, Mary ‘kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.’”
Pope Francis urged everyone to adopt this same attitude when facing difficulties.
“She shows us that it is necessary—it is the narrow path to achieve the goal, the cross, without which there can be no resurrection. Like the pangs of childbirth, it begets a more mature faith.”
Later that day, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus from the window of the Apostolic Palace before a crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“Happy New Year! Let us begin the new year by entrusting it to Mary, the Mother of God,” he said.
He spoke of the courage that comes from seeing God as a child in Mary’s arms:
“The new year begins with God who, in the arms of his mother and lying in a manger, gives us courage with tenderness. We need this encouragement. We are still living in uncertain and difficult times due to the pandemic.”
He acknowledged the challenges many face today—fears about the future, social and personal problems, the ecological crisis, and global economic inequality. His thoughts turned to those most vulnerable:
“Looking at Mary with her Son in her arms, I think of young mothers and their children fleeing wars and famine, or waiting in refugee camps. There are so many of them.”
Reflecting on the World Day of Peace, observed on January 1 and instituted by St. Paul VI in 1968, the pope said:
“We can truly build peace only if we have peace in our hearts, only if we receive it from the Prince of Peace. But peace is also our commitment: it asks us to take the first step, it demands concrete actions. It is built by being attentive to the least, by promoting justice, with the courage to forgive—thus extinguishing the fire of hatred.”
He concluded with a prayer:
“At the beginning of this year, may the Mother of God, the Queen of Peace, obtain harmony in our hearts and in the entire world.”
