GENERAL AUDIENCE: MARY IN THE HIDDEN LIFE OF JESUS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 29, 1997 (VIS) - At this Wednesday's general audience in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope spoke on the Blessed Virgin in the hidden life of Jesus, and said that "in the dignified and industrious atmosphere of Nazareth, Mary made an effort to understand the providential plan of her Son's mission."

Although "the Gospels offer little news on the years that the Holy Family spent in Nazareth, ... one can conclude that the climate of serenity and peace present in the house of Nazareth, and the constant orientation toward the fulfillment of the divine plan, conferred on the union between mother and son an extraordinary and unrepeatable depth."

"The simple and humble work of daily life took on, in her eyes, a singular value, since she lived them as a service to the mission of Christ. Mary's example illumines and encourages the experience of so many women who carry out their daily work exclusively inside the home. It is a humble, hidden, repetitive, and often little-appreciated commitment."

John Paul II added that the Blessed Virgin, in her domestic work, "lives hope in a sublime way; she knows she will not be disappointed, even if she does not know the times and ways in which God will fulfill his promise. In the darkness of faith and without extraordinary signs to announce the beginning of the Messianic work of the Son, she hopes beyond all evidence, waiting for God's fulfillment of his promise."

The Holy Father concluded by saying that the house of Nazareth "becomes a place of great witnessing of charity. The love that Christ wanted to spread throughout the world is lighted and burns first of all in his Mother's heart."
AG/MARY/... VIS 970129 (290)

SUMMARY