Francis – Amoris Laetitia and Gaudete et Exsultate: Mary in the family and in daily holiness

## Two Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortations of Pope Francis

Two major post-synodal apostolic exhortations of Pope Francis, *Amoris Laetitia* (March 19, 2016) on the family and *Gaudete et Exsultate* (March 19, 2018) on the universal call to holiness, conclude with Marian sections that revisit and renew Marian teachings on the family (John Paul II) and on holiness.

### *Amoris Laetitia*, Final Marian Prayer

The conclusion of the Exhortation *Amoris Laetitia* on the family includes a Marian prayer and a reference to the Family of Nazareth as a type for all Christian families:

> **”Holy Family of Nazareth, under Mary’s tender care and Joseph’s paternal authority, Jesus grew up, as Luke testifies. Today we take them as models for our own family, in their quietude, in their suffering, in their common joy. Mother Mary, we pray that the Christian family throughout the world may become a true ‘domestic sanctuary’ of the Gospel.”**

This final prayer to the Holy Family of Nazareth has become one of the most widely used prayers in contemporary family pastoral care.

### *Gaudete et Exsultate* No. 176, Mary as Model of Daily Holiness

The Exhortation *Gaudete et Exsultate* on the universal call to holiness concludes with a Marian section that revisits and popularizes the doctrine of “holiness in everyday life”:

> **”In the path of daily holiness, our Mother Mary is. She herself did not have a ‘prominent’ public role or great historical personal events. But in simple Nazareth life she reached the peak of sanctity. Mary teaches us about holiness that is found in faithfully seeking and building up the Gospel in everyday simple life, whether it be to work gently within the family or to listen to the voices of the poor near our homes.”**

This passage highlights Mary as the “middle-class saint,” emphasizing her accessibility and relevance for all Christians striving for holiness.

# Francisco’s Innovative Concept of Mary

Francisco develops an innovative idea: Mary belongs to what he calls the **”middle class of holiness”**, those ordinary saints, without extraordinary deeds, but with profound daily faithfulness. This perspective is original and popular: Mary is not presented as a distant super-woman, but as a nearby woman, an accessible model for any Christian.

## Francisco’s Mariology: A Synthesis

The Marian teaching of Pope Francis has five distinct axes compared to his predecessors:

– **Mary as Nearby:** Mary as a neighbor, a mother in the neighborhood, a daily presence, not just a distant queen.
– **Mary, Unraveler of Knots:** Devotion from Germany (Maria Knotenlöserin), which Francisco popularized from Buenos Aires.
– **Mary, Mother of the People:** Mary as the mother of the poor masses, migrants, and the excluded.
– **Mary, Icon of Simple Faith:** Someone who believes without needing intellectual demonstrations.
– **Mary, Queen of All Creation** (see *Laudato Si*): Mary in integral ecology.

## Further Reading

– [Mariology](/mariologia/)
– [Evangelii Gaudium](/evangelii-gaudium/)
– [Lumen Fidei and Laudato Si](/francisco-lumen-fidei-laudato-si-maria-icone-fe-criação/)
– [Familiaris Consortio](/joão-paulo-ii-familiaris-consortio-christifideles-laici-maria/)