The mother of hope

In this Jubilee Year, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope In this Jubilee Year, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope, highlights the centrality of Christ, God with us and our hope. If Jesus is Emmanuel, present in our midst, His Mother also stands by our side as Mother and Teacher, guiding us along the path to Him. She, who believed unconditionally in the words spoken by the Lord, continues to present Christ to the world and lead it to salvation. From the hands of Mary, we receive the true Hope, Christ.Mary, mother of hope: teaching of John Paul II Saint John Paul II taught that “if Jesus is Life, Mary is the Mother of Life. If Jesus is Hope, Mary is the Mother of Hope. If Jesus is Peace, Mary is the Mother of Peace, Mother of the Prince of Peace” (Homily, January 1, 2002). Jesus Christ, though unique and irreplaceable in His divinity, virginal conception, and birth, is the Son of Mary. Therefore, inseparably united to the mystery of Jesus Christ—incarnate, dead, and risen for our salvation—is also the mystery of Mary, the woman from whom the Son of God assumed flesh, as well as the mystery of the Church, the mystical body of Christ. It is a single mystery of love and, therefore, of freedom (Benedict XVI, *Angelus*, August 15, 2025).Following Mary on the path of Christian hope The Virgin Mary has been, throughout generations, the great Teacher of the Christian life. By looking to Her, we understand the true value of earthly greatness and the full meaning of the Christian vocation. When we invoke her as Mother of Hope, we know that she guides us to love, adore, and serve Jesus, the blessed fruit of her womb.She helps to ignite, more and more, our belonging to the Church, encouraging us not to fear taking on the responsibilities of being credible witnesses of God’s love in our time and in our daily lives. The Mother of Hope is the Mother of the Church, which she is intimately connected to.At trusting and imitating the Mother of Hope, we learn to meet those who expect nothing and hope in no one. Mary is the one who transforms an animal stable into the house of Jesus with just some simple cloths and a mountain of tenderness (Francisco, *Evangelii Gaudium*, 286). Hope can be for many brothers “a small cloth” capable of warming life with lost tenderness.As pilgrims of hope, with all humility and confidence, we place in the arms of Mary all human longings, which She will lovingly entrust to Him who is Life, Hope, and Peace.P. João Paulo Quelhas DominguesThe theology of Mary as the Mother of Hope is explored in Pope Benedict XVI’s Encyclical *Spe Salvi*, where Mary is presented as a star of hope guiding pilgrims throughout history.

Deepen your studies:

– Explore Mariology, Marial Theology, Marian Apparitions, and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology. – Consult Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation *Marialis Cultus* to deepen your devotion to Mary, Mother of Hope.