Here below are some reflections by Pope Francis:
“I had the great blessing of growing up in a family in which faith was lived in a simple, practical way. However, it was my paternal grandmother, in particular, who influenced my journey of faith. She was a woman who explained to us, who talked to us about Jesus, who taught us the Catechism. I always remember that on the evening of Good Friday, she would take us to the candlelight procession, and at the end of this procession, “the dead Christ” would arrive, and our grandmother would make us – the children- kneel down, and she would say to us, “Look, he is dead, but tomorrow he will rise.” This was how I received my first Christian proclamation, from this very woman, from my grandmother! This is really beautiful! The first proclamation at home, in the family!
And this makes me think of the love of so many mothers and grandmothers in the transmission of faith. They are the ones who pass on the faith. This used to happen in the early Church too, for St Paul said to Timothy, “I am reminded of the faith of your mother and of your grandmother” (cf 2 Timothy 1:5). All the mothers and all the grandmothers who are here should think about this: passing on the faith! Because God sets beside us people who help us on our journey of faith. We do not find our faith in the abstract, no! It is always a person preaching who tells us who Jesus is, who communicates faith to us and gives us the first proclamation. And this is how I received my first experience of faith.”
Mothers’ Day is Sunday May 10th . Why not send a card to your mother, thanking her for the gift of your faith?