In a talk the Holy Father gave earlier today at the Special Assembly for the Mideast Synod of Bishops in Rome, he reflected on the Marian title of Theotokos, Mary the Mother of God, and her role in the divine plan of redemption, especially God’s decision to enter into relationship with humanity by becoming man, and drawing all of us up into his divine life. This reflection led him to reflect upon the many false gods that afflict our contemporary world, including:
1. Anonymous economic forces that enslave men.
2. Terroristic ideologies that claim to destroy in the name of God.
3. Drug use.
4. Devaluation of marriage.
5. Misuse of sexuality and the decline of chastity.
Toward the end of his talk, he made a remarkable statement about the faith of the people in his interpretation of Chapter 12 of the book of Revelation in which we read of the woman giving birth and the dragon emitting a great river of water to carry her away, but she is saved when the earth absorbs the river. I include it here, my English translation from the Italian original:
“I think that the river can be easily interpreted: it is all these currents forces that may dominate all of us and want to make the faith of the Church disappear, a faith which doesn’t seem to have a place anymore, confronted by these forces that impose themselves as the reasonable and only way to live. The earth that absorbs these forces is the faith of the simple that does not allow the faith to be washed away by this river and saves the Mother and saves the Son. Therefore the psalm says – the first psalm of Midday prayer – the faith of the simple is the true wisdom. It is true wisdom of the simple, that will not allow itself to be devoured by these forces, is the force of the Church.” (Italics and bold print mine.)
The faith of the simple is the force of the Church. Thank you, Holy Father!
