CAN'T DO IT ALONE

... One does not become Christian by oneself, that is, through one's own effort, autonomously; neither are Christians made in a laboratory, but they are created and they grow in the faith within that great body which is the Church.

"BEAUTIFUL TO SAY"

In this sense the Church is truly mother, our Mother Church it is beautiful to say it this way: our Mother Church a mother who gives us life in Christ and who lets us live with all the other brothers and sisters in the communion of the Holy Spirit

MARY IS THE MODEL

In her motherhood, the Church has the Virgin Mary as a model, the most beautiful and lofty model that there could be.

DEEP RELATIONSHIP

We understand ... how the relationship which unites Mary and the Church is so deep: by looking at Mary, we discover the most beautiful and the most tender face of the Church; and by looking at the Church, we recognize the sublime features of Mary.

"WE ARE NOT ORPHANS!"

We Christians are not orphans, we have a mama, we have a mother, and this is great! We are not orphans! The Church is mother, Mary is mother.

"BIRTH IN BAPTISM"

The Church is our mother because she has given birth to us in Baptism. .. From that day, like an attentive mama, she helps us grow in faith and she shows us with the strength of the Word of God, the path of salvation, defending us from harm.

"PRECIOUS TREASURE"

The Church has received from Jesus the precious treasure of the Gospel, not to retain it for herself, but to give it generously to others, as a mama would do... We are all called to receive with an open mind and heart the Word of God which the Church imparts every day, because this Word has the capacity to change us from within.

SHOWING THE PATH

... The Church strives to show the believers the path to follow in order to live a fruitful life of joy and peace. Illuminated by the light of the Gospel and supported by the grace of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, we can guide our decisions toward the good and withstand with hope and courage, the times of darkness and the most tortuous paths.

ENTRUST YOURSELF TO MARY

Let us ... entrust ourselves to Mary, that she as mother of our firstborn brother, Jesus, may teach us to have the same maternal spirit toward our brothers and sisters, with the sincere capacity to welcome, to forgive, to give strength and to instill trust and hope. This is what a mother does.

(Source: General Audience, 9/3/14)