Pope Francis on women's tears
«How many mothers shed tears today, like Saint Monica, for their children to return to Christ! Don't lose hope in God's grace! These words were launched by Pope Francis, on Twitter in nine languages. It is a type of love, that of a mother for her child, that of the gift and solidarity that is very dear to him. A visceral love recalled by the Pope on the day in which the Church remembers Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine.
The tears she shed for her son are recounted by Augustine himself in the Confessions. She, born in 331 AD and coming from a Christian family, suffered greatly from the dissolute conduct of her son who, educated in the faith, abandoned her for Manichaeism. However, Augustine had not received baptism as a child because that was the practice of the time. When he decided to move to Rome, his mother wanted to follow him but with a ruse he set sail alone from Carthage. Monica spent the night in tears at the tomb of Saint Cyprian. She then she, however, she embarked and managed to join him in Milan. «You – writes Saint Augustine in the Confessions – in the depth of your plans fulfilled the vital point of his desire», that is, the conversion of his son who was baptized in 387 AD
A theme was underlined by Pope Francis, on the occasion of the feast of Saint Augustine, reflecting on the pain and tears of love of mothers for the life of their children, physical and spiritual. The fertile tears of mothers was linked to the evangelical episode of the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus to heal her daughter and he is struck by this woman's faith. Maternal love and trust in Jesus are the sources of this inner strength, the Pope noted: «And this makes me think of the strength of women. With their fortitude they are capable of achieving great things. We have met many! We can say that it is love that moves faith and faith, on his part, becomes the reward of love."
To make us understand God's love for us, Pope Francis referenced that of mothers who go to prison to visit their children, suffering many humiliations in searches before entering. «Only this love of a mother and a father – said the Pope – makes us understand what the love of God is like. A mother does not ask for the cancellation of human justice, because every mistake requires redemption, but a mother never stops suffer for your child. She loves him even when she is a sinner. God does the same thing with us: we are his beloved children." (General Audience 14 June 2017).
Pope Francis also recalled the tears of mothers who mourn the death of their children, comparing their tears to that of Rachel, who shed tears for her children, he said that «Mary's tears also generated hope and new life".
And to make people understand the immensity of God's love for men, there were many occasions on which the Pope referred to the tears of mothers and their ability to sacrifice themselves for their children with immense love. It is no coincidence that in the Bible the word rahamim is also used to speak of God's merciful love, which has its root in the word rehem, uterus, thus referring to the maternal bowels. A love, therefore, that is spent to the point of yearning to give life.