So many poems are dedicated to them, but "mothers are not adequately appreciated in their central role in society." Today Pope Francis dedicated his Catechesis to the figure of the mother, as he continued talking about the family in view of next October's Synod. Often, said Francis, "the availability of mothers to sacrifice themselves for their children is used to 'save' on social spending," and it even happens that in the Christian community "mothers are not appreciated as they should be, and listened to too little." Yet, mothers "should find more listening: We should better understand their daily struggle to be efficient at work as well as attentive and loving in the family. We should better understand what they aspire to in order to express the best and truest results of their emancipation: a mother with children always has problems and work." "I remember—Francis added, continuing ad lib— at home, we were five. If one did one thing, another thought about doing something else. Our poor mother went from one to the other; yet she was happy. She gave us so much. Mothers—the Pope said—are the strongest antidote to the spread of selfish individualism: Individual means 'what cannot be divided'. Mothers do 'divide' themselves, from the moment they receive children to give them to the world and raise them."
In his catechesis the Pope quoted the Archbishop of San Salvador Oscar Arnulfo Romero, who said that mothers are living a "maternal martyrdom." Then, at the end of the audience, he encouraged "newlyweds" with these words: "I call them brave, because it takes courage to get married, they are really great!" A society without mothers—said the Pope—would be an inhumane society, since mothers always know how to show, even in the worst moments, tenderness, dedication, and moral strength" and "without mothers, not only would there be no new believers, but faith would lose much of its simple and profound warmth." The Pope concluded his Catechesis with a triple recognition: "We are not orphans; we have a mother! Our Lady, Mother Church and our mom."
