Pope's missionary prayer intention for March is for women

The missionary prayer intention of Pope Francis for the month of March is for women, that their unique contribution women ‎to the life of the  Church may be recognized always.  In his 20013 Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (the Latin for “The Joy of the Gospel”), Pope Francis wrote: “The Church acknowledges the indispensable contribution which ‎women make to society through  the sensitivity, intuition, and other  distinctive skill sets which ‎they, ‎more  than men, tend to possess.”  In this regard, he thought, for  example, of “the special concern which  women show ‎to ‎others, which finds  a particular, even if not exclusive,  expression in motherhood.”  This echoes the thoughts of St. ‎John ‎Paul II who wrote:  “Perhaps more than men, women  acknowledge the person, because they  ‎see ‎persons with their hearts.” Women,  more than men, are nurturers.  And in a  world burdened by ‎a ‎culture of death,  we need the unique gifts of women more  than ever, said the Polish Pope who spoke about the ‘feminine genius’ in his Apostolic Letter on women entitled, “Mulirem Dignitatis.’ In a homily at a Mass in January, Pope Francis underscored the primary and indispensable role of women in transmitting the faith to new generations.  Faith, he said, is a gift that passes from generation to generation, through the “beautiful work of mothers and grandmothers, the fine work of the women who play those roles,” in a family, “whether they be maids or aunts.”  This primary role of women is simply because the one who brought us Jesus is a woman, the Pope explained.  It is the path chosen by Jesus.  He wanted to have a mother: the gift of faith comes to us through women, as Jesus came to us through Mary.  Let’s then join the Holy Father this month, in praying that the unique contribution of ‎women ‎to the life of the  Church may be recognized always. ‎