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Pope
Benedict XVI - Addresses |
Papal
Address Upon Visiting Marian Statue in
Piazza di Spagna
"Her 'Message' is None Other than
Jesus, Who is Her Whole Life"
December 8, 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Also this year we have made an appointment
here, in Piazza di Spagna, to render homage
to the Immaculate Virgin, on the occasion of
her solemn feast. To all of you, who have
come in great numbers, as well as all those
taking part through radio and television, I
address my cordial greeting. We are gathered
around this historic monument, which today
is all surrounded by flowers, sign of the
love and devotion of the Roman people for
the Mother of Jesus. And the most beautiful
gift, and most pleasing to her, that we
offer is our prayer, the one we bear in our
hearts and which we entrust to her
intercession. They are invocations of
gratitude and supplication: of gratitude for
the gift of faith and for all the good that
we receive daily from God; and supplication
for our different needs, for the family,
health, work, for every difficulty that life
has us encounter.
But when we come here, especially on this
feast of Dec. 8, much more important is what
we receive from Mary, in comparison to what
we offer her. In fact, she gives a message
destined to each one of us, to the city of
Rome and to the entire world. Also I, who am
bishop of this city, come to listen, not
only for myself but for all. And what does
Mary say to us? She speaks to us with the
Word of God, which became flesh in her womb.
Her "message" is none other than Jesus, who
is her whole life. It is thanks to Him and
because of Him that she is Immaculate. And
as the Son of God became man for us, so she
too, the Mother, was preserved from sin for
us, for all, in anticipation of God's
salvation for every man. Thus Mary says to
us that we are all called to open ourselves
to the action of the Holy Spirit to be able
to reach, our final destination, to be
immaculate, fully and definitively free of
evil. She says so with her sanctity itself,
with a look full of hope and compassion,
which evokes words such as these: "Fear not,
son, God loves you! He loves you personally;
he thought of you before you came into the
world and called you into existence to fill
you with love and life; and because of this,
he has come to meet you, he made himself
like you, he became Jesus, God-Man, in
everything similar to you, but without sin;
he gave himself for you, to the point of
dying on the cross, and thus has given you a
new life, free, holy and immaculate" (cf.
Ephesians 1:3-5).
Mary gives us this message and when I come
here, on this feast, it strikes me, because
I feel it is addressed to the whole city, to
all men and women who live in Rome: also
those who are not thinking, who today do not
even remember that it is the feast of the
Immaculate, and who feel alone and
abandoned. Mary's look is God's look on each
one of us. She looks at us with the very
love of the Father and blesses us. She
behaves as our "advocate" -- and we invoke
her thus in the Salve, Regina: "our
advocate." Even if everyone spoke evil of
us, she, the Mother, would say the good,
because her immaculate heart is attuned to
God's mercy. Thus she sees the city: not as
an anonymous agglomeration, but as a
constellation where God knows everyone
personally by name, one by one, and calls us
to shine with his light. And those that in
the eyes of the world are the first, for God
they are the last; those who are little, are
great for God. He recognizes in each one the
likeness with his Son Jesus, even if we are
so different! But who more than she knows
the power of Divine Grace? Who better than
she knows that nothing is impossible for
God, capable in fact of drawing good from
evil?
Dear brothers and sisters, the message we
receive here, at the feet of Mary
Immaculate, is a message of trust for every
person of this city and of the whole world.
A message of hope not made of words, but of
her own history: she is one of us, who gave
birth to the Son of God and has shared all
her own existence with him! And today she
says to us: this is also your destiny,
yours, the destiny of all: to be saints as
our Father, to be immaculate as our Brother
Jesus Christ, to be loved children, all
adopted to form a great family, without
limits of nationality, color, language,
because God is one, Father of every man.
Thank you, O Mary Immaculate, for always
being with us! Always watch over our city:
comfort the sick, encourage young people,
sustain families. Infuse the strength to
reject evil, in every form, and to choose
the good, even when it costs and entails
going against the current. Give us the joy
of feeling loved by God, blessed by Him,
predestined to be his children.
Immaculate Virgin, our sweetest Mother, pray
for us!
[Translation by ZENIT]
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