Dear Brothers and
Sisters,
Almost three months ago, I had the joy to go on pilgrimage to
Lourdes, on the occasion of the 150 years of the historic
apparition of the Virgin Mary to St. Bernadette. The celebration
of this singular anniversary concludes precisely today,
solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, because the "beautiful
lady" -- as Bernadette called her, when appearing to her for the
last time in the grotto of Massabielle, revealed her name,
saying: "I am the Immaculate Conception." She said it in the
local language, and the little seer referred that expression,
which to her was unknown and incomprehensible, to her parish
priest.
"Immaculate Conception": Today we also repeat with emotion that
mysterious name. We repeat it here, at the foot of this monument
in the heart of Rome; and innumerable brothers and sisters of
ours do the same in other places of the world, in shrines and
chapels, as well as in the homes of Christian families. Wherever
there is a Catholic community, the Virgin is venerated with this
wonderful and marvelous name: Immaculate Conception. Of course,
the conviction of Mary's immaculate conception already existed
many centuries before the apparitions of Lourdes, but the latter
came as a heavenly seal after my venerated predecessor, Blessed
Pius IX, defined the dogma on Dec. 8, 1854. In today's feast, so
loved by the Christian people, this expression arises from the
heart and flowers on the lips as the name of our heavenly
Mother. As a child raises its eyes to his mother's face and,
seeing him smiling, forgets all fear and pain, so we, turning
our gaze to Mary, recognize in her "God's smile," immaculate
reflection of divine light, we find in her our hope, also in the
midst of the problems and tragedies of the world.
It is a tradition for the Pope to join the city's
acknowledgement by bringing a basket of flowers to Mary. These
flowers indicate our love and devotion: the love and devotion of
the Pope, of the Church of Rome and of the inhabitants of this
City, who feel themselves spiritually children of the Virgin
Mary. Symbolically, the roses can express all the beautiful and
good we have carried out during the year, because in this now
traditional meeting we would like to offer it to our Mother,
convinced that we could have done nothing without her protection
and without the grace that she obtains continually from God.
However -- as is usually said --there are no roses without
thorns, and also on the stems of these wonderful white roses
there is no lack of thorns, which represent for us the
difficulties, sufferings, and evils that mark the lives of
persons and of our communities. We present our joys to our
Mother, but also entrust to her our preoccupations, confident of
finding in her the comfort not to be discouraged, and the
support to go forward.
O Immaculate Virgin, in this moment I would like to entrust to
you especially the "little ones" of this, our city: the children
above all, especially those who are seriously ill, children who
are deprived and those who suffer the consequences of harsh
family situations. Watch over them and make them feel, in the
affection and help of those around them, the warmth of the love
of God. I entrust to you, O Mary, the lonely elderly, the sick,
immigrants who find difficulty in integrating, family nucleuses
that struggle to cover their bills and persons who do not find
work or who have lost an indispensable job to get ahead. Teach
us, Mary, to be sympathetic with those who are going through
difficulties, to level the ever larger social differences; help
us to cultivate a lively sense of the common good, of respect
for what is public, encourage us to regard -- more than ever
this, our city of Rome -- as patrimony of all, and may each one
of us do, with awareness and determination, our part in
constructing a more just and sympathetic society.
O Immaculate Mary, who are for all a sign of sure hope and
consolation, let us be attracted by your immaculate candor. Your
beauty -- "Tota Pulchra," we sing today -- assures us that the
victory of love is possible; what is more, that it is certain.
It assures us that grace is stronger than sin and, therefore,
that rescue from any slavery is possible. Yes, O Mary, you help
us to believe with greater confidence in the good and to put our
faith in gratitude, service, nonviolence, the force of truth.
You encourage us to stay awake, not to yield to the temptation
of easy evasions, to confront reality and its problems with
courage and responsibility. So you did, young woman, called to
risk all for the Word of the Lord. Be a loving mother for our
young people, so that they will have the courage to be "morning
watchmen," and give this virtue to all Christians so that they
will be the soul of the world in this not easy period of our
history. Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and our Mother, "Salus
Populi Romani," pray for us!
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Look at the One they
Pierced!
