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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
H.H. Benedict XVI
August 15, 2006
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers
and Sisters,
The Christian
tradition has placed, as we know, in the heart of summer a most
ancient and suggestive Marian feast, the Solemnity of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Like Jesus, risen from the dead and
ascended to the right hand of the Father, so Mary, having finished
the course of her earthly existence, was assumed into Heaven.
Today, the
liturgy reminds us of this consoling truth of faith, while it sings
the praises of she who has been crowned with incomparable glory. We
read today in the verse from Apocalypse proposed by the Church for
our meditation: "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman
clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head
a crown of twelve stars" (12: 1).
In this woman,
resplendent with light, the Fathers of the Church have recognized
Mary. In her triumph the Christian people, pilgrims in history,
catch a glimpse of the fulfilment of its longing and a certain
sign of its hope.
Mary is an
example and support for all believers: she encourages us not to lose
confidence before the difficulties and inevitable problems of every
day. She assures us of her help and reminds us that it is essential
to seek and think of "the things above, not those of the earth"
(cf. Col 3: 2).
Caught up in
daily activities we risk, in fact, to think that here, in this world
in which we are only passing through, is the ultimate goal of human
existence. Instead, Paradise is the true goal of our earthly
pilgrimage.
How different
our days would be if they were animated by this perspective! It was
this way for the saints. Their lives witnessed to what they lived,
with their hearts continually directed to God. Earthly realities are
lived properly because the eternal truth of divine love illuminates
them.
To the Queen of
Peace, whom we contemplate today in heavenly glory, I want to
entrust once again the anxieties of humanity in every violence-torn
part of the world. We unite with our brothers and sisters who in
this very hour are gathered in the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon at
Harissa for a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Cardinal
Roger Etchegaray. He has gone to Lebanon as my Special Envoy to
bring comfort and concrete solidarity to all the victims of the
conflict and to pray for the great intention of peace.
We are also in
communion with the Pastors and faithful of the Church in the Holy
Land who are gathered in the Basilica of the Annunciation at
Nazareth with the Pontifical Representative to Israel and Palestine,
Archbishop Antonio Franco, in order to pray for the same intention.
My thoughts go
also to the dear Nation of Sri Lanka, threatened by the
deterioration of the ethnic conflict; to Iraq, where the terrible
daily bloodshed delays the dawn of reconciliation and rebuilding.
May Mary obtain
for all sentiments of comprehension, the will to understand and the
desire for harmony!
After the
Angelus:
I am happy to
greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present for
this Angelus. Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of
the Virgin Mary into Heaven. May the example of her life of
obedience to the will of God, recognized by her exaltation into
glory, be for all Christians a source of hope and inspiration!
I wish you a
blessed feast day, and a pleasant time in Castel Gandolfo and Rome!
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