|
Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On Padre Pio's Devotion to Mary
"With a Mother's Hand She Will Guide You to the Heavenly Homeland"
H.H. Benedict XVI
June 21, 2009
www.zenit.org
Dear brothers and sisters,
At the end of this solemn celebration, I invite you to pray with me
-- like every Sunday -- the Marian prayer of the Angelus. But here
in the sanctuary of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, we seem to hear his own
voice, which urges us to address ourselves with childlike hearts to
the Blessed Virgin: "Love the Blessed Virgin and help others love
her." So he kept saying to everyone, and more than his words was the
testimony of his deep devotion to the Heavenly Mother. Baptized in
the church of St. Mary of the Angels of Pietrelcina with the name of
Francis, like the Poverello of Assisi, he always cultivated a most
tender love for the Blessed Virgin. Providence later led him here,
to San Giovanni Rotondo, near Our Lady of Grace Sanctuary, where he
remained until his death and where his mortal remains rest. All his
life and his apostolate took place, therefore, under the maternal
gaze of the Madonna and the power of her intercession. He even
considered the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza the work of Mary,
"Health of the Sick." Therefore, dear friends, in the example of
Padre Pio, today I also want to entrust you all to the maternal
protection of the Mother of God. In a special way I invoke her for
the community of the Capuchin Friars, for the sick of the hospital,
and for those who with love care for them, as well as for the prayer
groups that carry out the continuing spiritual work of your holy
founder in Italy and worldwide.
To the intercession of Our Lady and of St. Pio of Pietrelcina I
would like to entrust especially this Priestly Year, which I
inaugurated last Friday, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
May it be a privileged opportunity to highlight the value of the
mission and of the holiness of priests at the service of the Church
and of all humanity of the third millennium!
We pray today for the difficult and sometimes dramatic situation of
refugees. It was just yesterday that we celebrated World Refugee
Day, sponsored by the United Nations. There are many people who seek
refuge in other countries fleeing from situations of war,
persecution and disasters, and their acceptance poses many
difficulties, but it is nevertheless a duty. God grant that, with
the commitment of all, we will do as much as possible to remove the
causes of so sad a phenomenon.
With great affection I greet all the pilgrims present here. I
express my gratitude to the civil authorities and to all those who
collaborated in the preparation of my visit. Thank you very much! To
all I repeat: walk on the path that Padre Pio has laid out for you,
the path of holiness according to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. On this path Virgin Mary will always precede you, and with a
mother's hand she will guide you to the heavenly homeland.
[Translation by ZENIT]
© Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Look
at the One they Pierced!
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
