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Pope Benedict XVI- Homily |
Papal
Homily - Solemnity Mary, Mother of God
and 40th World Day Of Peace
H.H. Benedict XVI
January 1, 2007
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and
Sisters,
As in a mosaic,
today's liturgy contemplates different events and messianic
situations, but attention is especially focused on Mary, Mother
of God. Eight days after Jesus' birth, we commemorate the
Mother, the Theotokos, the one who gave birth to the Child
who is King of Heaven and earth for ever (cf. Entrance Antiphon;
Sedulius).
The liturgy
today meditates on the Word made man and repeats that he is born of
the Virgin. It reflects on the circumcision of Jesus as a rite of
admission to the community and contemplates God who, by means of
Mary, gave his Only-Begotten Son to lead the "new people". It
recalls the name given to the Messiah and listens to it spoken with
tender sweetness by his Mother. It invokes peace for the world,
Christ's peace, and does so through Mary, Mediatrix and Cooperator
of Christ (cf.
Lumen Gentium,
nn. 60-61).
We are beginning a
new solar year which is a further period of time offered to us
by divine Providence in the context of the salvation inaugurated by
Christ. But did not the eternal Word enter time precisely through
Mary? In the Second Reading we have just listened to, the Apostle
Paul recalls this by saying that Jesus was born "of woman" (Gal 4:
4).
In today's liturgy
the figure of Mary, true Mother of Jesus, God-man, stands out.
Thus, today's Solemnity is not celebrating an abstract idea but a
mystery and an historic event: Jesus Christ, a divine Person, is
born of the Virgin Mary who is his Mother in the truest sense.
Today too, Mary's
virginity is highlighted, in addition to her motherhood. These
are two prerogatives that are always proclaimed together,
inseparably, because they complement and qualify each other. Mary is
Mother, but a Virgin Mother; Mary is a virgin, but a Mother Virgin.
If either of these aspects is ignored, the mystery of Mary as the
Gospels present her to us, cannot be properly understood.
As Mother of Christ,
Mary is also Mother of the Church, which my venerable
Predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI chose to proclaim on 21
November 1964 at the Second Vatican Council. Lastly, Mary is the
Spiritual Mother of all humanity, because Jesus on the Cross
shed his blood for all of us and from the Cross he entrusted us all
to her maternal care.
Let us begin this new
year, therefore, by looking at Mary whom we received from God's
hands as a precious "talent" to be made fruitful, a providential
opportunity to contribute to bringing about the Kingdom of God.
In this atmosphere of
prayer and gratitude to the Lord for the gift of a new year, I am
pleased to address my respectful thoughts to the distinguished
Ambassadors of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See who
have desired to take part in today's solemn Celebration.
I cordially greet
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, my Secretary of State. I greet Cardinal
Renato Raffaele Martino and the members of the Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace and express to them my deep gratitude for the
commitment with which they daily promote these values, so
fundamental to social life.
For this World
Day of Peace, I addressed the customary
Message to the Governors and Leaders of
Nations, as well as to all men and women of good will. Its theme
this year is: The human person, the heart of peace.
I am deeply
convinced that "respect for the person promotes peace and that, in
building peace, the foundations are laid for an authentic integral
humanism" (Message
for World Peace Day, 1 January 2007,
n. 1).
This commitment
is especially incumbent on every Christian who is called "to be
committed to tireless peace-making and strenuous defence of the
dignity of the human person and his inalienable rights" (Message,
n. 16). Precisely because he is
created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gn 1: 27), every human
individual without distinction of race, culture or religion, as a
person is clothed in God's same dignity. For this reason he
should be respected, nor can any reason ever justify an arbitrary
use of him, as if he were an object.
In the face of
the threats to peace that are unfortunately ever present, the
situations of injustice and violence that persist in various areas
of the earth and the continuing armed conflicts often overlooked by
the majority of public opinion, as well as the danger of terrorism
that clouds the serenity of peoples, it is becoming more necessary
than ever to work for peace together. This, as I recalled in
my
Message,
is "both gift and task" (n. 3): a gift to implore with prayer and a
task to be carried out with courage, never tiring.
The Gospel narrative
we have heard portrays the scene of the shepherds of Bethlehem, who
after hearing the Angel's announcement go to the grotto to worship
the Child (cf. Lk 2: 16). Should we not look again at the dramatic
situation marking the very Land in which Jesus was born? How can we
not entreat God with insistent prayers for the day of peace to
arrive as soon as possible in that region too, the day on which the
current conflict that has lasted far too long will be resolved?
If a peace
agreement is to endure, it must be based on respect for the dignity
and rights of every person. I express to the representatives of the
nations present here my hope that the International Community will
muster its forces so that a world may be built in God's Name in
which the essential human rights are respected by all. For this to
happen, people must recognize that these rights are not only based
on human agreements but "on man's very nature and his inalienable
dignity as a person created by God" (Message,
n. 13).
Indeed, were the
constitutive elements of human dignity entrusted to changeable human
opinions, even solemnly proclaimed human rights would end by being
weakened and variously interpreted. "Consequently, it is important
for international agencies not to lose sight of the natural
foundation of human rights. This would enable them to avoid the
risk, unfortunately ever-present, of sliding towards a merely
positivistic interpretation of those rights" (ibid.).
"The Lord bless
you and keep you... lift up his countenance upon you, and give you
peace" (Nm 6: 24, 26). This is the formula of the Blessing we
heard in the First Reading, taken from the Book of Numbers. The
Lord's Name is repeated in it three times. This gives one an idea of
the intensity and power of the Blessing, whose last word is "peace".
The biblical term
shalom, which we translate as "peace", implies that accumulation
of good things in which consists the "salvation" brought by Christ,
the Messiah announced by the Prophets. We Christians therefore
recognize him as the Prince of Peace. He became a man and was born
in a grotto in Bethlehem to bring peace to people of good will, to
all who welcome him with faith and love.
Thus, peace is truly
the gift and commitment of Christmas: the gift that must be
accepted with humble docility and constantly invoked with prayerful
trust, the task that makes every person of good will a
"channel of peace".
Let us ask Mary,
Mother of God, to help us to welcome her Son and, in him, true
peace. Let us ask her to sharpen our perception so that we may
recognize in the face of every human person, the Face of Christ, the
heart of peace!
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Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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