ROME, DEC. 20, 2010 -- As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, the message the Virgin Mother of God wants to give us today is that we be not afraid, because “Jesus has conquered evil, he has conquered it at the roots, liberating us from its dominion,” said the prelate of the Italian armed forces, Archbishop Vincenzo Pelvi.
“How much in need we are of this beautiful news,” he said. “Evil is recounted, repeated and amplified in the media every day, accustoming us to the most horrible things, making us become insensitive and, in some way, intoxicating us, because the negative is not fully disposed of and it accumulates day after day.”
In a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast of the Virgin of Loreto, the archbishop said Mary “speaks to us of God and induces us to wait even in more difficult human situations, reawakening in us the desire to be accepted as persons, because every human story is a sacred story, and requires the greatest respect.
“She reminds us that before God we do not have to be the best, the splendid, the first in the class; that at least before him credit cards do not count, or academic titles or influential friends,” he said. “Before God what counts is love, humility, and the willingness to allow oneself to be molded and remolded by his hand.”
The prelate said that as we prepare for Christmas and the coming of the Infant Jesus, the Mother of God is a precious guide of our waiting.
“In a few days it will be Christmas and our thoughts go to the Holy House of Loreto, where the birth of Christ, his earthly life, humble and hidden, is meditated and rediscovered, in a certain sense in a palpable personal experience, which moves and transforms,” said the 62-year-old.
“Christmas is approaching and we feel unprepared. But the liturgy gives us the Virgin Mary as guide of our waiting. “Only women, only mothers know about waiting: It is physically inscribed in their bodies. And they teach that one waits not because of an absence to fill, but because of a superabundance of life, which now urges within. One waits to generate.”
Choice of love
Archbishop Pelvi said God’s choice of Mary to be the Mother of His only Son is pure grace and gratuitousness. “God chose insignificant Nazareth, and not a great and rich capital. He chose little Mary and not the daughter of a great commander. He chose Joseph the carpenter, and not an important man of affairs. It is the logic that runs through Scripture, from the beginning to the end.”
Pronouncing her “yes”, Mary denied herself, and decided to let God alone act.
“With her,” he said, “there appeared in the world a creature who was only goodness, a hand incapable of striking, a word incapable of wounding, a threatened yet victorious innocence, a gesture that does not enclose an ambiguity, a look that never loses the innocence of its brilliance; a heart without divisions, a virginity without regret; a maternity that is not possessive; a spouse who loves in total dedication and tenderness.”
Added the archbishop: “The Virgin of Loreto is a gentle and reassuring presence. She watches constantly and repeats to each one: You are loved, God chose you before the creation of the world ... And now ? He is with you, He fills your life; you will be loved forever.”
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
MARY’S MESSAGE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT'S ACTION
VATICAN CITY, 8 DEC 2010 -- At midday today, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with thousands of pilgrims gathered below in St. Peter’s Square.
The Holy Father explained how the mystery of the Immaculate Conception “is a source of inner light, of hope and comfort. In the midst of the trials of life, and especially the contradictions man experiences within and around himself, Mary the Mother of Christ tells us that Grace is greater than sin, that God’s mercy is more powerful than evil and can transform evil into good. Unfortunately we experience evil every day, manifesting itself in many ways in the relationships and events of our lives, but its roots lie in the heart of man, a wounded and sick heart incapable of healing itself.
“Holy Scripture”, the Pope added, “shows us that the origin of all evil lies in disobedience to God’s will, and that death holds sway because human freedom has succumbed to the temptation of the Evil One. But God does not renounce His plan of love and life. By a long and patient journey of reconciliation He has prepared the new and eternal alliance, sealed with the blood of His Son Who, to offer Himself in atonement, was ‘born of a woman’. This woman, the Virgin Mary, benefited in advance from the redemptive death of her Son and, from conception, was preserved from the contagion of sin. Thus ... she says: entrust yourselves to Jesus. He will save you”.
The Pope concluded his brief remarks by entrusting “the most pressing needs of the Church and the world”, to the Virgin Mary. “May she help us, above all, to have faith in God, to believe in His Word and always to refuse evil and choose good”. Vatican Information Service
The Holy Father explained how the mystery of the Immaculate Conception “is a source of inner light, of hope and comfort. In the midst of the trials of life, and especially the contradictions man experiences within and around himself, Mary the Mother of Christ tells us that Grace is greater than sin, that God’s mercy is more powerful than evil and can transform evil into good. Unfortunately we experience evil every day, manifesting itself in many ways in the relationships and events of our lives, but its roots lie in the heart of man, a wounded and sick heart incapable of healing itself.
“Holy Scripture”, the Pope added, “shows us that the origin of all evil lies in disobedience to God’s will, and that death holds sway because human freedom has succumbed to the temptation of the Evil One. But God does not renounce His plan of love and life. By a long and patient journey of reconciliation He has prepared the new and eternal alliance, sealed with the blood of His Son Who, to offer Himself in atonement, was ‘born of a woman’. This woman, the Virgin Mary, benefited in advance from the redemptive death of her Son and, from conception, was preserved from the contagion of sin. Thus ... she says: entrust yourselves to Jesus. He will save you”.
The Pope concluded his brief remarks by entrusting “the most pressing needs of the Church and the world”, to the Virgin Mary. “May she help us, above all, to have faith in God, to believe in His Word and always to refuse evil and choose good”. Vatican Information Service
Thursday, December 9, 2010
GIVE MARY THE GIFT OF PRAYER: POPE
Holy Father underlines importance of listening to Our Lady’s “Message”
ROME, DEC. 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).-- Benedict XVI blessed a basket of roses today that was later placed at the feet of the Column of the Immaculate, but reminded those present that the most precious gift one can give to Mary is prayer.
The Pope said this today, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, during his annual visit to the image of the Immaculate Conception in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna. The column of the Immaculate was erected in 1857, shortly after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
“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,” the Pontiff said. “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.”
The Holy Father then reflected that even more important than gifts or offerings is the act of listening to what Mary has to say.
“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,” the Holy Father stated.
“With a look full of hope and compassion,” the Pontiff affirmed, Mary tells each and every person: “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.”
LOOK OF LOVE
“Mary’s look is God’s look on each one of us,” he continued. “She looks at us with the very love of the Father and blesses us.”
“Even if everyone spoke evil of us, she, the Mother, would say the good, because her immaculate heart is attuned to God’s mercy,” Benedict XVI said. “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?”
The Pope reminded those present the message of Mary “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.”
“Thank you, O Mary Immaculate, for always being with us,” the Holy Father said in a prayerful appeal to Our Lady. “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.”
ROME, DEC. 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).-- Benedict XVI blessed a basket of roses today that was later placed at the feet of the Column of the Immaculate, but reminded those present that the most precious gift one can give to Mary is prayer.
The Pope said this today, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, during his annual visit to the image of the Immaculate Conception in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna. The column of the Immaculate was erected in 1857, shortly after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
“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,” the Pontiff said. “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.”
The Holy Father then reflected that even more important than gifts or offerings is the act of listening to what Mary has to say.
“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,” the Holy Father stated.
“With a look full of hope and compassion,” the Pontiff affirmed, Mary tells each and every person: “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.”
LOOK OF LOVE
“Mary’s look is God’s look on each one of us,” he continued. “She looks at us with the very love of the Father and blesses us.”
“Even if everyone spoke evil of us, she, the Mother, would say the good, because her immaculate heart is attuned to God’s mercy,” Benedict XVI said. “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?”
The Pope reminded those present the message of Mary “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.”
“Thank you, O Mary Immaculate, for always being with us,” the Holy Father said in a prayerful appeal to Our Lady. “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.”
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