CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The Virgin Mary is the «perfect example» of how God honors the humble, and humbles the proud.
The Pope said this today before praying the midday Angelus with the faithful gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
«The simple little girl of Nazareth has become the Queen of the world,» the Holy Father stated. «This is one of the marvels that reveal the heart of God.»
«Naturally,» he explained, «Mary’s royalty is completely dependent on Christ’s: He is the Lord, who, after the humiliation of death on the cross, the Father exalted above every creature in heaven, on earth and under the earth.
«Through a design of grace, the Immaculate Mother was completely bound to the mystery of the Son: to his Incarnation; to his earthly life, at first hidden in Nazareth and then manifested in the messianic mystery; to his passion and death; and finally to the resurrection and ascension in heaven.»
«The Mother shared with the Son not only the human aspects of this mystery but also the profound intention, the divine will, in such a way that her entire existence, poor and humble, was elevated, transformed, glorified, passing through the ‘narrow gate’ that is Jesus himself,» Benedict XVI continued. «Yes, Mary was the first to walk along the narrow ‘way,’ opened up by Christ, to enter into the Kingdom of God, a way that is accessible to the humble, to those who entrust themselves to the Word of God and who endeavor to put it into practice.»
The Pope urged those present to «renew, as sons of the Church, our devotion to her whom Jesus left to us as Mother and Queen.»
«Let us entrust the daily prayer for peace to her intercession,» he continued, «especially in those places where the absurd logic of violence rages most, so that all men are persuaded that in this world we must help each other as brothers to build the civilization of love.»
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-30119?l=english
