(March 14, 2012) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called
the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance
of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages. The general audience of March
14th was held in the open in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. It began with the
reading of a passage from the Acts of the Apostles in several languages. An aide
greeted the Pope on behalf of the English speaking pilgrims introducing the various
groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered a discourse in English.
Listen: Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our continuing catechesis on Christian
prayer, we now begin a new chapter on prayer in the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters
of Saint Paul. Today I wish to speak of the figure of Mary, who with the Apostles
in the Upper Room prayerfully awaits the gift of the Holy Spirit. In all the events
of her life, from the Annunciation through the Cross to Pentecost, Mary is presented
by Saint Luke as a woman of recollected prayer and meditation on the mystery of God’s
saving plan in Christ. In the Upper Room, we see Mary’s privileged place in the Church,
of which she is the “exemplar and outstanding model in faith and charity” (Lumen Gentium,
53). As Mother of God and Mother of the Church, Mary prays in and with the Church
at every decisive moment of salvation history. Let us entrust to her every moment
of our own lives, and let her teach us the need for prayer, so that in loving union
with her Son we may implore the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the spread of the
Gospel to all the ends of the earth. I offer a warm welcome to the students
of the United States Naval Academy. My greeting also goes to the many parish and
school groups present. I thank the choirs for their praise of God in song. Upon
all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, including those from Great Britain,
Ireland, Norway, Indonesia, Japan, Canada and the United States, I invoke God’s blessings
of joy and peace.