2012-08-22 15:26:04

Pope's general audience of August 22


(August 22, 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 and receive his blessing. The general audience of August 22nd took place in courtyard of the papal summer residence in the hill town of Castel Gandolfo, just southeast of Rome, where the Pope is currently residing.
This week, Pope Benedict XVI based his discourse on the day’s liturgical feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Delivering his main discourse in Italian, the Pope explained that the feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1954 fixing May 31 as its date, but following the liturgical reform in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, the feast was shifted to a week after the feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. This was done to highlight the close bond between the queenship of Mary and her glorification body and soul next to her Son. The Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution ‘Lumen Gentium’ or ‘The Light of Nations’ says about Mary that she “was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son.” “Herein lies the root of today’s feast,” Pope Benedict stressed, explaining that “Mary is Queen because she is associated in a special way with her Son, both in his earthly journey as well as in the glory of heaven." Regarding this St. Ephrem the Syrian said that the queenship of Mary is derived from her divine motherhood: She is the Mother of the Lord, the King of Kings and points to Jesus, as our life, salvation and hope. Pope Paul VI explained that in the Virgin Mary everything is related to Christ and everything of hers depends on Him: in view of Him the Father from all eternity chose her as Mother all holy and adorned her with the gifts of the Spirit which are granted to no other.
Pope Benedict explained in what consists Mary's queenship. As a result of being united to her Son and being in heaven, i.e. in communion with God, Mary participates in God's love for the world. The common concept of a king or a queen, he explained, is linked with power and riches, but that is not the case with Jesus and Mary. Christ's royalty is steeped in humility, service and love. Jesus was proclaimed King on the Cross with the inscription by Pilate, "The King of the Jews." At that moment on the Cross He showed he was King suffering with and for us, loving till the end, thus he rules and creates truth, love and justice. On another occasion, at the Last Supper, He bends down to wash the feet of His disciples. Hence, the royalty of Jesus has nothing to do with that of the powerful of the earth. He is a King who serves His servants, as shown in his entire life. The same too with Mary. She is Queen in the service the service of God and humanity - she is the Queen of love who gifts herself to God in order to enter in the God plan of salvation for man. And so she responds to the Angel: “Behold, the Handmaid of the Lord,” and in “Magnificat” she sings, “The Lord has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid.”
The Pope further explained that Mary exercises this queenship of service and love by watching over us, her children who turn to her in prayer to thank her or to seek her maternal protection and her heavenly assistance, having lost our way, oppressed by the pain or anguish of the sad and tormenting episodes of life. In the serenity and in the darkness of life we turn to Mary trusting in her continuous intersession, so that she can obtain from her Son every grace and mercy needed for our pilgrimage on earth. To the One who holds the world and has the destiny of the universe in His hands, we turn with trust through the Virgin Mary. The Pope pointed out that through centuries Mary has been invoked as the heavenly Queen of Heaven. She is invoked with the title of Queen 8 times in the litany after the Rosary: Queen of Angels, of Patriarchs, of Prophets, of Apostles, of Martyrs, of Confessors, of Virgins, of All the Saints and of Families. The Pope said the rhythm of these age-old invocations and daily prayers, such as the ‘Hail Holy Queen’, help us to understand that the Holy Virgin, i.e. our Mother next to her Son Jesus in the glory of Heaven, is with us always as we live out our daily lives. Hence Mary's title of Queen is one of trust, joy and love. And we know that the she who partially holds the destiny of the world is good, and loves us and helps us in our difficulties.
The Holy Father said that devotion to the Madonna is an important element of spiritual life. He thus urged all not to fail to call upon Mary with trust and she will certainly intercede for us with her Son. In conclusion the Pope exhorted all to imitate Mary’s faith, her complete openness to God’s plan of love, her generous welcoming of Jesus. “Mary who is the Queen of heaven is close to God, but is also the Mother who is close each one of us who loves us and listen to our voice,” the Pontiff added. At Wednesday's general audience Pope Benedict also greeted other groups in their languages, including in English.

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I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, especially the groups from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Japan and the United States of America. I also greet the young altar servers from Malta and their families. Today the Church celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May the prayers of Our Lady guide us along our pilgrimage of faith, that we may share in her Son’s victory and reign with him in his eternal Kingdom. Upon all of you I invoke the Lord’s abundant blessings!








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