"Mary is the Immaculate
for a free gift from God who found in Her perfect willingness and cooperation.
In this sense, she is 'blessed' because she 'believed'," (Lk,
1:45), said Benedict XVI as he explained the mystery of the Immaculate Conception
of the Virgin Mary, which Catholics celebrate today.
In the Year of the Faith,
the Pontiff chose to highlight that "in Mary the Word of God is heard, received
and answered, finds the 'yes' that allows her to become flesh and come to live
among us."
After speaking about the Immaculate and reciting
the Angelus with the pilgrims who had gathered in Saint Peter's Square, the
pope expressed his closeness to the people of the Philippines hit in recent
days by Typhoon Bhopa, which has killed almost 500 people and left 300,000
homeless. "I pray for the victims, their families and the many
displaced people," the Holy Father said. "May faith and brotherly charity give
them the strength to face this difficult trial."
Before this, Benedict XVI focused on the many
aspects of today's feast day. "In Mary," he explained, "humanity and history
really open up to God, welcome his grace, ready to do his will. Mary is the
genuine expression of Grace. She represents the new Israel which the Scriptures
of the Old Testament describe with the symbol of the bride. Saint Paul uses
this language in the Letter to the Ephesians when he speaks about marriage and
says, "Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to
himself the church in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish' (Eph, 5:25-27)."
"Church Fathers developed this image and thus
the doctrine of the Immaculate was born, first with reference to the Church as
a virgin-mother, later to Mary. As Ephrem the Syrian poetically wrote, 'As the
bodies have sinned and died, the earth, their mother, is cursed (cf Gen
3:17-19). Because of this body, the Church is incorruptible, its earth has been
blessed from the start. This earth is the body of Mary, the temple in which a
seed was placed (Diatessaron 4, 15: SC,
121:102)."
"The light that emanates from the figure of
Mary also helps us understand the real meaning of original sin. The
relationship with God broken by sin is in fact fully alive and operating in
Mary. In her, there is no opposition between God and his being. There is full
communion and understanding. There is a reciprocal 'yes' from God to her and
from her to God. Mary is free from sin because she belongs entirely to God,
totally expropriated for Him, full of his Grace and love."
"In conclusion, the doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception of Mary expresses the certainty of faith that God's promises have
been fulfilled, that his covenant has not failed but has produced a healthy
root, from which has sprung the blessed fruit of the whole universe, Jesus the
Saviour. The Immaculate demonstrates that Grace can elicit a response, that faithfulness to God can generate a truly
good faith."
Before taking his leave, the Holy Father reminded
the faithful that he would visit the Spanish Steps this afternoon to pay homage
to Mary Immaculate, placing flowers in front of the statue of Our Lady on top
of the high column.
"Let us follow the example of the Mother of God,"
he said, "so that the grace of the Lord may find in us an answer in a genuine
and fruitful faith."