Science and ideologies cannot save us, the Pope
preached from the Spanish Steps in a cold and windy Piazza di Spagna
that was packed to the brim with faithful.The theologian and pastor Pope, mentioned some strong and unequivocal concepts. Man can never stoop so low that God will not come to his rescue and Christianity is not all about prohibitions but is “good news”.
Mary is the model humanity should base itself on. Benedict XVI engages in some deep reflections on the Virgin Mary in his book “Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives”; these are so deep in fact that they almost raise her to co-saviour of humanity. In his brief but very dense reflection, the Pope commented on the Gospel of the Annunciation.
He recalled that in Mary “there is no obstacle, there is no screen, there is nothing that can separate her from God. This is the point of her existence which is free from original sin: her relationship with God is completely rift-free; there is no division, there is not a shadow of selfishness, just perfect harmony: her little human heart is perfectly “centred” in God’s big heart.
This afternoon, Benedict XVI was struck by the affection he received from the crowd gathered in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. “I greet you with great affection, it is always a great joy to gather all together here, Romans, pilgrims and visitors, at the foot of the statue of our spiritual Mother, makes us feel united in the sign of faith,” the Pope said when he arrived in the square. Benedict XVI’s reflection can be boiled down to three essential points: Mary is silent and contemplative but at the same time open to God; her freedom from original sin means her relationship with God is flawless and this monument dedicated to Mary in the centre of Rome reminds us that most importantly, God’s voice cannot be heard in the midst of all the noise and commotion,” but by looking deep inside, not where “economic and political forces” act but where the “moral and spiritual forces” lie.
Second lesson to be learnt from Mary’s “yes”: salvation is not the work of man – science, technology, ideology - but the work of God’s grace. However low man may go, in one of the many “infernos” caused by the emptiness of selfishness, God will be there for him: He can “disperse the darkest clouds and give life richness and beauty even in the most inhumane of circumstances.” “The third thing the Immaculate Mary tells us is:” there is a real sense of joy in freeing oneself from selfishness. And Christianity, which is nothing more than “the victory over sin and death,” is not a series of “prohibitions” but “good news” and “true joy”. The Annunciation would never have made the papers. The really “big” things pass by “unnoticed” and “still silence” is more “fruitful” than the stress and commotion of life today.
And yet, the Pope reflected, we have so much to learn from that 17 year old’s “yes” to her God. For Christians, the Immaculate Conception means the Virgin Mary was born without original sin, Pope Benedict XVI explained. The Annunciation teaches us about sin and man’s relationship with God and about the fact that salvation does not come from technology, science or ideology. It also teaches us about Christ’s God: no matter how low we stoop, God will never abandon us, even in hell, whether this hell be “drugs” or some other form of degradation.
All those present in the Piazza di Spagna stood listening to Benedict XVI’s “lectio” in mesmerising silence. Romans, tourists and curious onlookers joined the Pope at the foot of the statue of Our Lady for the traditional gathering on the Spanish Steps. The statue commemorates Pope Pius IX’s proclamation of the Catholic dogma on the Immaculate Conception in 1854. The Pope reached the square in the popemobile, accompanied by his personal secretary, Mgr. Georg Gänswein and was greeted by his vicar, Cardinal Agosto Vallini. Also present in the square were the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno and provincial and regional presidents Nicola Zingaretti and Renata Polverini, who kissed the Pope’s hand.
A long applause broke out as the Pope made his way back to the Vatican.
His words linger, like a seed of hope in the hearts of faithful.