Pope Benedict calls on Catholics to entrust themselves to Mary

Vatican City, Dec 8, 2009 / (CNA).-

Pope Benedict XVI presided over a rare mid-week Angelus from the Apostolic Palace window on this cool, overcast day in Rome, the occasion being the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. The Pontiff called Mary the "new Eve" and urged all Catholics to entrust themselves to her protection.

Pope Benedict dedicated his pre-Angelus address to an explanation of why Mary is "Immaculate" and what that title might say to us.

He quoted from the book of Genesis and the Gospel of Luke in providing the illustration for the visitors and pilgrims at St. Peter's.

Referring to the passage from Genesis first, he recounted the words of God in Gen. 3:15 about how, after original sin, God made a promise to Satan, then in serpent form, that "the offspring" of woman would strike at his head.

And, the pope continued, "the day would come when 'a son of woman' would do this very thing.”

"So, through the offspring of the woman, God himself wins," concluded Benedict XVI.

He "has defeated once and for all the age old tempter."

For this reason, he explained, so often you see the renderings of the "Immaculate One" with the serpent underfoot.

Turning to today's Gospel, the Holy Father noted, "The evangelist, Luke, on the other hand, shows us the Virgin Mary that receives the announcement of the celestial Messenger. She appears as the humble and authentic daughter of Israel, true Zion in which God wishes to make his dwelling. She is the young descendant from which shall be born the Messiah, the just and merciful King." It was through her that God decided to rebuild his people, said the Pope.

"Differing from Adam and Eve, Mary remained obedient to the will of the Lord, with all of her being she pronounces her 'yes' and she puts herself fully at the disposal of the divine design."

"She's the new Eve, true 'mother of all the living,' of all that through their faith in Christ receive eternal life."

"What immense joy to have as a mother Immaculate Mary!" the Holy Father exclaimed to the crowd, explaining that they can ask her for help in times of need. "Each time that we experience our fragility and the suggestion of evil, we can turn to her, and our heart will receive light and comfort."

We must remember in the trying times, he continued, that "we are her children and the roots of our existence are deeply rooted in the infinite grace of God."

He then invited the faithful to entrust their lives, families and the entire world to the Immaculate Virgin, that we might find in her as the Church does a "star" to direct us to the course of Christ.

Pope Benedict plans to take his own advice and entrust himself to the Virgin Mary at the monument dedicated to her in Rome's Piazza di Spagna later this afternoon.

Benedict XVI holds up Mary as solution to negativity of urban life

Rome, Italy, Dec 8, 2009 / (CNA).-

The Holy Father made the trip across Rome this afternoon to complete the traditional act of papal veneration at the monument of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. In his message from the Piazza di Spagna, he contrasted the loving example of Mary with the persistent drum beat of evil found in the news media.

The Pope addressed Romans from the site of the famous Spanish Steps, where he said a statue of Mary "almost keeps watch over the city.”

Mary, Benedict XVI pointed out, is present all over Christian cities in paintings, mosaics and chapels, and through her presence she reminds us that "where sin is abundant, grace is overabundant."

"She is the Immaculate Mother that repeats also to the men of our time: do not be afraid, Jesus has conquered evil, he has conquered over it at the root, freeing us from its dominion."

"How much we need this wonderful news!" the Pope exclaimed, remarking on the contrast of this message to the communication of evil spread daily through the news media to the people.

This negativity, he continued, "isn't completely disposed of and day by day it accumulates. The heart hardens and thoughts are clouded."

"This is why the city needs Mary."

The Holy Father explained that by her very presence "she speaks to us of God, reminds us of the victory of Grace over sin and brings us hope even in the mostly humanly difficult situations."

Pope Benedict then delivered a powerful reflection on the dangers of urban living, The city, he said, has a tendency to make people disappear and every so often the story of one of these "invisible people" gets picked up by the media and exposed to the public "without mercy, or with false mercy." Every person, though, desires "to be accepted as a person and considered a sacred reality" and we all "require the greatest respect."

Each of us, though, as a part of our city is called to make it more hospitable. Said the Pope, "Everyone contributes to its life and to its moral climate, in good or in evil."

We "often we complain about the pollution of the air" but there also exists a "pollution of the spirit" that can impede us from treating others as they deserve to be treated. He stressed the importance of remembering that the people around us are not just bodies or "objects with faces, exchangeable and consumable."

It is Immaculate Mary, said the Holy Father, that "helps us to rediscover and defend the depth of the person, because in her there is perfect transparence of the soul in the body." "She is purity in person, in the sense that spirit, soul and body are in her fully coherent between themselves and with the will of God."

The Madonna teaches us to see the world and others "with mercy, with love, with infinite tenderness," he explained.

Pope Benedict closed the gathering with praise for those who already practice this behavior in their actions and implored all to "lend an ear to the voice of Mary" in her message that "where sin is abundant, grace is overabundant." In being aware of this and acting with our hearts, he said, our cities will be "more beautiful, more Christian, and more human."

Papal preacher says priests should avoid 'frenetic activism'

Vatican City, Dec 8, 2009 / (CNA).-

In his first Advent reflection for Pope Benedict XVI and members of the Roman Curia, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher of the Pontifical Household, warned that a threat exists today that, “because of the low number of priests, affects the clergy and the entire Church: it’s called frenetic activism.”

Using the writings of Abbot Chautard as inspiration for his reflection, Father Cantalamessa said that in order to understand how to follow Christ, one must journey down a path founded upon “a personal relationship that is full of trust and friendship with the person of Jesus,” who is the soul of every priesthood.

Referring to Chautard’s book, “The Soul of Every Apostolate,” the papal preacher underscored that the work was published just a few years before Vatican II, “in a period in which there was great enthusiasm for parish work.” The book addressed “the heart of the problem, denouncing the danger of an empty activism.”

Chautard wrote: “God wants Jesus to be life of our works.” For this reason, in reflecting on the need for priests to be servers of Christ, Father Cantalamessa remarked, “On the invisible passport of the priest where ‘profession’ is listed, one ought to read: servant of Jesus Christ’.”

The essential service of the priest to the Lord Jesus is thus “to continue His work in the world,” by being a witness to the truth, the saving will and the love of God for man.”

According to L’Osservatore Romano, Father Cantalamessa also explained that communicating Christ to others does not mean being his successors, as “Jesus has no successors, because He is not dead, He is alive.”

In his work the priest must strive to make man become friends with God, he continued, citing the passage in which the Lord calls His disciples “friends” and not servants.

He concluded his reflection emphasizing the importance of prayer in the life of the priest, as only with an intense prayer life can a priest be fully dedicated to his pastoral work.