On December 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Holy Father presided over the Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica with the new Cardinals. The Pontiff stated, “To the Immaculate Mary, we ask that her Heart full of love conquers us, converts us, and makes us a community where sonship, spousal relationship, and motherhood are the rule and criterion of life.”
“The Immaculate is not a myth, nor an abstract doctrine, nor an impossible ideal; it is the proposal of a beautiful and concrete project, the fully realized model of our humanity, through which, by God’s grace, we can all contribute to improving our world,” said Pope Francis during his homily at the Mass he presided over in St. Peter’s Basilica with the new Cardinals on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Mystery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
In his homily, the Holy Father recalled that Christians have tried to represent the “mystery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” in many ways throughout the centuries, with words and images, highlighting the grace and sweetness in the features of the “Blessed among all women,” through the physical traits and categories of very diverse races and cultures.
“And indeed, the Mother of God — as observed by Saint Paul VI — shows us ‘what we all have in the depths of our hearts: the authentic image of humanity […] innocent, holy, […] because her being is all harmony, candor, simplicity; that is Mary: all harmony, candor, simplicity; all transparency, kindness, perfection; all beauty.'”
Look at the Immaculate as a Daughter
Look at the Immaculate as a DaughterFrom here, the Pontiff invited us to contemplate this beauty and perfection of the Mother of God in light of the Word of God, in three aspects of Mary’s life that make her close and familiar to us: daughter, spouse, and mother. Pointing out that the biblical texts do not speak of Mary’s childhood, the Pope indicated that the Gospel, instead, presents her entering history as a young girl, rich in faith, humble, and simple.
“She is the ‘virgin,’ in whose gaze the Father’s love is reflected, and in whose pure heart, gratitude and generosity are the color and fragrance of holiness. Here, the Virgin is shown to us as beautiful as a flower, a flower that grew unnoticed and finally ready to open in total self-giving. Because Mary’s life is a continuous gift of self.”
“I am the Lord’s Servant”
This leads us to the second dimension of her beauty, the Holy Father emphasized, that of a spouse, the one whom God chose as a companion for His salvation project. And she responded by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant.” “Servant,” clarified the Pope, not in the sense of “submissive” and “humiliated,” but as a “reliable,” “esteemed” person to whom the Lord entrusts His dearest treasures and most important missions.
“Her beauty, therefore, multi-faceted like that of a diamond, reveals a new aspect: fidelity, loyalty, and care that characterize the mutual love of spouses. As conceived by Saint John Paul II, when he wrote that the Immaculate ‘accepted the choice to be the Mother of the Son of God, guided by spousal love, which “consecrates” a human person entirely to God.'”
Mary Always Present in Jesus’ Life
Mary Always Present in Jesus’ LifeThe third dimension of Mary’s beauty that Pope Francis proposed was that of being a mother. This is the most common way we represent her, said the Pope, with the Child Jesus in her arms, or in the nativity scene, leaning over the Son of God lying in a manger.
“Always present with her Son in all circumstances of life: close in care and hidden in humility; like in Cana, where she intercedes for the spouses; in Capernaum, where she is praised for her listening to the Word of God; or at the foot of the cross, the mother of a condemned man, where Jesus himself entrusts her to us as our mother. Here, the Immaculate is beautiful in her fruitfulness, that is, in her knowing how to die to give life, in her forgetting herself to care for those who, small and defenseless, cling to her.”
The Immaculate is Not a Myth, It’s a Project
The risk, however, noted the Holy Father, is thinking that this is a distant beauty, too high and unattainable. But it is not so. By Baptism, we are freed from sin and made children of God, and we are invited to make room for the Lord in our projects and to welcome everyone we meet on our path with maternal tenderness, just like Mary.
“The Immaculate is not a myth, nor an abstract doctrine, nor an impossible ideal; it is the proposal of a beautiful and concrete project, the fully realized model of our humanity, through which, by God’s grace, we can all contribute to improving our world.”
The Presumption of Self-Sufficiency
The Presumption of Self-SufficiencyUnfortunately, Pope Francis observed, around us, we see how the presumption of the first sin, wanting to be “like God,” continues to wound humanity, and how this presumption of self-sufficiency produces neither love nor happiness.
“What is the use of having money in the bank, comforts in our homes, and false ‘contacts’ in the virtual world, if our hearts remain cold, empty, or closed? What is the use of high financial growth rates in privileged countries if half the world dies of hunger and war while others look on with indifference? What is the use of traveling all over the planet if every encounter is reduced to a momentary emotion, a photograph that no one will remember after a few days or months?”
May the Immaculate Conquer Us
Finally, the Pontiff invited all those contemplating the Immaculate Mary to ask that her Heart full of love conquers us, converts us, and makes us a community where sonship, spousal relationship, and motherhood are the rule and criterion of life; where families gather, spouses share everything, and parents are present, in flesh and blood, close to their children.
“This is the beauty the Immaculate speaks of, the ‘beauty that saves the world,’ and before which we too, like Mary, want to respond to the Lord: Here I am, ‘let it be done to me according to your word’ (Lk 1:38).”
Shepherds at the Service of the Universal Church
Shepherds at the Service of the Universal ChurchBefore concluding his homily, Pope Francis greeted the new Cardinals, whom he asked to assist him in the service of Shepherd of the Universal Church.
“They come from many parts of the world, bearers of a unique Wisdom with many faces, to contribute to the growth and expansion of the Kingdom of God. Let us commend them particularly to the intercession of the Mother of the Savior.”
