VATICAN CITY, JUNE 1, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The rosary is a school of Mary in which Christians can learn to let the lamp of faith shine brighter in their hearts, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this Saturday evening at a gathering in St. Peter's Square marking the conclusion of May, the month dedicated to the Mary.
The candlelight event, attended by cardinals, bishops, priests and the laity, is one of a number of events honoring Mary that the Pontiff participated in this May. On the first Saturday of the month he presided at the praying of the rosary at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
In his address at St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father reflected on the rosary, which he said is "a biblical meditation that permits us to reflect on the events of the Lord’s life in the company of the Blessed Virgin, treasuring them, as she did, in our heart."
Benedict XVI encouraged the practice praying of the rosary, "so that, in the school of Mary, the lamp of faith may shine ever brighter in the heart of Christians and in their houses."
The Pope then reflected on the "Magnificat" of Mary, in which she "acknowledges God’s greatness."
"Magnificat"
"This is the first indispensable sentiment of faith," the Pontiff explained, "the sentiment that gives certainty to the human creature and liberates the creature from fear, even in the midst of history’s storms."
He continued: "Going beyond the surface, Mary 'sees' with the eyes of faith God’s work in history. For this reason she is blessed, because she believed: By faith, in fact, she welcomed the word of the Lord and conceived the incarnate Word.
"Her faith allowed her to see that the thrones of the powerful of this world are all provisional, while the throne of God is the only rock that does not change and does not fall.
"And Mary’s 'Magnificat,' after centuries and millennia, remains the truest and the deepest interpretation of history, while the readings of the many wise persons of this world have been disproved by the facts over the course of the centuries."
"Let us return home with the Magnificat in our heart," urged the Holy Father. "Let us carry in us Mary’s same sentiments of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, her faith and her hope, her docile abandonment into the hands of divine providence.
"Let us imitate her example of availability and generosity in serving our brothers and sisters. In fact, we are only able to raise a canticle of praise to the Lord by welcoming God’s love and making of our existence a disinterested and generous service of neighbor."
