Posted on 10/13/2013 6:13:00 AM PDT by markomalley
The Pope celebrated mass in St Peter’s square this morning in honour of the Marian Day, an event organised as part of the Year of Faith on the anniversary of the final apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (13th of October 1917).
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ homily in English translation.
In the Psalm we said: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things” (Ps 98:1). Today we consider one of the marvelous things which the Lord has done: Mary! A lowly and weak creature like ourselves, she was chosen to be the Mother of God, the Mother of her Creator.
Considering Mary in the light of the readings we have just heard, I would like to reflect with you on three things: first, God surprises us, second, God asks us to be faithful, and third, God is our strength.
First: God surprises us. The story of Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, is remarkable. In order to be healed of leprosy, he turns to the prophet of God, Elisha, who does not perform magic or demand anything unusual of him, but asks him simply to trust in God and to wash in the waters of the river. Not, however, in one of the great rivers of Damascus, but in the little stream of the Jordan. Naaman is left surprised, even taken aback. What kind of God is this who asks for something so simple? He wants to turn back, but then he goes ahead, he immerses himself in the Jordan and is immediately healed (cf. 2 Kg 5:1-4). There it is: God surprises us. It is precisely in poverty, in weakness and in humility that he reveals himself and grants us his love, which saves us, heals us and gives us strength. He asks us only to obey his word and to trust in him.
This was the experience of the Virgin Mary. At the message of the angel, she does not hide her surprise. It is the astonishment of realizing that God, to become man, had chosen her, a simple maid of Nazareth. Not someone who lived in a palace amid power and riches, or one who had done extraordinary things, but simply someone who was open to God and put her trust in him, even without understanding everything: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). That was her answer. God constantly surprises us, he bursts our categories, he wreaks havoc with our plans. And he tells us: trust me, do not be afraid, let yourself be surprised, leave yourself behind and follow me!
Today let us all ask ourselves whether we are afraid of what God might ask, or of what he does ask. Do I let myself be surprised by God, as Mary was, or do I remain caught up in my own safety zone: in forms of material, intellectual or ideological security, taking refuge in my own projects and plans? Do I truly let God into my life? How do I answer him?
In the passage from Saint Paul which we have heard, the Apostle tells his disciple Timothy: remember Jesus Christ. If we persevere with him, we will also reign with him (cf. 2 Tim 2:8-13). This is the second thing: to remember Christ always – to be mindful of Jesus Christ – and thus to persevere in faith. God surprises us with his love, but he demands that we be faithful in following him. We can be unfaithful, but he cannot: he is “the faithful one” and he demands of us that same fidelity. Think of all the times when we were excited about something or other, some initiative, some task, but afterwards, at the first sign of difficulty, we threw in the towel. Sadly, this also happens in the case of fundamental decisions, such as marriage. It is the difficulty of remaining steadfast, faithful to decisions we have made and to commitments we have made. Often it is easy enough to say “yes”, but then we fail to repeat this “yes” each and every day. We fail to be faithful.
Mary said her “yes” to God: a “yes” which threw her simple life in Nazareth into turmoil, and not only once. Any number of times she had to utter a heartfelt “yes” at moments of joy and sorrow, culminating in the “yes” she spoke at the foot of the Cross. Here today there are many mothers present; think of the full extent of Mary’s faithfulness to God: seeing her only Son hanging on the Cross. The faithful woman, still standing, utterly heartbroken, yet faithful and strong.
And I ask myself: am I a Christian by fits and starts, or am I a Christian full-time? Our culture of the ephemeral, the relative, also takes its toll on the way we live our faith. God asks us to be faithful to him, daily, in our everyday life. He goes on to say that, even if we are sometimes unfaithful to him, he remains faithful. In his mercy, he never tires of stretching out his hand to lift us up, to encourage us to continue our journey, to come back and tell him of our weakness, so that he can grant us his strength. This is the real journey: to walk with the Lord always, even at moments of weakness, even in our sins. Never to prefer a makeshift path of our own. That kills us. Faith is ultimate fidelity, like that of Mary.
The last thing: God is our strength. I think of the ten lepers in the Gospel who were healed by Jesus. They approach him and, keeping their distance, they call out: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Lk 17:13). They are sick, they need love and strength, and they are looking for someone to heal them. Jesus responds by freeing them from their disease. Strikingly, however, only one of them comes back, praising God and thanking him in a loud voice. Jesus notes this: ten asked to be healed and only one returned to praise God in a loud voice and to acknowledge that he is our strength. Knowing how to give thanks, to give praise for everything that the Lord has done for us.
Take Mary. After the Annunciation, her first act is one of charity towards her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth. Her first words are: “My soul magnifies the Lord”, in other words, a song of praise and thanksgiving to God not only for what he did for her, but for what he had done throughout the history of salvation. Everything is his gift. If we can realise that everything is God’s gift, how happy will our hearts be! Everything is his gift. He is our strength! Saying “thank you” is such an easy thing, and yet so hard! How often do we say “thank you” to one another in our families? These are essential words for our life in common. “Excuse me”, “sorry”, “thank you”. If families can say these three things, they will be fine. “Excuse me”, “sorry”, “thank you”. How often do we say “thank you” in our families? How often do we say “thank you” to those who help us, those close to us, those at our side throughout life? All too often we take everything for granted! This happens with God too. It is easy to approach the Lord to ask for something, but to go and thank him: “Well, I don’t need to”.
As we continue our celebration of the Eucharist, let us invoke Mary’s intercession. May she help us to be open to God’s surprises, to be faithful to him each and every day, and to praise and thank him, for he is our strength. Amen.
In front of the image of the Virgin Mary carried to St Peter's Square from Fatima , Pope Francis renewed the Act of consecration to Mary. " Act we carry out with confidence, confident that each of us is precious in your sight and that nothing is alien to you".
"We celebrate with you - he said - the mighty works of God, who never gets tired of bending over mankind, beset by evil and wounded by sin, with mercy to heal and to save it. Mother embrace with benevolence this act of entrustment that we make today with confidence, before this your image which is so dear to us. We are confident that each of us is precious in your sight and that nothing is alien to you of all that dwells in our hearts.
We are touched by the gaze of your sweet eyes and welcome the comforting caress of your smile. Safeguard our lives in your arms: bless and strengthen every desire for goodness, revitalize and nourish our faith, sustain and brighten the hope that stirs the soul and charity ; guide all of us on the path of holiness. Teach us your same love and preference for the young and the poor, the marginalized and the suffering, for sinners and those whose hearts are lost: gather all under your protection and deliver us all to your beloved Son , our Lord Jesus. "
The Act took place at the end of the Mass celebrated for the " Marian Day" on the occasion of the Year of Faith . The Day began yesterday, when the statue of the Virgin of Fatima arrived in Rome gathering more than 100 thousand people to St Peter's Square, even today.
To them, in the course of the Mass, the Pope spoke of the three "realities" seen "by looking to Mary" who is "one of the wonders of the Lord: "God surprises us, God asks us to be faithful, God is our strength". This led Francis to reflect on the question "Do I truly let God into my life ? How do I respond to Him ?"; whether " Am I a Christian by fits and starts, or am I a Christian full-time?" in a " culture of the ephemeral, the relative, also takes it toll on the way we live our faith " and if , finally , I know how to give " thanks, praise for what the Lord does for us", because "everything is his gift , He is our strength . "
The first "reality ", therefore, is that " God surprises us ." God surprises us. It is precisely in poverty, in weakness and in humility that he reveals himself and grants us his love, which saves us, heals us and gives us strength. He asks us only to obey his word and to trust in him. This was the experience of the Virgin Mary. At the message of the angel, she does not hide her surprise. It is the astonishment of realizing that God, to become man, had chosen her, a simple maid of Nazareth: not someone who lived in a palace amid power and riches, or who had done extraordinary things, but simply someone who was open to God and put her trust in him, even without understanding everything: "Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). God always surprises us, he bursts our categories, he wreaks havoc with our plans. And he tells us: Trust me, do not be afraid, let yourself be surprised, leave yourself behind and follow me!"
"Today let us all ask ourselves: Do I fear what God might ask of me, or what he does ask of me? Do I let myself be surprised by God, as Mary was, or do I remain caught up in my own security, in my plans? Do I truly let God into my life? How do I respond to him?" .
"The second point is "to remember Christ always and to persevere in faith. God surprises us with his love, but he asks us to be faithful in following him. Think of all the times we were excited about something or other, some initiative, some task, but then, at the first sign of difficulty, we threw in the towel. Sadly, this also happens in the case of fundamental decisions, such as marriage. It is the difficulty of remaining steadfast, faithful to decisions we have made and to commitments we have taken on. Often it is easy enough to say "yes", but then we fail to repeat this "yes" each and every day."
"Mary said her "yes" to God: a "yes" which upset her simple life in Nazareth, and not only once. Any number of times she had to utter a heartfelt "yes" at moments moments of joy and sorrow, culminating in the "yes" she spoke at the foot of the Cross. Here today there are many mothers present; think of the full extent of Mary's faithfulness to God: seeing her only Son on the cross".
"Am I a Christian by fits and starts, or am I a Christian full-time? The culture of the ephemeral, the relative, also takes it toll on the way we live our faith. God asks us to be faithful to him, daily, in our everyday actions. He goes on to say that, even if we are sometimes unfaithful to him, he remains faithful. In his mercy, he never tires of stretching out his hand to lift us up, to encourage us to continue our journey, to come back and tell him of our weakness, so that he can grant us his strength".
"The last thing: God is our strength. I think of the ten lepers in the Gospel who were healed by Jesus. They approach him, and keeping their distance, they call out: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (Lk 17:13). They are sick, they need love and strength, and they are looking for someone to heal them. Jesus responds by freeing them from their disease. Strikingly, however, only one of them comes back, praising God and thanking him in a loud voice. Jesus notes this: ten asked to be healed and only one returned to praise God in a loud voice and to acknowledge that he is our strength. To know how to give thanks, to give praise for everything that the Lord has done for us".
"Let us look to Mary. After the Annunciation, her first act is one of charity towards her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth. Her first words are: "My soul magnifies the Lord" - the Magnificat, a canticle of praise and thanksgiving to God not only for what he did for her, but for what he has done throughout the history of salvation. Everything is his gift; he is our strength! Saying "thank you" is so easy, and yet so hard! How often do we say "thank you" to one another in our families? How often do we say "thank you" to those who help us, those close to us, those at our side throughout life? Often we take everything for granted! This happens with God too".
"Let us invoke Mary's intercession. May she help us to be open to God's surprises, to be faithful to him each and every day, and to praise and thank him, for he is our strength."
The act of consecration made today by Pope Francis follows those made by John Paul II. The first took place on June 7, 1981 , in Santa Maria Maggiore. The Pope was absent as a result of the assassination attempt on 13 May, but a prayer he had composed for the occasion was read. The act was renewed in Fatima May 13, 1982 and repeated March 25, 1984 in St. Peter's Square in Rome , in spiritual union with all the bishops of the world, including the Russian Orthodox bishops .
Yiippeeee!!! Prayers to Mary. Intercession to Mary. Marian Day. But NO!!! We don’t worship Mary. Riigghhtt. I like the Mary said “yes” in quotation marks when she never said the word “yes”. Nice twist on the facts. She never said yes to anything because she was never asked anything. She was told.
Why tell us how much you disrespect Mary? Go to her Son, Jesus Christ, and tell Him.
Bob, I wouldn’t press that phrase, “twist on the facts”, when there you sit, critically uninformed, but fairly preening about your low information condition. It’s embarrassing.
Don’t mock ... JP2 did this for Russia and communism died there not long after.
She was told? Last I checked, we had free will.
Go back and re-read the the Bible. See if there was a question that asked her to if she would like to do something. See if there is a verse which she says "yes" in quotation marks. Chapter and verse please.
Who is now twisting the facts? Chapter and verse on the "yes" in quotation marks to a request.
“Why tell us how much you disrespect Mary?”
How do you conclude from a protest against worshipping Mary as a goddess to “you disrespect Mary”? So if we don’t kneel before her altar and offer prayers, we are not being respectful to her?
“Because we don’t worship Mary.”
Keep in mind most people aren’t Catholics, and so we’re not brainwashed into thinking that kneeling before altars, offering incense, praying to and exalting people up to the throne of heaven, and pleading for her to save you, is something other than worship.
Don’t expect other people to just think like you guys do, or to feel that not doing what you do is disrespectful to Mary.
Presumably, according to 'them' God chose Mary to be his mother...How much more pagan can they get???
You are in a hole. Stop digging.
The problem is that Marxism spread to much of the "free" world soon afterward, still in progress and accelerating. I believe that a proper Consecration of Russia still needs to be done.
Indeed.
She said clearly “Russia’s errors will spread” and darned if they didn’t do just that.
No chapter and verse? I see. Who’s really doing the digging?
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