Pope at Angelus: May our whole
life be a “yes” to God
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| The Pope recites the Angelus (Vatican Media) |
The Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin and full of
grace, is at the centre of today's feast. In his reflection before the Angelus,
the Pope highlights all her beauty: a masterpiece even in her humility, capable
of making room for God without complacency and ready to put herself at the
service of others. May she be a model of our communities and of our life.
By Vatican News
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary –
“celebrating the singular grace and privilege granted by God” by which the
Mother of God “was preserved free from all stain of original sin” from the
first moment of her conception – was the focus of Pope Francis’ reflections at
the Angelus on the Second Sunday of Advent.
This feast, he said, is found in Advent, a time of waiting
and expectation; but in the case of Mary, he explained, God’s will has already
been done, as Mary was preserved “from the contamination of evil that is the
common legacy of the human family.”
Trust in God’s will
Turning to the Gospel, which recounts the story of the
Annunciation, Pope Francis said that God thought of Mary and wanted her “from
the beginning”. But, he said, in order to be “full of grace”, to be filled with
God’s love, it is necessary to listen to God’s Word and trust totally in His
will, as Mary did.
Mary, the Pope said “does not lose herself in logical
arguments, she does not place obstacles in the Lord’s way, but she promptly
entrusts herself and leaves room for the action of the Holy Spirit”.
Corresponding perfectly to God’s plan for her, “Mary becomes ‘all beautiful’,
‘all holy’, but without the slightest shadow of self-satisfaction”. That is,
she remains “humble, small, poor”.
An attitude of service
Pope Francis then emphasized “the word with which Mary
defines herself in her surrender to God”. “Mary’s ‘yes’ to God”, the Pope said,
assumes from the beginning the attitude of service, of attention to the needs
of others”, as seen in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. “Openness to God is found in
the openness to take on the needs of one's neighbor”. Moreover, he emphasized,
this is done without “noise or ostentation… because charity and works of mercy
do not need to be exhibited as a trophy”.
Making our whole life a ‘yes’ to God
Pope Francis concluded his reflection with the prayer that
the feast of the Immaculate Conception might “help us to make our whole life a
‘yes’ to God, a ‘yes’ made of adoration of Him and of daily gestures of love
and service”.
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