“In fact, Mary does not credit prerogatives to herself, she does not hold claim to anything, she accounts nothing to her own merit. She is not self-satisfied, she does not exalt herself. For in her humility she knows she receives everything from God.”
He added that Mary was able to completely direct her life toward God and others.
“Mary Immaculate does not look on herself. This is true humility: not looking on oneself, but looking toward God and others,” he said.
Pope Francis made an early morning visit on Wednesday to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna.
The pope made the private visit shortly after 6 a.m., days after the Vatican announced that, for the second consecutive year, he would not make his customary public afternoon trip to the site due to the pandemic.
The Holy See press office said on Dec. 8 that the pope left a bouquet of white roses at the base of the column, before asking for the Virgin Mary’s intercession for the healing of the sick and respite for those affected by wars and the climate crisis.
He also prayed for the grace of conversion for “those who build walls to distance themselves from the pain of others.”
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The press office said that the pope left at around 6:20 a.m. and traveled to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he prayed before the icon of Salus Populi Romani, Mary Protection of the Roman People, before returning to the Vatican shortly after 7 a.m.
In his Angelus address, the pope noted that the angel appeared to Mary in her house, not in Nazareth’s main square.
He said: “In that little house of Nazareth beat the greatest heart that any creature has ever had. Dear brothers and sisters, this is extraordinary news for us! Because the Lord is telling us that to work marvelous deeds, he has no need of grand means and our lofty abilities, but our humility, eyes open to Him and others.”
“With this annunciation, within the poor walls of a small house, God changed history. Even today, he wants to do great things with us in our daily lives: in our families, at work, in everyday environments. God’s grace loves to operate there more than in great historical events.”
The pope urged Catholics not to view holiness as a “utopia” or “pious illusion” at odds with everyday life.
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