POPE: MARY’S ASSUMPTION, A “HUGE LEAP FORWARD FOR HUMANITY”
During the Angelus on the feast of the Assumption, Pope Francis said that the Virgin Mary shows us that our goal is not to gain the things here on earth, which are fleeting, but the homeland above, which is forever.
By Robin Gomes (vaticannews)
Pope Francis on Saturday invited Christians to thank and praise God for the good that He has done in our life just as the Virgin did in the Magnificat, which became the source of her joy.
Pope Francis made the exhortation at the midday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square on the day the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into heaven.
The dogma of faith that Pope Pius XII proclaimed on November 1, 1950, asserts that the Virgin Mary, “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” Pope Francis said the Assumption shines “as a sign of sure hope and solace to the People of God during its sojourn on earth,” as the Second Vatican Council puts it.
Addressing a holiday crowd from the window of his studio overlooking the square, the Pope said that in Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, we celebrate an infinitely greater conquest than the “giant step for mankind” when man first set foot on the moon. When the lowly Virgin of Nazareth set foot in paradise, body and spirit, he said, it was “the huge leap forward for humanity.”
This, the Pope said, gives us hope that “we are precious, destined to rise again. …God does not allow our bodies to vanish into nothing. With God, nothing is lost!”
Pope Francis thus invited all to ask ourselves whether we, like Mary, praise and thank God for the good things He does for us, for His love, forgiveness, tenderness and for giving us His Mother and our brothers and sisters.
“If we forget the good,” the Pope warned, “the heart shrinks. … But if, like Mary, we remember the great things that the Lord does, if at least once a day we were to ‘magnify’ Him, then our hearts will expand and our joy will increase.”
POST-ANGELUS REMARKS ON EGYPT, NIGERIA AND SHRINE OF LORETO
After reciting the Angelus, Francis said, “the Virgin Mary, whom we contemplate today in heavenly glory, is the ‘Mother of hope’. This title of hers has been recently included in the Litany of Loreto. Let us invoke her intercession for all the situations in the world that are most in need of hope: hope for peace, for justice, hope for a dignified life. Today I would like to pray in particular for the population of the northern region of Nigeria, victim of violence and terrorist attacks.”
He went on to say he was “following with particular attention the situation of the difficult negotiations regarding the Nile between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. I invite all parties to continue on the path of dialogue so that the Eternal River might continue to be a source of life that unites, not divides, that always nourishes friendship, prosperity, fraternity, and never enmity, misunderstanding or conflict. Let dialogue, dear brothers and sisters of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, let dialogue be your only choice, for the good of your dear populations and of the entire world.”
THE POPE EXTENDS LAURETAN JUBILEE TO DECEMBER 2021
Archbishop Fabio dal Cin, Pontifical Delegate to the Shrine at Loreto announced that Pope Francis is extending the Lauretan Jubilee to December 2021. In his words, he thanks the Pope for a gift that allows people to enjoy for another twelve months the benefits of this spiritual jubilee in this time of pandemic.
By Vatican News
On Saturday evening, to the applause of the faithful, Archbishop Fabio Dal Cin, Pontifical Delegate to the Shrine at Loreto announced the Pope’s decision to extend the Lauretan Jubilee until December 10, 2021. The Jubilee was granted on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the proclamation by Pope Benedict XV of Our Lady of Loreto, Patroness of all airmen.
Imparting the news from the Shrine of the Holy House, the archbishop said, “In this difficult time for mankind, Holy Mother Church gives us another twelve months to start anew with Christ, letting us be accompanied by Mary, a sign of consolation and sure hope for all.”
The Jubilee was officially inaugurated on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, with the opening of the Holy Door presided over by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin but “unfortunately not celebrated in all its entirety because of the Covid-19 epidemic.” It was to end this coming December 10, 2020.
An Apostolic Decree issued on July 16 by the Apostolic Penitentiary states that there will be another twelve months to experience grace and forgiveness for all the faithful who visit the Pontifical Shrine, and this also extends to the many chapels of the civil airports and air force bases around the world.
Joan's Rome 