St. John Paul II wrote an encyclical entitled the Splendor of Truth, focusing on the beauty of the truth given to us by God.
At the conclusion of his encyclical, he reflected on Mary, and wrote, “She understands sinful man and loves him with a Mother’s love. Precisely for this reason she is on the side of truth and shares the Church’s burden in recalling always and to everyone the demands of morality.”
Furthermore, Mary does not want “sinful man to be deceived by those who claim to love him by justifying his sin, for she knows that the sacrifice of Christ her Son would thus be emptied of its power. No absolution offered by beguiling doctrines, even in the areas of philosophy and theology, can make man truly happy: only the Cross and the glory of the Risen Christ can grant peace to his conscience and salvation to his life.”
St. John Paul II ended his encyclical with this prayer, praying that Mary would watch over us and ensure that the cross of Christ would not be emptied of its power.
O Mary,
Mother of Mercy,
watch over all people,
that the Cross of Christ
may not be emptied of its power,
that man may not stray
from the path of the good
or become blind to sin,
but may put his hope ever more fully in God
who is “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4).
May he carry out the good works prepared
by God beforehand (cf. Eph 2:10)
and so live completely
“for the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:12).
And today we celebrate...