It’s tempting at times to see all the pain in the world and to feel a certain hopelessness, that nothing will ever change.
Yet, the Church always reminds us that there is hope, and that God does not abandon us.
In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI prayed the following prayer, looking to Mary Immaculate for hope, praying that she might intercede for us and that love would reign victorious.
O Immaculate Mother,
who are a sign of certain hope and comfort to everyone,
help us to let ourselves be attracted by your immaculate purity.
Your beauty Tota Pulchra, as we sing today assures us
that the victory of love is possible; indeed, that it is certain.
It assures us that grace is stronger than sin,
and that redemption from any form of slavery is therefore possible.
Yes, O Mary, help us to believe with greater trust in good,
to wager on giving freely, on service, on non-violence, on the power of the truth.
Encourage us to be alert, not to give into the temptation of easy evasions,
to face reality and its problems with courage and responsibility.
This is what you did, a young woman called to stake everything on the Word of the Lord.
May you be a loving mother for our young people,
so that they may have the courage to be “watchmen of the dawn,”
and give this virtue to all Christians
so that they may be the heart of the world in this difficult period of history.
Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and our Mother, Salus Populi Romani, pray for us!
And today we celebrate...