On the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Leo XIV reminded the faithful that Mary’s “yes” to God continues to bring life and hope into the world today. Celebrating Mass at the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father reflected on the enduring power of the Magnificat and the victory of Christ over death.
According to Vatican News, Pope Leo began by noting that even though the feast day fell on a weekday, “we celebrate in another way the Paschal Mystery of Jesus, which changed the course of history.” In Mary, he said, “we recognize our own history: the history of the Church, immersed in the common lot of humanity. By taking flesh in her, the God of life and of freedom has conquered death.”
The Pope reflected on Mary’s “yes” at the Cross, pointing out that Jesus’ own “yes” stripped death of its power. “That ‘yes’ still lives and resists death in the martyrs of our time, in witnesses of faith and justice, of gentleness and peace,” Pope Leo said. For him, this feast is not only a day of joy but “a day that calls us to choose—how and for whom we shall live” (Vatican News).
The day’s Gospel, recounting Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth, offered an occasion to reflect on the Magnificat. The Pope described Mary’s canticle as the radiant summary of her life: “Mary’s song, Magnificat, strengthens the hope of the humble, the hungry, the faithful servants of God.” He emphasized that her trust was confirmed by the surprising fruitfulness of barren Elizabeth—an anticipation of the fruitfulness of Mary’s own “yes,” which extends to the whole Church.
Pope Leo also acknowledged that today, as in the past, God’s Word breaks through despair with “concrete experiences of fraternity and new gestures of solidarity.” He cautioned against relying on the powerful of the world at the expense of the poor, urging instead that the Church be renewed by the witness of “poor and persecuted Christian communities, the witnesses of tenderness and forgiveness in places of conflict, and the peacemakers and bridge-builders in a broken world.” These, he said, are “the joy of the Church… the first fruits of the Kingdom to come” (Vatican News).
Drawing on the image of Mary as a “wondrous union of grace and freedom,” the Holy Father invited the faithful to embrace trust, courage, and active participation in God’s plan. “Let us not be afraid to choose life,” he encouraged, warning that the voices urging indifference are “voices of death.” Instead, disciples of Christ are to be driven by His love “in our time… so that life spreads and life can prevail.”
Pope Leo concluded with a reminder that Mary, assumed into heaven, is the sign that Christ’s Resurrection “was no isolated event, no mere exception,” but the destiny promised to all who say “yes” to God.
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