Aug 22, 2012 / 08:29 am
Pope Benedict XVI recommended that Christians look to the queenship of Mary, who is "queen in the service of God to humanity," as a sure guide towards her son.
"Dear friends, devotion to Our Lady is an important part of spiritual life. In our prayer we should not fail to turn to her, confident that Mary will intercede for us with her Son," the Pope said to pilgrims during his Aug. 22 general audience at Castel Gandolfo.
"Looking upon her, let us imitate her faith, her complete openness to the loving plan of God, her generous welcoming of Jesus. We learn to live from Mary."
The Pope recalled how the establishment of a particular day to celebrate the queenship of Mary is actually a "recent establishment," even though it has "an ancient origin and devotion." When Pope Pius XII created the feast in 1954, he originally placed it on May 31, at the end of the month dedicated to Mary.