Aug 22, 2010 / 04:44 am
Benedict XVI made a special plea to Mary for her intercession for peace in the world on Sunday, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. Explaining her role as Queen of the world and her participation in her Son's mystery, he asked for the Blessed Virgin's help to persuade men to build a "civilization of love."
Among the many groups in attendance for the Marian prayer with the Pope at Castel Gandolfo were a contingent of Orthodox Christians from Galilee and a number of priests from the Legionaries of Christ. At the end of the audience, a youth band played a brief piece and was complimented for their "good music" by the Pope himself.
Speaking of the significance of the Marian feast before the Angelus, Benedict XVI explained that on this day the Church contemplates the Mother of Christ crowned by her Son, a crown which represents her role in "universal sovereignty." The fact that this year's feast, like the Assumption last week, falls on the Sabbath gives it a "greater light from the word of God," said the Pope.
"In particular," he explained, "the icon of the Virgin Mary Queen finds a significant confirmation in today's Gospel, where Jesus asserts, 'behold, those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last'."