Aug 15, 2010 / 07:30 am
Although Mary was assumed into heaven, she "has not abandoned her mission of intercession and salvation" on Earth, explained Pope Benedict, using the words of one of his predecessors. Before the Marian prayer at noon on Assumption Sunday, he highlighted Mary's historic role in the Church, inviting continued trust in the Mother of God and prayer for her aid on earth.
The Holy Father met with pilgrims in the courtyard of the pontifical villa at Castel Gandolfo for the Angelus after having celebrated Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the nearby parish of St. Thomas of Villanova. Walking to the church for the celebration and then returning again on foot afterwards for the Angelus, he was able to greet many people personally along the way.
During the pre-Angelus catechesis, he said that on the Solemnity of the Assumption "we celebrate the passage from the earthly condition to the celestial bliss of She who generated in the flesh and received in faith the Lord of Life."
The Virgin Mary has been venerated since the Church's foundation and the first Marian feasts were observed already in the 4th century, he pointed out, highlighting that some were in recognition of her role in the history of salvation and others for major moments in her earthly life.