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Vatican City, 25th March 2007 (CNA) - Greeting
thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square on this, the last
Sunday of March, Pope Benedict XVI used the occasion to remind those present
that Sunday marks both the Feast of the Annunciation and the Fifth Sunday of
Lent.
Focusing his comments on the Annunciation, the
Pope began by telling those present that "The Annunciation, found in the
beginning of the Gospel of Luke, was a humble, hidden event. Nobody saw it
and nobody knew about it except Mary."
Nevertheless, he emphasized, the Annunciation
"is at the same time a decisive event in human history."
With this event, the Word of God became
incarnate and a "new era of history began." The Holy Father drew a parallel
between Mary's "Yes" to the Angel and Jesus' "Yes" to His Father's Will,
saying, "The 'Yes' of Mary is a perfect reflection of the Christ's 'Yes'
when He enters the world."
This "Yes" can be found in the Letter to the
Hebrew's interpretation of Psalm 39, he continued, where it is written that,
"I come, O God, to do Thy Will." Because of this, "The Annunciation is also
a Christological Feast Day, because it celebrates a central mystery of
Christ: His Incarnation."
According to the Pope, "Mary's response to the
Angel is undertaken by the Church, which is called to make Christ present
throughout history." Additionally, the "Yes" of the Saints, "especially the
martyrs," renews the "Yes" of Jesus and Mary. This is why the Church chooses
March 24th to "celebrate the Day of Prayer and Penance for Martyr
Missionaries."
The Martyr Missionaries, he continued, "are
the 'hope of the world' because they testify that Christ's love is stronger
than violence and hate." Christian martyrs do not seek to be killed, "but
they are ready to give their lives to remain faithful to the Gospel."
The Pope concluded his Angelus address by
asking the faithful to contemplate "the Madonna who, on Calvary, is a sign
of the 'Yes' given in Nazareth." He then prayed for her intercession, "so
that the Church may be faithful to its mission and give the world courageous
testimony of the love of God."
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