Pope Francis reminded the faithful to pray to the Immaculate Conception to invoke the Virgin Mary to “seek God’s will in all things and above all things”, and thus achieve a “life of holiness”.
On Wednesday, the Holy Father said during the General Audience as the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December.
“Let us ask through the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the grace to be able to make good decisions to lead a life of holiness under the gaze of God and in love of neighbor,” the Pope told the French-speaking faithful present in the Paul VI Hall.
The Pope pointed out to the Portuguese-speaking people that “on the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, we want to ask for the grace to seek God’s will in all things and above all things .”
Along these lines, the Pontiff explained that “while Eve allowed herself to be seduced into disobeying God, the Virgin Mary allowed herself to be persuaded by the Angel to obey: ‘Let it be done to me according to your word'”.
“She thus became the cause of our Salvation, giving us the Savior… and it was Christmas!”, he affirmed.
In this way, the Pope invited “like Mary, let us prepare our hearts to welcome and offer Jesus at Christmas.”
Likewise, the Holy Father encouraged Spanish-speaking pilgrims to ask “our Mother to help us make good decisions and fulfill them, for the greater glory of God and the good of our neighbor .”
Finally, at the conclusion of the General Audience in his greeting to the Italian-speaking faithful, the Pope pointed out that “tomorrow is a beautiful day, it is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception” for which he suggested that “with our gaze directed to the Virgin Mary, always be bold in promoting the values of the Spirit.”
“From Ella, our most sweet Mother, we ask for consolation for all those affected by the brutality of the war, especially for the martyred Ukraine. Let us pray for this martyred people who are suffering a lot!” Pope Francis concluded.