Dear brothers and sisters, happy feast day!

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council left us a marvellous text on the Virgin Mary, a part of which I would like to read to you today as we celebrate the Solemnity of her Assumption to the glory of heaven. At the end of the document on the Church, the Council says: “the Mother of Jesus in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven is the image and beginning of the church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, she shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Pt 3:10), a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim people of God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 68).

Mary, who the risen Christ carried body and soul into the glory, shines as an icon of hope for her pilgrim children throughout history.

How can we not think of Dante’s verses in the last canto of the Paradiso? Through the prayer put on Saint Bernard’s lips, which begins “Virgin Mother, daughter of thy Son” (XXXIII, 1), the poet lauds Mary because here among us mortals she is “the living fountain-head of hope” (ibid., 12), that is the living spring, gushing with hope.

Sisters and brothers, this truth of our faith is perfectly in line with the theme of the present Jubilee: “Pilgrims of hope.” Pilgrims need a goal that orients their journey: a beautiful and attractive goal that guides their steps and revives them when they are tired, that always rekindles in their heart a desire and hope. On the path of life, our goal is God, infinite and eternal Love, fullness of life, peace, joy and every good thing. The human heart is drawn to such beauty and it is not happy until it finds it; and indeed it risks not finding it if it gets lost in the middle of the “dark forest” of evil and sin.

Let us consider this grace: God came to meet us, he assumed our flesh fashioned from the earth, and has carried it with him into the presence of God, or as we commonly say “into heaven.” It is the mystery of Jesus Christ, who became flesh, died and rose for our salvation. Inseparable from him, is also the mystery of Mary, the woman from whom the Son of God has taken flesh, and of the Church, the mystical body of Christ. It concerns a unique mystery of love, and thus of freedom. Just as Jesus said “yes,” so also Mary said “yes;” she believed in the word of the Lord. All of her life has been a pilgrimage of hope together with her son, the Son of God, a pilgrimage which, through the Cross and Resurrection, has reached the heavenly homeland, in the embrace of God.

For this reason, while we journey forward, as individuals, families and communities, especially when the clouds come and the road seems difficult and uncertain, let us lift our gaze, let us look at her, our Mother, and we will rediscover the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rm 5:5).

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After the Angelus:

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we wish to entrust our prayer for peace to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, assumed into heaven. As a Mother, she suffers for the evils that afflict her children, especially the little ones and the weak. So many times throughout the centuries, she has confirmed this through messages and apparitions.

In proclaiming the dogma of the Assumption, while the tragic experience of the Second World War was still painfully present, Pius XII wrote, “We may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life.” He expressed the wish that never again might any ideology “ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them” (Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus).

How timely these words remain! Even today, sadly, we feel powerless before the spread of violence in the world — a violence increasingly deaf and insensitive to any stirring of humanity. Yet we must not cease to hope: God is greater than the sin of human beings. We must not resign ourselves to the prevalence of the logic of conflict and of arms. With Mary, we believe that the Lord continues to come to the aid of his children, remembering his mercy. Only in this mercy can we return to the way of peace.

Now, I extend my greeting to you, pilgrims from Italy and from various countries.

I greet the university evangelization community from Honduras; the families of the Family Love Movement, who have just concluded their spiritual exercises; and the group of spouses and engaged couples, “Santa Rita.”

My best wishes and a joyful feast to all!