Dear brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to be with you for the celebration of First Vespers as you mark your Patronal Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. Indeed, this devotion to Our Blessed Mother holds a special place in my heart, so I am also happy to share this occasion with the Australian community present for this solemn blessing of the restored image of Our Lady of Pompeii. It is my hope that this image, which was gifted for this chapel many decades ago by the soon to be Saint Bartolo Longo, will inspire an ever greater devotion to her among the residents of the Domus and those who visit as pilgrims, as well as the members of the local community.

Providentially, we are gathered together during this Jubilee Year, which is focused on the theological virtue of Hope. In a particular way, Mary embodied that virtue through her trust that God would fulfil his promises. This hope, in turn, gave her the strength and courage to spend her life willingly for the sake of the Gospel and abandon herself entirely to God’s will. It has often been said that the Incarnation first took place in Mary’s heart, before it took place in her womb. This emphasizes her daily fidelity to God.

Of course, Mary did not know precisely how or when God would save his people, yet she lived in abandonment to God’s will, trusting that he would save his people according to his design. God never delays, we are the ones who have to learn to trust, even if it requires patience and perseverance. God’s timing is always perfect. Thus, we heard in the Scripture passage from Saint Paul, “when the appointed time came, God sent his Son to redeem the subjects of the law”.

God always comes to save and liberate us. The Israelites were born under the law but also with the fragility, weakness and concupiscence of our fallen human condition. God’s plan has now been brought to fulfilment in the mission of the Lord Jesus. Moreover, he did not come simply to redeem us from slavery to sin, but to free our hearts to say ‘yes’ to him, just as Our Blessed Mother did. 

Now through the gift of baptism, we are born under the law of grace as children of God. In the words of the Canticle, God our Father “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world … he destined us in love to be his sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” The purpose of his will is to bring us to eternal life. In this regard, Saint Augustine wrote that, “God created us without us, but he will not save us without us.” Thus, we are called to cooperate with him by living out a life of grace as his sons and daughters, making our own contribution to the plan of salvation. This is true even though we do not know what the future holds. Nevertheless, like Mary, we can always be trustful and grateful for his work of salvation. 

Dear friends, in a moment we will chant the Magnificat. In doing so, let us reflect on how Mary, the true Daughter of Zion, rejoiced in God, her Savior, because she saw the graces bestowed on her and how God has always been faithful to Abraham and his descendants.

As you venerate Our Lady of Pompeii at the Domus Australia, it is my prayer that you also will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in your own service to the Lord and his Church, and that you may bear much fruit, fruit that will last.