Pope Leo XIV at the Angelus: Believe as Mary Did and Say Yes to God

Pope Leo XIV on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

In his speech on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 2006, Pope Leo XIV implored Catholics to accept Jesus Christ's call to salvation through Mary by "giving [themselves] over" to His grace.

On this day, the Pope spoke to people gathered in St. Peter's Square as part of his Angelus prayer. This feast day of the Immaculate Conception celebrates Mary being preserved from original sin at the time of her conception via God's unique grace, considering the future merits of Christ's redemption.

In fact, he emphasized that "while the answer of the Mother of the Lord is extraordinary, so too can be responses to God from us, both with daily renewal of faithfulness to God through gratitude, humility and perseverance that will show itself in acts of prayer and also in the form of acts of love showing kindness to one another, whether they are grand in nature and large in scope, or small in nature and limited in scope."

Thus, Christ may be recognized, embraced, and cherished universally, allowing salvation to extend to all individuals.

The Pope grants us the liberty to embrace what he offers.

Mary's Humble Yes to God

Pope Francis highlighted how God gave Mary the gift of “an immaculate heart” in preparation for the coming of Jesus. He commented on how when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary, “Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you,” she accepted her mission “in a humble state of amazement.”

The Pope elaborated, referencing the Gospel of Luke, verse 38: “With unwavering faith, she replied with her ‘yes’: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’”

He pointed out that this grace produced "fruit" in Mary "because she accepted the grace of God with her freedom and agreed to the divine plan." The Pope also reminded us of how God acts: "God gives great gifts with complete freedom to choose to accept them or refuse them."

Pope Leo was urging the faithful, like the Blessed Virgin prior to them, to accept their calling to serve God by doing so in an accepting and loving manner, and to develop faith in God as well as accept the calling to serve God. Pope Leo used St. Augustine's quote that we should “believe because what became [in her] will be beneficial to [us].”

The Significance of Our Baptism

The Holy Father also stressed the importance of Baptism as a way of receiving Christ into our lives. “The event of the miraculous conception of Jesus in Mary's womb is repeated for us at our Baptism. By being cleansed from original sin we've been changed to be children of God and the home of the Spirit of God.”

He explained how the Sacrament of Baptism enables us to bring Christ into our lives through Jesus and encourages us to build the kingdom of heaven in collaboration with the church and other local churches so that we may contribute to the transformation of the world according to our unique circumstances.

A Visit to Piazza di Spagna

After greeting all groups in attendance at St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father confirmed to his followers that he would later go to the bottom of the Spanish Steps in Rome and honor the Virgin Mary with an offering at the base of a statue representing Our Lady of the Spanish Steps.

Once a year on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope makes his way through the city in a procession carrying a basket of flowers that he places at the base of the 27-meter column honouring her. Earlier that morning, a group of firefighters has climbed to the top of the column and presented a bouquet they carefully placed in her arms.