Letter
of His Holiness Benedict XVI on the Occasion of the National Pilgrimage to the
Shrine of Nuestra Señora Del Pilar of Saragossa
May 19, 2005
Pro-Life Excerpt (full article to follow)
5. I place
all your worries and aspirations at the feet of the Virgin, trusting in the fact
that the Holy Spirit will move many people so that they generously love life and
welcome the poor, loving them with God's same love.
To Mary Most Holy, who
generated the Author of life, I entrust every human life from the first moment
of its existence until its natural death. I ask her to protect all families from
every kind of social injustice, from all that degrades their dignity and
threatens their freedom; and for respect for religious freedom and the freedom
of conscience of every person.
Full Article
Beloved Brothers in the
Episcopate,
Dear Priests and Deacons,
Men and Women Religious and
Catholic faithful of Spain,
I am pleased to address my
cordial greeting to you and I spiritually join you on the national pilgrimage to
the Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Pilar of Saragossa, to commemorate the 150th
anniversary of the definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception and to
renew the consecration of Spain to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which took
place 50 years ago.
1. With this pilgrimage, you
want to deepen the admirable mystery of Mary and to reflect upon her
inexhaustible resources for every Christian's call to holiness.
As the Year of the Immaculate
Conception coincides with the Year of the Eucharist, at the school of Mary we
are better able to "learn" Christ. Contemplating her as the "Woman of the
Eucharist", she walks with us to meet her Son, who is with us "always, until the
end of the world" (Mt 28: 20), especially in the Most Holy Sacrament.
2. The Immaculate reflects the
Father's mercy. Conceived without sin, she was able to forgive, at the foot of
the Cross, those who had abandoned and wounded her Son. As "Advocate", she helps
us in our needs and intercedes for us before her Son, telling him, as she did at
Cana in Galilee, "They have no more wine" (Jn 2: 3), trusting in the fact that
his heart, full of goodness, will not defraud us in a moment of difficulty.
By indicating clearly, "Do
whatever he tells you" (Jn 2: 5), she invites us to draw close to Christ and, in
this proximity, to experience, feel and see "how good is the Lord". This
experience endows the human heart with greater far-sightedness to appreciate all
that is good, beautiful and true.
3. Sustained by the paternal
care of Joseph, Mary welcomed her Son. In the home of Nazareth, Jesus reached
adulthood, in the bosom of a family, humanly splendid and pervaded by the divine
mystery. It continues to be a model for all families.
In this regard, the family,
through home life, fulfils its human and Christian vocation, sharing joys and
hopes in an atmosphere of understanding and reciprocal help. Therefore, the
human being who is born, develops and is formed in the family, is able to start
out on the journey of good without hesitation, without allowing himself or
herself to be disoriented by customs or ideologies unworthy of the human person.
4. In this moment of
discernment for many hearts, you Spanish Bishops turn your gaze towards the one
who, with complete availability, welcomed the life of God that entered history.
For this, Mary Immaculate is intimately united to the redemptive action of
Christ, who did not come to "condemn the world, but that the world might be
saved through him" (Jn 3: 17).
I know that the Catholic
Church in Spain is ready to take decided steps in its evangelization projects.
And so, it is to be hoped that its true nature and mission will be understood
and accepted, as it seeks to promote the common good of all, both the person and
society.
As a consequence, the
transmission of faith and the religious practice of believers cannot remain
confined to the purely private sphere.
5. I place
all your worries and aspirations at the feet of the Virgin, trusting in the fact
that the Holy Spirit will move many people so that they generously love life and
welcome the poor, loving them with God's same love.
To Mary Most Holy, who
generated the Author of life, I entrust every human life from the first moment
of its existence until its natural death. I ask her to protect all families from
every kind of social injustice, from all that degrades their dignity and
threatens their freedom; and for respect for religious freedom and the freedom
of conscience of every person.
I call upon the Immaculate
Virgin with full trust, so that she protect the people of Spain, its men and
women, in order that all contribute to the attainment of the common good, and
particularly to the foundation of the civilization of love. I also encourage
each and all to live in your particular Church in a spirit of communion and of
service, and I exhort you to give devout witness to the Virgin Mary and to
tireless love of neighbour.
I invite you who are
participating in this great pilgrimage to the Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Pilar
of Saragossa to deepen Marian devotion in your towns and cities, where Mary
awaits you in the countless churches and shrines that fill the Country of Spain;
and in the parishes, too, as well as in communities and in the domestic family.
Return there full of joy with the Apostolic Blessing that I most affectionately
impart to you.
BENEDICT XVI
