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Pope Francis pays a special visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for the liturgical commemoration of the dedication of the papal basilica, and prays for peace for our war-torn world.
An ancient tradition recalls that on the evening of 4-5 August 358, the Blessed Virgin appeared to the reigning Pope, Liberius, and a devout Roman couple, asking for a church to be built on the site that would see a miraculous snowfall at the height of the Roman summer. The next morning, the outline of the Basilica was clearly seen in the new fallen snow.
This year, Pope Francis himself made the journey to Saint Mary Major to take part in the liturgical celebration of Second Vespers for the feast of the Dedication of the Church.In his homily, the Holy Father highlighted the “marvel” and “amazement” of the miraculous snowfall, which he described as a symbol of grace for its beauty and gratuitousness. “Grace cannot be deserved, let alone purchased; it can only be received as a gift,” the Pope said.
With this attitude, he continued, it is possible to appreciate the more important “sign” connected with the Basilica, namely, the Icon of Mary, “In this icon, he said, the image of the Virgin Mary and Child reveals grace “in its concreteness, stripped of every mythological, magical, and spiritualistic vesture always lurking in the religious sphere.
Pope Francis noted that those present for Monday’s feast formed a sort of “vanguard” ahead of the many pilgrims who will come to Rome for the Holy Year of Jubilee, invoking Mary’s intercession for Rome and the whole world. In a special way, pilgrims call upon Mary to intercede for the gift of true peace, which can only come from “repentant and forgiven hearts, the peace that comes from the Cross of Christ, and from His Blood, which He took from Mary and shed for the remission of sins.
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