Maiandacht – Living the Marian month with Benedict XVI / MEET

by Lea Amodio

Segne Du, Maria! - On May 27, the Ratzinger Class experienced a special moment of spirituality with Professor Don Ralph Weimann, to rend homage to Mary, Mother of the Church. This began with the celebration of the Eucharist at the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà in the Campo Santo Teutonico, followed by the recitation of the Holy Rosary in the Vatican Gardens, culminating at the Grotto of Lourdes. The journey through Marian places intertwined with the life of Pope Benedict XVI, who concluded his earthly life there, in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, where he spoke his last words, the synthesis of a lifetime of love and service: "Lord, I love you!"

The Mass and the final moment at the Grotto included moments of song and a homily on Mary's indispensable role in the history of salvation, through her "Fiat," which is the "Fiat" required of all of us.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, during his years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, celebrated Mass in the Campo Santo Teutonico every Thursday morning. Don Weimann recalled that the Lord «gave him the charism of penetrating the Mystery of God through Faith and Reason, Fides et Ratio, thus allowing him to contemplate, with extraordinary depth, the Truth of God».

And turning instead to the Gospel of the day, Mc 10, 32-45:

«(...) The Evangelist St. Mark shows us how much it meant for many of those who served Jesus to truly believe in Him, especially when the Lord revealed the way in which the Redemption would be accomplished, through His Passion and Death on the Cross to reach the glory of the Resurrection. (...) For this reason the Lord says: Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be the servant of all. These words find their fulfillment in Mary: in fact, she "answers the Angel: Behold the handmaid of the Lord. And we understand that true greatness lies not in intellect and honor but in humility, love, and self-giving».

«It is Joseph Ratzinger who affirmed: the veneration of Mary is the veneration of Christ.

Mary is, in fact, profoundly united to her Son and her God, so much so that it is difficult to speak of her without our gaze immediately rising to the Mystery of Christ. Mary never keeps her gaze fixed on herself but always leads to Christ. For this reason, as Cardinal Ratzinger emphasized: "The Church did not invent Marian devotion; rather, it arises as a natural and intrinsic consequence of the Christian faith". Whoever recognizes Jesus made man cannot ignore the One who welcomed Him with faith, carried Him in her womb, and followed Him to the cross. We contemplate this already in the words of Gospel from Saint Elizabeth: "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Even when we pray the Rosary, we turn to Christ through Mary. Without seeking a place on the right or left, we seek instead to find our place in God's plan of salvation. And this, ultimately, is what matters in our lives: recognizing God's will for our lives and accepting it with faith, humility, and love.

In his reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger often recalls the New Testament image of the “Daughter of Zion”. Mary is the true Daughter of Zion, the living dwelling place of God. Mary is the perfect creature, the purest of all creatures and angels. She is the new creation, entirely oriented to God, entirely shaped by his grace, without any resistance to God's will. She was chosen to welcome the Lord into her womb, and for this reason she was given the fullness of grace and an incomparable purity. How do we welcome Christ when we receive him in Holy Communion? In the Holy Eucharist, He is never something but Someone, the same Jesus whom Mary carried in her womb. With a keen awareness of the mystery received. Her soul rejoices because she carries God within herself – Magnificat (…)».

The tour of the Vatican Gardens included several stops at symbolic points, such as the icon of Our Lady of Good Counsel, a mosaic inaugurated in 2009, providentially together, by the then Prior General of the Augustinian Order, Father Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, and Pope Benedict XVI, and the Holy Father's own floral coat of arms before the Governorate. Another moment of prayer was held at the statue of Saint Michael the Archangel, placed to protect Vatican City, inaugurated by Pope Francis in the presence of Benedict as pontiff emeritus, in 2013, the first year of the former's pontificate and the last, eighth, of the latter. A unique historical event.

An itinerary under the gaze and mantle of Mary and the shadow of the dome of the Apostle Peter, culminating with the last decade of the Holy Rosary and the litanies before the Grotto of Lourdes, so habitually frequented daily by Benedict during his magisterium and after his renunciation, in the contemplative time experienced just a few steps away.