VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 2006 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica at 6 p.m. today, the Pope presided at the first Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, and the singing of the "Te Deum" of thanksgiving for the end of the year.
In his homily, the Holy Father referred to the dimension of time, saying: "In the closing hours of each solar year, we witness the repetition of certain worldly 'rites' which, in the modern world, are prevalently aimed at enjoyment, often experienced as escape from reality, almost as if to exorcise negative elements and propitiate improbable turns of fortune. How different must the attitude of the Christian community be, ... called to live these hours by making their own the sentiments of the Virgin Mary," so that, with her, they may present to Jesus "the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted."
" Mary's maternity," the Pope explained, "is at one and the same time a human and a divine event. ... The Son of God was begotten by Him, and at the same time is the son of a woman, Mary. He comes from her. He is of from God and from Mary. For this reason the Mother of Jesus can and must be called Mother of God."
Pope Benedict called upon the "Theotokos," the Mother of God, to intercede for the world entire, entrusting to her care "situations in which only the grace of the Lord can bring peace, comfort and justice."
"We ask the Mother of God to obtain for us the gift of a mature faith, a faith which we would like, as far as possible, to resemble her own, a clear and genuine faith, humble and at the same time courageous, saturated with hope and enthusiasm for the Kingdom of God; a faith removed from all fatalism and that aims to cooperate in full and joyous obedience to the divine will, in the absolute certainty that God wants nothing other than love and life, always and for everyone."
Following the celebration, in keeping with tradition, the Pope visited the nativity scene in St. Peter's Square.
HML/VESPERS:TE DEUM/... VIS 20070102 (390)
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