Pope Leo XIV delivered a stirring homily, emphasizing Mary’s “yes” to God as a timeless source of hope and a call to action for believers today.
Newsroom (15/08/2025 Gaudium Press )During a Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Pontifical Parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova, Pope Leo XIV delivered a stirring homily, emphasizing Mary’s “yes” to God as a timeless source of hope and a call to action for believers today. Reflecting on the Paschal Mystery, the Holy Father underscored how Mary’s Magnificat continues to strengthen the humble and faithful, urging the Church to live boldly for life and justice.
The Pope began by noting the significance of the feast, which, though not a Sunday, celebrates “in another way the Paschal Mystery of Jesus, which changed the course of history.” He drew a parallel between Mary’s life and the Church’s journey, stating, “In Mary of Nazareth, we recognize our own history: the history of the Church, immersed in the common lot of humanity. By taking flesh in her, the God of life and of freedom has conquered death.”
Mary’s ‘Yes’ and the Triumph of Love
Pope Leo XIV highlighted the centrality of human cooperation in God’s plan, saying, “His is the Kingdom, but ours is the ‘yes’ to his love that can change everything.” He pointed to Jesus’ “yes” on the Cross, which “stripped death of its power,” overcoming fear, mistrust, and division. Mary, standing by the Cross, embodied this same fidelity. “In our day, we are like Mary whenever we do not flee, whenever we make Jesus’ ‘yes’ our own,” the Pope said, marveling that this “yes” persists in modern martyrs, witnesses of faith, justice, and peace.
The Holy Father described the Solemnity as both a day of joy and a moment of decision, challenging the faithful to reflect on “how and for whom we shall live.” He recalled the Gospel account of the Visitation, calling it “a decisive moment” in Mary’s vocation, where her Magnificat radiated the light of her trust in God. This trust, he noted, was confirmed by the fruitfulness of Elizabeth, which anticipated the transformative power of Mary’s assent and, by extension, the Church’s mission.
Resurrection Breaks Through Despair
Reflecting on the Assumption, Pope Leo emphasized that the Resurrection remains a living reality. “The words and choices of death may seem to prevail, but the life of God breaks through our despair through concrete experiences of fraternity and new gestures of solidarity,” he said. Mary’s Magnificat, he added, “strengthens the hope of the humble, the hungry, the faithful servants of God,” as God’s Word continues to shine forth in acts of goodness and life-affirming choices.
The Pope warned against the temptation of self-reliance and indifference, which cling to “the old world” and prioritize the powerful over the poor. Yet, he celebrated the Church’s renewal through its “fragile members”—the poor, persecuted Christian communities, peacemakers, and witnesses of forgiveness in conflict zones. “They are the joy of the Church,” he affirmed, “her enduring fruitfulness, the first fruits of the Kingdom to come.”
A Call to Conversion and Courage
In a poignant moment, Pope Leo highlighted the witness of women, like Mary and Elizabeth, whom he called “Paschal women, apostles of the Resurrection.” He urged the faithful to be converted by their example, recognizing in Mary’s Assumption a sign of humanity’s destiny. “She is given to us as the sign that the Resurrection of Jesus was no isolated event, no mere exception,” he said, describing Mary as a “wondrous union of grace and freedom.”
The Pope encouraged believers to proclaim this joy with a “new song” and to reject the “voices of death” that counsel self-interest or apathy. “It is His love that drives us—soul and body—in our time,” he declared, stressing that true life spreads only when individuals and the Church live not for themselves but for others.
A Message of Hope
Concluding his homily, Pope Leo XIV called for courage in choosing life, even when it seems “risky and imprudent.” He reminded the faithful that Mary’s Magnificat and her Assumption point to the transformative power of God’s love, which continues to renew the world through acts of solidarity, forgiveness, and justice. “When bonds are born, with which we confront evil with good and death with life,” he said, “we see that ‘nothing will be impossible with God’ (Lk 1:37).”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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