By Christopher Wells
More than 30,000 pilgrims, including rectors and volunteers from Marian shrines as well as members of Marian movements, confraternities, and prayer groups, gathered in St Peter’s Square Saturday to pray together the Most Holy Rosary in a prayer vigil led by Pope Leo XIV.
The Holy Father himself requested that the Vigil be dedicated to praying for “the gift of peace.”
In his reflection during the Rosary, Pope Leo invited the faithful to “persevere tirelessly in praying for peace, a God-given gift that we must strive to receive and to which we must make a strong commitment.”
‘Lay down your sword’
Insisting that we should never let the Jesus’ words “fall to the ground,” the Pope highlighted His words in the Garden of Gethsemane, before the Passion, “Lay down your sword,” in a passionate appeal for disarmament.
He noted once again that “peace is unarmed and disarming. It is not deterrence but fraternity; it is not an ultimatum, but dialogue.”
Peace, the Pope said, “will not come as a result of victories over the enemy, but as the fruit of sowing justice and courageous forgiveness.”
“‘Lay down your sword’ is a message addressed to the powerful of the world, to those who guide the fate of peoples: have the courage to disarm,” Pope Leo continued, adding, “At the same time, it is an invitation to each one of us to recognize that no idea, faith, or policy justifies killing. We must first disarm our hearts because unless we have peace within ourselves, we cannot give it to others.”
Authentic Marian spirituality
The Pope’s call for disarmament came in a reflection on Marian Spirituality, based on Mary’s words in the Gospel.
“During this Jubilee of Marian Spirituality,” the Pope said, “we believers turn our gaze to the Virgin Mary, who guides us on our pilgrimage of hope.” He reminded the faithful that “the most authentic Marian devotion” involves the imitation of Mary’s “human and evangelical virtues,” and invited them to ask “for the gift of compassion toward every brother and sister who suffers, and toward all creatures.”
He recalled the final “precious” words recorded of Mary in the Gospel, “Do whatever He tells you.” “Like a beacon,” he said, “Mary points beyond herself, showing that the final destination is the Lord Jesus and His word.” The Mother of God calls us to “live the Gospel: embody it, living it out with determination and joy” knowing that by doing so, our lives “will be transformed from being empty and dull to something full and vibrant.”
Adopting a different perspective
Pope Leo then invited the faithful to “adopt a different perspective” to see the world not from the point of view of the mighty, but of “the little ones… to interpret the events of history from the viewpoint of the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the wounded child, the exile, and the fugitive.”
Until we learn to do so, he said, “nothing will ever change, and a new era, a kingdom of justice and peace, will never dawn.”
Finally, after recalling the Beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Pope Leo prayed to Mary, the Queen of Peace, asking her to teach us “to listen to the cry of the poor and of mother earth… to be the guide of our commitment to service… to live and bear witness to Christian love, by welcoming everyone as brothers and sisters; to renounce the darkness of selfishness in order to follow Christ, the true light of humanity.” – Vatican News
