Pope Leo: Pray for peace in our world and our families

By Christopher Wells

At the Angelus prayer for the World Day of Peace, Pope Leo called on the faithful to pray together for peace “first among nations bloodied by conflict and suffering, but also within our homes, in families wounded by violence and pain."

The Holy Father said that, with the coming of the new year, “the Lord invites us to renew our times by finally ushering in an era of peace and friendship among all peoples.”

Cultivate hope by converting hearts to God

Pope Leo went on to say that the Jubilee Year has taught us “how to cultivate hope for a new world” by “converting our hearts to God, in order to transform wrongs into forgiveness, pain into consolation, and resolutions of virtue into good works.”

On this day, which is celebrated as the Solemnity of Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God, the Church invites us to look to Mary, “the first to experience Christ’s beating Heart,” the Pope said.

Christ's heart beats for every man and woman

He explained that God, who has always known Mary’s heart, and ours, makes His Heart known by becoming man. “The Heart of Jesus, therefore, beats for every man and woman,” both the good and the wicked.

Pope Leo invited us to “adore” the mystery of the Incarnation, “which shines forth in Mary Most Holy and is reflected in every unborn child, revealing the divine image imprinted in our humanity.”

The Pope concluded his Angelus message by inviting the faithful to “confidently implore the intercession of Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church.”