power and money will be defeated by love. That is the prophecy of Mary

On the Solemnity of the Assumption, Francis defined the Magnificat as “the song of hope” and invited people not to be “trapped by pessimism.” Like the Virgin, he said, “am I able to discover the work of God, who through meekness and littleness accomplishes great things?” He proposed that the faithful visit a Marian shrine to pray for peace.

Vatican City () – The Magnificat is a great “gift to the world”, a “song of hope” that calls us not to get caught up in pessimism about history, Pope Francis told the faithful gathered this morning in Vatican City. Saint Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus.

Commenting on the famous prayer proposed today by the liturgy on the solemnity of the Assumption, the Pope referred especially to the description of the work that God carries out in history, when Mary affirms that “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones, exalted the humble He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty” (Lk 1:52-53). “Listening to these words – Francis observed – we could ask ourselves: isn’t the Virgin exaggerating a bit, describing a world that doesn’t exist? In fact, what she says does not seem to correspond to reality; while she speaks, the powerful of that time have not been overthrown: the fearsome Herod, for example, stands firm on his throne. And the poor and hungry remain poor, while the rich continue to prosper.”

Mary – Francis continued – “does not want to chronicle that moment, she is not a journalist, but to tell us something much more important: that God, through her, has inaugurated a turning point in history, has definitively established a new order of things She, small and humble, was raised and taken to the glory of Heaven, while the powerful of the world are destined to remain empty-handed.

It is worth saying that in the Magnificat the Virgin anticipates that “reversal of values” that Jesus will announce later, “when he proclaims blessed the poor and the humble and warns the rich and those who trust in their own self-sufficiency. The Virgin prophesies that they are not power, success and money that prevail, but service, humility and love. And contemplating her in glory we understand that true power is service – let us not forget this: true power is service – and to reign means to love”,

That is why the Pope then invited us to ask ourselves if this new logic that Mary announces really touches our lives: “Do I believe that to love is to reign and to serve is power? Do I believe that the goal of my life is Heaven, paradise? Or is it only I worry about material and earthly things? What is more, when observing the events of the world, do I allow myself to be trapped by pessimism or am I capable, like the Virgin, of discovering the work of God, which through meekness and smallness does great things? Mary – he concluded – today sings of hope and rekindles hope in us, because in her we see the goal of the road. She shows us that Heaven is within reach. Yes, heaven is within reach of the hand if we too do not give in to sin, praise God with humility and serve others with generosity. Our Mother takes us by the hand, accompanies us to glory, invites us to rejoice thinking of paradise. Let us bless Mary with our prayer and ask him for a prophetic gaze, capable glimpse of Heaven on earth.

At the end of the Angelus, Pope Francis reminded all those who, even in these days, cannot afford a period of rest, and those who are alone or sick. He expressed his “gratitude to those who ensure essential services for the community.” Finally, he proposed to all who have the opportunity on this day dedicated to the Virgin to visit a Marian shrine. “Let us continue to invoke the intercession of Our Lady – he said – so that God may grant peace to the world and in particular to the Ukrainian people”.