"A MOTHER IN HEAVEN"

We have a mother in Heaven. And the Mother of God, the Mother of the Son of God, is our Mother. He Himself has said so.

"HEAVEN HAS A HEART"

We have a Mother in Heaven. Heaven is open. Heaven has a heart.

GOD'S GREATNESS

Mary wanted God to be great in the world, great in her life and present among us all.

NOT AFRAID

She was not afraid that God might be a "rival" in our life, that with His greatness He might encroach on our freedom, our vital space.

DON'T DRIFT AWAY

Only if God is great is humankind also great. With Mary, we must begin to understand that this is so. We must not drift away from God but make God present; we must ensure that He is great in our lives.

LISTEN TO MARY

Mary speaks with us, speaks to us, invites us to know the Word of God, to love the Word of God, to live with the Word of God, to think with the Word of God.

MARY IS VERY CLOSE TO YOU

Mary is taken up body and soul into the glory of Heaven, and with God and in God she is Queen of Heaven and earth... She is very close to each one of us.

"MOTHERLY KINDNESS"

While she lived on this earth she could only be close to a few people...Being in God and with God, she is close to each one of us, knows our hearts, can hear our prayers, can help us with he motherly kindness and has been given to us, as the Lord said, precisely as a "mother" to whom we can turn at every moment.

MARY IS ALWAYS THERE

She always listens to us, she is always close to us, and being Mother of the Son, participates in the power of the Son and in His goodness. We can always entrust the whole of our lives to this Mother, who is not far from any one of us.

(Source: Homily, Solemnity of the Assumption, 8/15/05, Castel Gandolfo, Italy)