On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Leo XIV invited the Church to contemplate the beauty of Mary’s faith, and to renew our own willingness to welcome Christ. Speaking to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus, the Holy Father reflected on Mary’s unique grace, her freedom to respond, and the way her yes continues to shape the life of every Christian.
The feast celebrates the moment when Mary, by a singular privilege and in view of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, was preserved from original sin. Pope Leo reminded the Church that this grace prepared her to receive the Lord with a heart untouched by sin, a heart ready to listen, to wonder, and to serve. The Gospel recounts the Angel Gabriel greeting her as full of grace, and in that greeting she recognized the mission entrusted to her. She responded with the simplicity that marks true humility, offering herself entirely to God.
Pope Leo noted that this divine gift bore fruit in Mary because she freely welcomed it. God offers his gifts generously, yet he never imposes himself, and Mary shows us how grace and freedom work together. Her assent stands as a model for every believer. The Holy Father encouraged the faithful to give their own assent in daily life, renewed through prayer, gratitude, and quiet acts of love. These small and steady responses, he said, allow Christ to be known and loved in places that might otherwise forget him.
The Pope also turned attention to the grace first given to each Christian in Baptism. The miracle that took place at Mary’s conception is echoed, in a different way, when the baptized are cleansed of original sin and made children of God. Through this sacrament, Christ makes his dwelling within us and strengthens us to cooperate in his work. Just as Mary bore Christ into the world, the baptized are sent to bear witness according to their vocation, contributing to the renewal of society through fidelity and charity.
Later in the day, the Pope continued the long-standing Roman tradition of honoring Our Lady in Piazza di Spagna. Each year on this feast, he travels to the foot of the Spanish Steps to lay flowers before the statue of the Immaculate Conception. Firefighters climb the tall column earlier in the morning to place their own bouquet in Mary’s hands, a sign of devotion shared throughout the city.
The celebration of this solemnity invites the Church to look to Mary not only with admiration but also with resolve. Her openness to God’s plan shows the path toward a life shaped by grace rather than fear. Pope Leo urged the faithful to trust that God continues to act in every age, offering gifts that transform the human heart and preparing those who welcome him to bring light into the world. Mary’s yes was the beginning of salvation’s unfolding in time, and our own daily yes allows that same mystery to continue bearing fruit in the life of the Church.