Pope: Amid Christmas, Prepare Your Hearts

by CNS · December 9, 2024

Pope Francis on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Pope Francis carries a bouquet of white roses to be placed at the foot of a Marian statue near the Spanish Steps in Rome on Dec. 8, 2024, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

By Cindy Wooden, CNS – With the city of Rome presenting a gauntlet of major roadworks and construction projects ahead of the opening of the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis used the disruptions as an opportunity to encourage people to do some spiritual renovation before the jubilee.

On a cloudy afternoon with the threat of rain Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis went to the centre of Rome to continue the tradition of praying before a statue of Mary high atop a column near the Spanish Steps.

At dawn that morning, Rome firefighters climbed nearly 90 feet using a truck and ladder to place a ring of white flowers on Mary’s outstretched arm and bouquets at her feet, continuing a Roman tradition that began in 1949.

Pope Francis brought his own basket of white roses tied with a yellow and white Vatican ribbon, and, as is his custom, he recited a prayer to Mary rather than giving a speech to the thousands of Romans, visitors and tourists who joined him.

Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri was there. He has been dogged with criticism about how the major jubilee projects, most of which are still incomplete, have snarled traffic and disappointed tourists hoping to see sights now covered in scaffolding.

Pope Francis said Mary knows the work is causing “quite a few inconveniences, yet it is a sign that Rome is alive, renewing itself, trying to adapt to needs, to being more welcoming and more functional.”

Speaking to Mary, he said her “mother’s gaze” sees beyond the construction chaos. “And I seem to hear your voice that with wisdom tells us, ‘My children, these works are fine, however, be careful: do not forget the worksites of the soul!”

“‘The real Jubilee is not outside,'” he imagined her saying, “‘it is inside: inside you, inside hearts, in family and social relationships. It is within that you must work to prepare the way for the coming Lord.'”