During the Angelus, Pope Francis said, "None of us can buy salvation. Salvation is a gift from God that comes to us and dwells in us. [. . .] salvation is given freely and we must give it to others". In the afternoon, the pope goes to Santa Maria Maggiore, and then to Piazza di Spagna for the tribute to the Immaculate.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Everything is grace, everything is freely given by God and His love for us," said Pope Francis in "today's message for the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary", in which the Archangel Gabriel hails Mary as the 'favoured one' (Lk, 1:28)."

The "everything is grace" Francis cited before today's Angelus comes from the ending of Diary of a Country Priest, a book by Georges Bernanos, one of the pontiff's favourite books.

For the Holy Father, "[God] preserved her from original sin. And Mary corresponds to the grace, and abandons herself, telling the angel, 'May it be done to me according to your word' (v. 38). She does not say, 'I shall do according to your word,' but 'May it be done . . ." . . . in accordance with the Gospel logic, nothing is more active and fruitful than listening and welcoming the Word of the Lord that comes from the Gospel, from the Bible. . . . The Lord always talks to us."

"The attitude of Mary of Nazareth," he went to say, "shows us that being comes before doing, and that we must leave it to God to be truly as He wants us to be. He is the one who does wonders. Mary is receptive, yet not passive. As she physically receives the power of the Holy Spirit but then gives flesh and blood to the Son of God that is formed in Her, so, on a spiritual level, she welcomes grace and corresponds to it with faith. "

"Mary," he added, "was pre-served, whilst we are saved through baptism and faith. Everyone however, she and us, through Christ, 'for the praise of the glory of his grace' (v. 6), the grace with which the Immaculate which was fully fulfilled. "

Grace, which is given to us in abundance, leads to giving without asking. "None of us can buy salvation. Salvation is a gift from God that comes to us and dwells in us. Without cost we have received; without cost we are to give (cf Mt, 10:8) - in imitation of Mary, who, right after welcoming the Angel's announcement, went to share the gift of fertility with her relative Elizabeth. Why? If everything was given to us, everything must be given back. How? By letting the Holy Spirit make us a gift to others, by letting us become instruments of acceptance, reconciliation and forgiveness."

In concluding the pontiff said, "If our existence is to be transformed by the grace of the Lord, we cannot hold for ourselves the light that comes from his face, but we must let it go to enlighten others. Let us learn from Mary, who constantly gazed at the Son and her face became 'the visage most resembling Christ' (Dante, Paradise, XXXII, 87)."

Following the Marian prayer, Francis extended his greetings to various groups present in the square. He also mentioned that, following tradition, this afternoon there will be a tribute of prayer in front of the column and the statue of the Immaculate in Piazza di Spagna.

Before that, the pope is set to visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore) to greet the icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani. Hence, to the crowd he said, "I ask you to join me in this spiritual pilgrimage, which expresses filial devotion to our heavenly Mother."

Before moving away from the window of the Apostolic Palace, he told the 50,000 or so faithful gathered in St Peter's, "Do not forget: salvation is given freely and we must give it to others".

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