"Because of this virtue of his, it only took 33 days for Pope Luciani
to win people's hearts. In his addresses he always referred to events in
practical life, from his family memories and from popular wisdom. His
simplicity was a vehicle for a solid, rich teaching which, thanks to the
gift of an exceptional memory and a vast knowledge, he embellished with
numerous citations from ecclesiastical and secular writers. Thus, he
was an incomparable catechist, following in the footsteps of St. Piux X,
who came from the same region and was his predecessor first on the
throne of St. Mark and then on that of St. Peter.
... 'We must feel small
before God' ... 'I am not
ashamed to feel like a child before his mother; one believes in one's
mother; I believe in the Lord, in what he has revealed to me.' These
words reveal the full depth of his faith. As we thank God for having
given him to the church and to the world, let us treasure his example,
striving to cultivate his same humility which enabled him to talk to
everyone, especially the small and the 'distant.' For this, let us
invoke Mary Most Holy, the humble handmaid of the Lord."
Benedict XVI, Angelus, 28 September 2008.
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