Aug 5, 2004 / 22:00 pm
This morning, on the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Pope John Paul II presided over a mass in memory of his predecessor, Servant of God Paul VI, on the 26th anniversary of his death in Castel Gandolfo.
“This day, on which we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, evokes for us the dear memory of Servant of God, Pope Paul VI,” said the Pope in the private chapel in the Pontifical Palace in Castel Gandolfo.
“On the evening of Aug. 6, 1978, right in this house, he concluded his days on earth,” he continued. “Faithful follower of his Lord, he held in his heart the light of Tabor, and with that light he walked until the end, carrying his cross with an evangelical joy.”
The Pope pointed out that Aug. 6 is not just the anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s death, but also of his first encyclical, la Ecclesiam suam, which also bears the date of this feast day.
“We give thanks to God for having given the Church this unforgettable pastor,” said the Pope. “Entrusting ourselves to the intercession of the Most Holy Mary, we ask the Lord that the Church of today and of tomorrow will always know how to treasure his examples and his teachings.”