In the book, Maria – Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God, the Holy Father collects many of his homilies, speeches, and prayers together along with many great photos of his early travels in his Pontificate. It’s a great book for any home library, but it’s really set up as a coffee table book. The photos are quite amazing and inspiring to view. A few weeks ago I wrote a post for “Mondays with Mary” – The Most Holy Name of Mary. In that post, I listed the many titles of Mary. One of the titles I listed was Mary, Seat of Wisdom. On September 14, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI gave an address on the preparation for Christmas and this special title of Mary tothe teachers and students of Roman Universities at St. Peter’s Basilica. Below is the last part of his speech to the academic institutions of Rome –

 “Learn from the Virgin Mary, the first person to contemplate the humanity of the incarnate Word, the humanity of Divine Wisdom. In the Baby Jesus, with whom she had infinite and silent conversations, she recognized the human Face of God, so that the mysterious Wisdom of the Son was impressed on the Mother’s mind and heart. So it was that Mary became the “Seat of Wisdom” and with this title is venerated in particular by the Roman Academic Community.

A special icon is dedicated to the Sedes Sapientiae [located below]. From Rome it has already visited various countries on a pilgrimage to university institutions. It is present here today, so that it may be passed on from the delegation which has come here from Bulgaria to the one which has come from Albania.

I greet with affection the representatives of both these nations and express the wish that per Mariam their respective academic communities may advance ever further in their search for truth and goodness, in the light of Divine Wisdom.

Sedes Sapientiae…Ora Pro Nobis!

Coming in the month of October – “Mondays with Mary” will feature The Most Holy Rosary. Tell your family and friends to subscribe to Tom Perna’s blog or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.