J.M.J. On this Saturday, which is always the "Day of Mary" and today the Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot, we ponder the Holy Father's words from his visit on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Madhu, Mannar in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.
"Dear Brothers and Sisters,
"We are in our Mother’s house. Here she welcomes us into
her home. At this shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, every pilgrim can feel
at home, for here Mary brings us into the presence of her Son Jesus.
Here Sri Lankans, Tamil and Sinhalese alike, come as members of one
family. To Mary they commend their joys and sorrows, their hopes and
needs. Here, in her home, they feel safe. They know that God is very
near; they feel His love; they know His tender mercy, the tender mercy
of God.
"There are families here today which suffered greatly in
the long conflict which tore open the heart of Sri Lanka. Many people,
from north and south alike, were killed in the terrible violence and
bloodshed of those years. No Sri Lankan can forget the tragic events
associated with this very place, or the sad day when the venerable
statue of Mary, dating to the arrival of the earliest Christians in Sri
Lanka, was taken away from her shrine.
"But Our Lady is remaining always with you. She is the
mother of every home, of every wounded family, of all who are seeking to
return to a peaceful existence. Today we thank her for protecting the
people of Sri Lanka from so many dangers, past and present. Mary never
forgot her children on this resplendent island. Just as she never left
the side of her Son on the Cross, so she never left the side of her
suffering Sri Lankan children.
"Today we want to thank Our Lady for that presence. In
the wake of so much hatred, violence and destruction, we want to thank
her for continuing to bring us Jesus, Who alone has the power to heal
open wounds and to restore peace to broken hearts. But we also want to
ask her to implore for us the grace of God’s mercy. We ask also for the
grace to make reparation for our sins and for all the evil which this
land has known.
"It is not easy to do this. Yet only when we come to
understand, in the light of the Cross, the evil we are capable of, and
have even been a part of, can we experience true remorse and true
repentance. Only then can we receive the grace to approach one another
in true contrition, offering and seeking true forgiveness. In this
difficult effort to forgive and find peace, Mary is always here to
encourage us, to guide us, to lead us. Just as she forgave her Son’s
killers at the foot of his Cross, then held His lifeless body in her
hands, so now she wants to guide Sri Lankans to greater reconciliation, so that the balm of God’s pardon and mercy may bring true healing to all.
"Finally, we want to ask Mother Mary to accompany with
her prayers the efforts of Sri Lankans from both Tamil and Sinhalese
speaking communities to rebuild the unity which was lost. Just as her
statue came back to her shrine of Madhu after the war, so we pray that
all her Sri Lankan sons and daughters may now come home to God in a
renewed spirit of reconciliation and fellowship.
"Dear brothers and sisters, I am happy to be with you in
Mary’s house. Let us pray for one another. Above all, let us ask that
this shrine may always be a house of prayer and a haven of peace.
Through the intercession of Our Lady of Madhu, may all people find here
inspiration and strength to build a future of reconciliation, justice
and peace for all the children of this beloved land. Amen."
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