FATIMA IN ROME AND ALL OVER THE WORLD
LIDIA DUDKIEWICZ
Mary’s Day of the Year of Faith, celebrated on 12-13 October 2013, started with Mary’s divine service on St. Peter’s Square in Rome, and later there was a prayer vigil in the Roman sanctuary of Mary the Divine Love. The final of the Papal Day was the entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by pope Francis
On the occasion of Mary’s Day celebrated on 12 – 13 October 2013, the original figure of Our Lady of Fatima was brought to Rome from Portugal. The figure got from the Roman airport to Vatican by a military helicopter which landed in the Vatican Gardens, at the feet of the figure of Our Lady of Częstochowa, which, has been standing on the Vatican airport since the pontificate of John Paul II. First the figure of Our Lady of Fatima was brought to the monastery ‘Mater Ecclesiae’, in front of which Benedict XVI was the first to pray. Next, in the house of St. Martha it was welcomed by pope Francis. Whereas, being assisted by the Vatican gendarmerie and the Swiss Guards, the figure was making a pilgrimage among believers who had arrived at St. Peter’s Square, where there was a prayer of Mary called Mary’s Road (Via Matris).
Mary opened the door to God with Her ‘yes’
In his reflection during the religious service on St. Peter’s Square at the figure of Our Lady of Fatima, the Holy Father Francis was speaking about Mary as Mother of faith for each of us. He noted that She solves a knot of sins, which was tied by Eva’s disobedience. – There are no impossible things for Divine mercifulness! Even most complicated knots are solved with the help of His grace.
Pope Francis noted that Mary, as good Mother, teaches us to make a pilgrimage in faith.
Mary always leads us to Jesus
After the divine service on St. Peter’s Square, the figure of Our Lady of Fatima was transported by helicopter to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Love in Rome (Madonna del Divino Amore). A prayer vigil took place there, in the unity with the pope Francis, who addressed a video-message to the world. He greeted pilgrims present in the Roman sanctuary and united via the live video transmission, gathered in the sanctuaries of Mary in: Lourdes, Nazareth, Lujan, Velankanni, Akita, Nairobi, Banneux, Częstochowa, Washington and Aparecida. He admitted that he felt united with all participants of the vigil prayer under the look of Mary the Virgin. He assured that Mary looks at everyone, ‘like Mother, with affection, mercifulness, love’. – The look! How important it is! How much one can say through the look! – said the Holy Father. – Emotional bonds, encouragement, sympathy, love but also accusation, jealousy, pride, and even hatred. The look often expresses more than words do, or says what words cannot say or do not dare to say. He noted that Mary points out to Jesus with her look and leads to Jesus, because redemption is only in Him. She encourages us to give a testimony about Jesus. Pope Francis finished his video-message with the words: - Oh, Mary, let us feel Your look of Mother, lead us to Your Son, make us be Christians not ‘for show’, but the ones who can ‘roll their sleeves up’ in order to build Jesus’ Kingdom of love, joy and peace.
A transcontinental rosary
The rosary live video transmission, ten sanctuaries of Mary in the world was participated in also by Poles gathered at Jasna Góra. They were praying the second Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary, under the leadership of archbishop Wacław Depo, the metropolitan of Częstochowa. The rosary prayer of the world was enriched with singing and testimonies, showing joy of life in the unity with Jesus, in brotherhood, forgiveness and mutual love. The testimonies were also given by people experienced by life, and also those who were specially touched by God. There was a gynecologist among them, who used to promote contraception and sterilization, who used to belong to freemasonry and who got converted in Lourdes. The actor Pietro Sarubbi, starring as Barabbas in the film ‘Passion’ by Mel Gibson confessed that in the eyes of another actor starring as Jesus, he met with the look of very Jesus. There was a shocking story of Darleine Dorothee from Rwanda about a fight for life, the country exhausted with the bloody tribal war. A Syrian family gave a testimony about Christians persecution in the Middle East. Whereas Chiara Amirante proved how love can destroy walls of indifference because of which the soul is imprisoned in a terrible loneliness. She spoke about how she was trying to save people addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, engrossed in depression from the death hell whom she was looking for in the streets of Rome.
These testimonies showed problems which are overwhelming the contemporary man in the situation when the world is bringing wars, persecutions and encourages to live in a way as if God did not exist.
When the rosary transcontinental live video transmission was finished, the prayer vigil lasted for the whole night. On 13 October, in the morning, when pilgrims arrived in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Love in Rome, the Holy Mass was celebrated at the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Later the statue was transported to St. Peter’s Square where the most important event of the Mary’s Day took place – entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary the Virgin by pope Francis.
(AA)
"Niedziela" 42/2013