(Slight Confession: for some reason, my blogging program is not accepting graphics or treating them as I want. I have glared at my computer and other devices - same problem - so it is the program, not the computers. When I figure this out, I will insert the graphics back into the posts. A practically eternal part of my to-do list is to master computer graphics. Someday - somewhere!)
This visit of Our Lady of Fatima to the parish resurrects many ancient memories. I remember the accounts of Fatima and the appearances of Mary when I was in grade school. I had the wonderful experience of being on a parish trip a few years ago where we visited Spain and Portugal. But the actual visit of the Pilgrim Statue of Fatima to here - a hundred yards from my office - has been more powerful than I would have imagined.
During this time, I have been hearing the phrase "Hail Mary, Full of Grace" from the many rosaries and prayers being uttered here. Sometimes we can become so used to "Church" phrases that we let them fly right by without really comprehending what they mean. We speak of Mary as being free from sin - we speak of Mary as someone we can go to in times of need - we speak of Mary as the one who teaches us about the passionate tenderness of God. All of these statements are true. But there are so many more that we can use to describe and understand her.
My personal experience of this visit was just looking into her eyes - a look that was solid, penetrating, and one filled with the overwhelming mercy of God that is part of her mission for us. She was the one at Cana who told the servants to listen to her son. She was the one whom Jesus gave as our Mother.
We are not a religion of an amorphous force that somehow we can conjure up. We are a religion where God has actually intervened in our history - in our lives - with Jesus and Mary and the sacraments and the saints. I am well aware that numbers of people believe that they would rather be spiritual than religious. The Church has disappointed. Well, humans in the Church have disappointed all of us. At times, bitterly so. But we still have Mary's words and presence reminding us of the non-abandoning love of God. Humans can foul things up - unbelievably and horribly at times. We need to get back to the core of our religion - and help each other to see that being spiritual is not meant to be an "either-of" approach to religion. Being spiritual means that we are taking into ourselves the presence, the message of Jesus, Mary, and the saints. That is the heart of our religion. I so hope that this visit of Mary, who is full of grace, can bring each of us into the mystery of God.
If you have given up on humans in the Church, so be it. But try, try, try not to give up on Jesus and Mary and the Saints and the Eucharist. They are the heart of being religious - the heart of our religion.
There are so many who are sick, so many who are struggling, so many who are searching. Lady of Fatima, we need your power, your intercession in our lives. I know that you never desert us. Let us experience that presence of mercy and peace. We need it so much in our Church and in our world.
Spending time in the presence of this Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima has helped to give me a glimpse again of faith. Looking directly into her eyes gave me such an experience of peace.
The awful things in our Church, our country, and our world have just brought me down over the last few months. So many people have shared similar feelings with me. I have a ray of hope. I'll take it. I thank God for it. I thank Mary who is full of grace.
TODAY's GRATITUDE - Simply stated, the things in this post.