MARY … BY MANY NAMES BUT STILL OUR MOTHER

Many of us have been for pilgrimages around the world visiting various Shrines of our Lady either locally or abroad. Our pilgrimages and our honour to Our Lady have inspired our devotion to Her and have led us to conversion and confession. Mother Mary has inspired me very much since my seminary days and She is still inspiring and stirring me in my own priestly ministry till today. She has always echoed in me to not be afraid. Most of the nights before I go up to my room I used to visit our St Joseph’s Shrine and Our Lady at the Grotto. I just ask them to accompany all of our parishioners in all things that we undertake here in our parish. I am sure many of you also make personal requests to St Joseph and Mother Mary. Some of us have really forgotten their accompaniments and their real presence in our lives. This year we reflect very much on Our Lady of Fatima as the Church celebrates Her 100 years apparition in Fatima, Portugal.

Mother Mary has many names or titles. In the Litany of Our Lady we can refer to many different titles of Mary.  Some of her titles refer to a city or town name corresponding to an apparition location, for instance, Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Fatima or Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are also devotional titles of Our Lady, e.g. Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Our Lady of Sorrows, etc. There are other titles, which associated with a unique history. One such devotion is to Mary under the title of Our Lady Help of Christians. There are some churches which have dedicated titles of Mary. Each title of Mary is unique, and has its own origin and history and the devotions are more or less are the same calling us to pray the Rosary. Each time when we pray the Rosary, it draws us closer to Jesus and helps us to grow in our spiritual life.

Most of our Catholics have great devotions to Our Blessed Virgin Mary because of her role in salvation history. The Catholic Church is trying her best to teach us in various forms to equip our knowledge about Her through homilies, readings and viewings or hearings from various audio-visual. Many of us are taught from childhood to honour Mary and to have devotions to Her by praying the Rosary and we are still faithful to it. We have our personal experiences when we were wandered from our Catholic faith. She has interceded for us endlessly and brought us back to Jesus and Catholic Church. The Rosary is central for our individual’s faith and in the faith of our Church. She has been real in our life right?

Do not give up saying the Rosary daily. You may feel nothing is happening in your life and things are not going well right now. Just remain faithful to Her and Her husband, St Joseph. They will bring all your prayers and desires into reality. They will bring you much closer to their Son, Jesus Christ when you surrender to the will of God. Jesus will do everything according to His plan and bring all things possible.

As we know 13^th October 1917 is known as the sixth and last Apparition of Our Lady to three peasant children in Fatima and the Church celebrates the 100^th year anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s apparition. To commemorate this day, on 13 October 2017 (Friday), the regular weekly morning Mass comers had Rosary immediately after the Morning Mass at 7.15. In the evening at 7.30, the Prayer group and Legion of Mary of our parish conducted the Rosary in the Church. Our Lady of Rosary has given a message to the world to continue to say the Rosary daily. Let’s not give up reciting the Rosary daily in our lives. She will stand by us in all things that we do and obtain for us whatever we ask.

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY PRAY FOR US!