Monday, May 13, 2019

MAY 13 - MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA



“Our Lady of Fatima”
artist and date are unknown


Readings and Commentary:[2]

Below are the readings suggested for today's Memorial. However, readings for the Memorial may also be taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, #707-712.

Reading 1: Isaiah 61:9-11

Thus says the LORD:
Their descendants shall be renowned among the nations,
 and their offspring among the peoples;
All who see them shall acknowledge them
 as a race the LORD has blessed.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
 in my God is the joy of my soul;
For he has clothed me with a robe of salvation,
 and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
 like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
 and a garden makes its growth spring up,
So will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
 spring up before all the nations.
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Commentary on Is 61:9-11

This selection provides the last verses of “Glad Tidings to the Lowly,” one of the songs of those returning from exile. Jesus quoted from the first part of this song (not included) when he announced the messianic kingdom had come (Luke 4:18-19). In these verses, the prophet sees the New Jerusalem coming forth as a light upon the world, bring salvation to the people and glory to God.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17

R. (11) Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
or:
R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
 forget your people and your father's house.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
 for he is your lord, and you must worship him. 
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
or:
R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

All glorious is the king's daughter as she enters;
 her raiment is threaded with spun gold.
In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king;
 behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you. 
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
or:
R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.

They are borne in with gladness and joy;
 they enter the palace of the king.
The place of your fathers your sons shall have;
 you shall make them princes through all the land. 
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
or:
R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.
Alleluia
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Psalm 45 is a royal psalm originally sung in honor of the king’s marriage to a queen (of foreign extraction). It is likely that it influenced St. Paul’s instructions on virgins and marriage. It emphasizes the beauty of the sacramental relationship (see 1 Corinthians 7:25-35).

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Gospel:  Luke 11:27-28

While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
"Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed."
He replied, "Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it."
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Commentary on Lk 11:27-28

This short saying of Jesus is not a contradiction of the woman who blesses Mother Mary; rather it is an assertion by the Lord that the message is more important, in his eyes, than that biological relationship. Mary is more blessed because she heard “the word of God” (see also Luke 1:28-29 and Luke 1:42-45). This passage is consistent in meaning with Luke 8:19-21.

"In the course of her Son's preaching she [Mary] received the words whereby, in extolling a Kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, he declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God (cf. Mark 3:35Luke 11:27-28) as she was faithfully doing (cf. Luke 2:19, 51)" (Lumen gentium, 58)". [3]

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Reflection:

The three children to whom our Blessed Mother appeared were simple peasant children who did not understand what they were seeing initially.  Why they were chosen is a mystery.  It seems the Lord always picks humble people to do spectacular things.  It would have been so much easier for St. Mary to pick an influential person who would have instant credibility to whom she would present herself.  But then, the same can be said of Juan Diego in Mexico.  Even the Lord’s disciples were simple fishermen or tax collectors, not people of high rank and authority.

There is a lesson here that echoes the passage from St. Luke.  When the Lord’s earthly mother is praised, he points out that those who hear and observe God’s law are blessed.  He does not hold up his mother, knowing she is “full of grace.”  Rather he points to the average person who has faith, like Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta.

The real miracle of Fatima was not so much the “miracle of the sun” as the fact that the simple faith of three children should touch millions and bring countless miracles of faith to pass.  It is this example that should give us courage and hope.

On this feast day, we pray for the intercession of Mother Mary, may she give us the strength and courage of the children of Fatima, that we too might be examples of faith to inspire others and bring peace to a troubled world.

Pax



[1] The picture is “Our Lady of Fatima” artist and date are unknown.
[2] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[3] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 431.


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