Vatican City, 12 July 2015 (VIS) –
After greeting the patients at the paediatric hospital “Ninos de
Acosta Nu”, the Pope transferred by car to the Shrine of Caacupe
which in Guarani means “behind the mountain”, and from which Lake
Ypacaray is visible. Caacupe is considered the spiritual capital of
Paraguay and is famous for the feast celebrated on 8 December in
honour of the Our Lady of Miracles. According to legend, the image
was sculpted in the sixteenth century by a converted Atyra Indio who,
feeling from rival Mhayaes indigenous people, hid inside a large tree
trunk and prayed to the Virgin to be saved. He later carved the image
of Our Lady in a piece of the trunk as an ex voto. The Indio, named
Jose, built a small chapel, the nucleus of the future Shrine, which
was completed in 1770, considered to be the official date of the
founding of the city of Caacupe.
The Pope travelled the last few
kilometres leading to the Shrine by popemobile, greeted by the tens
of thousands of faithful who awaited him to participate in the Holy
Mass, with prayers in Spanish and Guarani. In his homily the Pope
emphasised that the Shrine of Caacupe treasured the memory of a
people who know that Mary is their mother, and stays by her
children's side. He reiterated his admiration for Paraguayan women
and mothers, who “ at great cost and sacrifice were able to lift up
a country defeated, devastated and laid low by an abominable war”.
“Being here with you makes me feel at
home, at the feet of our Mother, the Virgin of Miracles of Caacupe”,
Francis affirmed. “In every shrine we, her children, encounter our
Mother and are reminded that we are brothers and sisters. Shrines are
places of festival, of encounter, of family. We come to present our
needs. We come to give thanks, to ask forgiveness and to begin again.
How many baptisms, priestly and religious vocations, engagements and
marriages, have been born at the feet of our Mother! How many tearful
farewells! We come bringing our lives, because here we are at home
and it is wonderful to know there is someone waiting for us.
“As so often in the past, we now come
because we want to renew our desire to live the joy of the Gospel”,
he continued. “How can we forget that this shrine is a vital part
of the Paraguayan people, of yourselves? You feel it, it shapes your
prayers, and you sing: 'Here, in your Eden of Caacupe, are your
people, Virgin most pure, who offer you their love and their faith'.
Today we gather as the People of God, at the feet of our Mother, to
offer her our love and our faith”.
Francis cited the Angel's greeting to
Mary: “'Rejoice, full of grace. The Lord is with you'. Rejoice,
Mary, rejoice. Upon hearing this greeting, Mary was confused and
asked herself what it could mean. She did not fully understand what
was happening. But she knew that the angel came from God and so she
said yes. Mary is the Mother of Yes. Yes to God’s dream, yes to
God’s care, yes to God’s will. It was a yes that, as we know, was
not easy to live. A yes that bestowed no privileges or distinctions.
Simeon told her in his prophecy: 'a sword will pierce your heart',
and indeed it did. That is why we love her so much. We find in her a
true Mother, one who helps us to keep faith and hope alive in the
midst of complicated situations”.
The Pope then considered Simeon’s
prophecy, reflecting briefly on three difficult moments in Mary’s
life: the birth of Jesus, the flight to Egypt and her Son's death on
the Cross.
With regard to the first, he commented,
“there was no room for them. They had no house, no dwelling to
receive her Son. There was no place where she could give birth. They
had no family close by; they were alone. The only place available was
a stall of animals. Surely she remembered the words of the angel:
'Rejoice, Mary, the Lord is with you'. She might well have asked
herself: 'Where is he now?'”.
During the flight to Egypt, “they had
to leave, to go into exile. Not only was there no room for them, no
family nearby, but their lives were also in danger. They had to
depart to a foreign land. They were persecuted migrants, on account
of the envy and greed of the King. There too she might well have
asked: 'What happened to all those things promised by the angel?'.
Finally, Jesus’ death on the cross:
“there can be no more difficult experience for a mother than to
witness the death of her child. It is heart-rending. We see Mary
there, at the foot of the cross, like every mother, strong, faithful,
staying with her child even to his death, death on the cross. There
too she might well have asked: 'What happened to all those things
promised to me by the angel?'. Then we see her encouraging and
supporting the disciples.
“We contemplate her life, and we feel
understood, we feel heard. We can sit down to pray with her and use a
common language in the face of the countless situations we encounter
each day. We can identify with many situations in her own life. We
can tell her what is happening in our lives, because she understands.
“Mary is the woman of faith; she is
the Mother of the Church; she believed. Her life testifies that God
does not deceive us, that God does not abandon his people, even in
moments or situations when it might seem that he is not there. Mary
was the first of her Son’s disciples and in moments of difficulty
she kept alive the hope of the apostles. With probably more than one
key, they were locked in the upper room, due to fear. A woman
attentive to the needs of others, she could say – when it seemed
like the feast and joy were at an end – 'see, they have no wine'.
She was the woman who went to stay with her cousin 'about three
months', so that Elizabeth would not be alone as she prepared to give
birth. That is out mother, so good and so kind, she who accompanies
us in our lives.
“We know all this from the Gospel,
but we also know that in this land she is the Mother who has stood
beside us in so many difficult situations. This shrine preserves and
treasures the memory of a people who know that Mary is their Mother,
and that she has always been at the side of her children. Mary has
always been in our hospitals, our schools and our homes. She has
always sat at the table in every home. She has always been part of
the history of this country, making it a nation. Hers has been a
discreet and silent presence, making itself felt through a statue, a
holy card or a medal. Under the sign of the rosary, we know that we
are never alone, that she always accompanies us.
“Why? Because Mary simply wanted to
be in the midst of her people, with her children, with her family.
She followed Jesus always, from within the crowd. As a good Mother,
she did not want to abandon her children, rather, she would always
show up wherever one of her children was in need. For the simple
reason that she is our Mother. A Mother who learned, amid so many
hardships, the meaning of the words: 'Do not be afraid, the Lord is
with you'. A Mother who keeps saying to us: 'Do whatever he tells
you'. This is what she constantly says to us: 'Do whatever he tells
you'. She doesn’t have a plan of her own; she doesn’t come to
tell us something new. Rather, she prefers to remain silent, and
simply accompanies our faith with her own.
“You know this from experience. All
of you, all Paraguayans, share in the living memory of a people who
have made incarnate these words of the Gospel. Here I would like
especially to mention you, the women, wives and mothers of Paraguay,
who at great cost and sacrifice were able to lift up a country
defeated, devastated and laid low by an abominable war. You are
keepers of the memory, the lifeblood of those who rebuilt the life,
faith and dignity of your people, together with Mary. You lived
through many difficult situations which, in the eyes of the world,
would seem to discredit all faith. Yet, inspired and sustained by the
Blessed Virgin, you continued to believe, even 'hoping against all
hope'. And when all seemed to be falling apart, with Mary you said:
'Let us not be afraid, the Lord is with us; he is with our people,
with our families; let us do what he tells us'. Then and now, you
found the strength not to let this land lose its bearings. God bless
your perseverance, God bless and encourage your faith, God bless the
women of Paraguay, the most glorious women of America.
“As a people, we have come home, to
this house of all Paraguayans, to hear once more those words which
are so comforting: 'Rejoice, the Lord is with you'. They are a
summons to cherish your memory, your roots, and the many signs which
you have received as a people of believers tested by trials and
struggles. Yours is a faith which has become life, a life which has
become hope, and a hope which leads to eminent charity. Yes, like
Jesus, may you be outstanding in love. May you be bearers of this
faith, this life and this hope. May you, Paraguayans, continue to
build these up this country’s present and future”.
The Holy Father invited those present
to join him in prayer: “Here, in your Eden of Caacupe, are your
people, Virgin most pure, who offer you their love and their faith”.
Her exclaimed, “All together: here, in your Eden of Caacupe, are
your people, Virgin most pure, who offer you their love and their
faith. Pray for us, Holy Mother of God, that we may be worthy of the
promises and graces of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen”.
Following the Holy Mass, the Pope
commended Paraguay to Our Lady of the Miracles of Caacupe, repeating
the act by his predecessor St. John Paul II on 18 May 1988, during
his visit to the Shrine as part of his apostolic trip to Paraguay.
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