Nyaunglebin (Agenzia Fides) - 

The people of Myanmar are gathering at the feet of the Virgin Mary to plead fervently, with inner emotion and spiritual participation, for healing and peace. Thousands of pilgrims and devotees gathered yesterday, 12 February - despite the civil war - at the Marian Shrine of Nyaunglebin, in the region of Bago, about 150 km north of Yangon, their diocese. They offered prayers and made intercessory requests to Our Lady of Lourdes, to whom the shrine is dedicated, celebrating the "National Marian Feast". That feast in Myanmar has ancient roots: it was observed as far back as 1892, when Bishop Ambrose Bigandet decided to open a new mission in Nyaunglebin, entrusting it to the Fathers of the Paris Foreign Missions (MEP). They built a small wooden church there, the first church in Myanmar dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. With the influx of pilgrims, a new church was built and consecrated in 1902, and from then on, the Church in Myanmar resumed celebrating Our Lady of Lourdes, proclaiming the 'National Marian Feast' in 1957.

Yesterday, God's people from the Archdiocese of Yangon and many other dioceses gathered at the feet of the Virgin to ask for peace and reconciliation in the war-torn country. "Our Mother is a healer. She is the Lady of Lourdes, where millions are healed through her intercession. She is the Lady of Health. For she is the mother of the eternal healer, Jesus," said Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, celebrating the Eucharist attended by a composite assembly of thousands of faithful, alongside many non-Christians.

"Our plight is that of the suffering Jews, movingly described in Psalm 122," the Cardinal remarked, comparing Burmese citizens to Jews "who were in danger, persecuted for their faith, displaced, starving and always at the holy city of Jerusalem," a powerful symbol of peace, "the city of peace. "Like a loving mother, today Our Lady welcomes us with open arms as the Mother of consolation. She knows suffering as Our Lady of Sorrows, the mother who stood at the foot of the cross and held the body of her tortured and murdered Son. So she knows our tears, our weakness, and welcomes us with a compassionate heart in this national shrine,' he said.

To Mary, the faithful ask her to intercede with her Son, as she did at the Wedding at Cana: "Holy Mother, let us weep with outstretched arms, our six amphorae are empty of the life-giving wine of hope. Let us pray and fill those six empty jars with the life-giving wine of hope". The jars have been emptied of six evils: violence, hunger, displacement, death and poverty. As at Cana, God's people say: "Mary let the celebration of peace and reconciliation begin in this country, our families and our personal lives. Let the six vessels be filled with six blessings of God: peace, reconciliation, food, homecoming, human security and community resilience.

Recalling that, at the moment of Jesus' birth, "the shepherds and the Holy Family saw the star in the sky", the Cardinal then remarked: "When everything seems desolate, faith, like the star in the sky, guides us on our way". "Our Lady's message," he explained, "is not one of despair but of hope. As we say in the Rosary, Mary had her sorrowful and joyful mysteries. Yet, despite all that she suffered in her life, she could sing the great Magnificat saying: the Almighty has done great things to me, and holy is his name".

"In the last three years, our faith has been tested. Yet Jesus calls us to have the faith of a mustard seed. All things work together for good for those who believe in the mighty name of Jesus and the powerful protection of Mary, our Mother. She never abandons us. This is the simple message we carry in our hearts today," the Archbishop concluded.

Stressing that Myanmar is "a blessed nation", the Burmese baptised community acknowledges that it lacks "a peace based on justice." He stated: "We need Peace. We need the living waters of Justice. Peace and Justice are the two eyes that will bring light to this nation". Gathered together to invoke peace, justice and reconciliation for all the people of Myanmar, the Burmese faithful entrusted themselves to the "Queen of Peace. We ask you, Mary, to bring comfort to those who suffer and peace to a nation torn apart by conflict and division. We pray to end the violence and for the safety of all those caught in the crossfire. We trust, O our Mother, in your loving care and mediation, and we ask you to bring peace to Myanmar, now and always".

Source: fides.org