The True Church of My Son
It is with immense joy that, on the 12th of April, we celebrate the feast of the Virgin of Revelation, Mother of the Church and the guide and model of Our Community.
The Virgin Mary appeared on the 12th April 1947 at the Grotto of Tre Fontane (Three Fountains), Rome. Through this apparition we are invited to follow Mary’s example as she is the one in whom God commenced His definitive Revelation to the world through the conception of His Only Son, the Word made flesh, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “The Blessed Virgin Mary is greater than any other creature with regard to Divine Revelation. The Virgin Mary didn’t only listen to the Word, she did not only live it and follow it, but also welcomed the Word Incarnate, by means of the Holy Spirit, inside herself and so became the Virgin of Revelation par excellence.” (Homily of Cardinal Piacenza 12th April 2012, Tre Fontane)
During these somewhat unsettled times in the Church that have seen the fidelity to Catholic teaching being constantly challenged by the faithful, we are reminded of the Virgin of Revelation’s fundamental affirmation: “the true Church of my Son is based on the three white loves: the Eucharist, the Immaculate Virgin Mary and the Holy Father”.
This is a great point of reflection from our heavenly Mother!
The first of the three white loves is the Most Holy Eucharist, that was instituted by Our Lord during the Last Supper. It is the Sacrament of absolute Love, the loving sacrifice, that Christ renews each day on the altars all over the world so that we can receive Him and allow Him to find a place in our hearts. St Mary de Pazzi, who was infused with great love for Our Lord in the Eucharist said, “When a soul has received Holy Communion it can say the same words that Christ said on the Cross: “It is finished,” because in having received God Himself, He has nothing more to give me and I have nothing more to desire.”
The second love that the Virgin speaks of is the love of the Immaculate. Pope John Paul II spoke of Mary saying, “Mary is “full of Grace” from the first instant of her conception as she was not touched in any way by the stain of Original Sin. Let us thank the Most Holy Trinity because, in the Eternal Plan of Salvation, Mary became the “new Eve”, the Mother of the living which really means Mother of all those who, in Jesus Christ, become holy and immaculate before God” (St Mary Majors Basilica 8th December 1992)
The third and last foundation of our faith is the Holy Catholic Church.
How often do we marvel at the wonder of “Christ’s body”, the Church? (Cfr CCC 805) Often, today, we fall into the mistake of criticising the Church, the members of the Church or even the teaching dogmas of the Church according to our own “personal opinion” or criteria. Yet, how often do we stop to reflect on the fact that the Church was founded by Christ and, through the Holy Father, the Bishops and Priests loyal to him, is there to lead the people of God from all ages to the heavenly homeland. We cannot gain entrance to paradise according to our own opinions as it is Christ, “the way the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6), who has revealed the way to get there by His Divine Teaching that was given to the Apostles who were the foundations of His Church. It is true to say that only the Catholic Church has preserved in its entirety the treasure of the faith – the depositum fidei – that Christ handed to His Apostles and that has been passed on unchanged through 2,000 years.
Is the Lord’s teaching old and outdated, somewhat irrelevant to our times? No! It was given to us by Christ, the Word made flesh, “through Him all things were made” (Nicene Creed) and He is the only guide to the way of Salvation. Our Lord Himself guaranteed the Church when He said that, “the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt16:18) and therefore we must strive, as the Virgin Mary taught us, to be loyal members of Christ’s body the Catholic Church. Like Mary, we must keep all these teachings in our hearts (Cfr Lk2:51) and strive to be loyal even before the scandal of the cross.
Therefore, let us pray that , through the intersession of the Virgin of Revelation, we may always treasure the “true faith” within the “true Church” of Her Son by becoming Christians that are in love with Our Lord’s presence in the Eucharist, docile and obedient to the leadership of the Holy Father, the sweet Christ on earth.
In the same way as the Virgin of Revelation encouraged Bruno, she also encourages us, “Pray and be strong. I will be with you. It is a Mother’s promise. Son, go ahead…..I believed and became the Mother of the Saviour. I believed and became your Mother. Call me Mother because I am your Mother.”
Most Holy Virgin of Revelation, pray for us and give us God’s love.
God Bless Us
And The Virgin Protect Us