A Child Shall Lead Them

Over the years, I have enjoyed watching and listening to Mother Angelica on EWTN. Mother was feisty, funny, and faithful. I especially loved her Bible storytelling skills. She made the scriptures come to life and lovingly described the first apostles as ordinary, average men with many faults and weaknesses. Yet, even with all their failings, they were chosen by God the Father to be a witness to His Son’s teachings and resurrection. They were the first Christians, Catholics, Priests and Missionaries - an important mission and task for uneducated, simple fishermen.

Before Jesus left this world, He gave His apostles and all of us a great gift – the gift of His Mother, Mary. She was chosen by God before time to be the new Arc of the Covenant; to be the mother of His Son. The first to see God, the first to touch God; she was a blessed creature! She also suffered much as she witnessed her Son ridiculed, tortured and murdered. As His Mother, she silently submitted to God’s Will. As our mother, she is no longer silent as she repeatedly makes trips to this world and begs us to repent and follow her Son, Jesus.

Throughout Church history, Marian apparitions have been reported, investigated and some have been Church approved. Appearing to mostly poor, simple children, Mary has followed in her Son’s footsteps by choosing the meek and humble and giving them a great mission that would seem very intimidating to even the most educated and renown of this world.

In one of these incidents, the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubrious from a cave near Lourdes, France in 1858. The young peasant girl, just 14 at the time, saw “the lady dressed all in white” about eighteen times. Mary asked Bernadette to pray for sinners, to have a church built on that spot and for there to be processions. When Bernadette asked the lady who she was, the lady replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” A spring arose near the apparition site. Our lady instructed Bernadette to drink from the spring and do penance.

After 150 years the spring has grown and has led to dozens of verified miraculous cures. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites. The Basilica of St. Pius X which was built on the site can accommodate 25,000 people. 5 million journey to Lourdes every year in honor of Our Lady’s request.

Bernadette was a simple child. She was the oldest daughter of a very poor family. She had learning disabilities and was often ridiculed. She was innocence. Her heart was pure and it was filled with love for our lady and her Son.

Our lady told Bernadette that she “could not promise her happiness in this world; only in the next”. Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers at the age of 22. She soon after suffered with tuberculosis of the bone and died after many years of suffering at the age of 35 in 1879. In 1909, Bernadette’s body was exhumed as part of the canonization process. Her body was found to be incorrupt. To this day, she looks as though she has fallen into a peaceful sleep.

Again and again, our Lady has chosen children or very young adults in an effort to help all of her children follow the Heart of her Son. In 1916, she appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima. The three were asked to spread devotion to her Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary daily in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary as requested by Her Son. Thousands in Fatima witness the “miracle of the sun” that year and since that time millions of pilgrims have visited Fatima where the largest Marian Shrine was eventually built to honor Our Lady as the Son requested.

In the 1980’s she appeared to several young people in the small village of Kibeho in Rwanda. Our Lady warned that unless the locals changed their hearts, there would be much blood shed. She begged for repentance and conversion. She asked that a chapel be built and she taught them the “Our Lady of Seven Sorrows” chaplet. Sadly, the people did not listen and during the genocide in Rwanda, a million people were murdered. When the bloodshed finally stopped, the people of Rwanda finally did beg for peace and many have learned to forgive and turn their hearts to Jesus. A shrine of “Our Lady of Sorrows” was erected in Kibeho and the chaplet of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is being spread around the world by survivors and pilgrims.

Luke 18:16 “but Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the children come to Me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Mother Angelica taught us all that faith in God and a willingness to follow His Will can lead to great things of glory! May we all learn to have that child-like faith. May we all follow Mary’s example and say “Yes” to God’s Will. May we all learn that we are her children and stand up for her Son when people persecute Him. May we defend His teachings and not give in to the ways of the world.

We do not belong to this world – we belong to the Kingdom of God. Jesus became a child in order to enter this world. We must become like a child to enter God’s Kingdom – our true home with our true Father!