The Woman Who Will Give Us Peace

Tens of thousands of people attended the liturgical celebrations held in our country over these last few days in honor of the Blessed Virgin. People from every sector and every political persuasion came together again, with one voice and as the brothers and sisters we are, to pray and sing to Our Lord Jesus Christ and to his Most Holy Mother, our dear Mother in Heaven.

Yesterday, September 11, the churches in every parish of Caracas (north, south, east and west) were full for the feast of the patroness of Caracas, the Virgin of Coromoto. In Nueva Esparta, on September 8, the 101st anniversary of the canonical coronation of the Virgin of the Valley was celebrated, and thousands of people, under a merciless sun, praised God and His Mother together at a beautiful Eucharist. In Guanare, that same day, several solemn Masses were celebrated, attended also by the regional authorities, after a massive vigil of young people who came from every corner of the country to commemorate no less than the 360th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin of Coromoto in our land. A month earlier, the National Assembly unanimously approved a resolution to commemorate this very special occasion.

In his homily in Guanare, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino recalled that Mary, full of grace and conceived without original sin, the virgin mother who always sought to fulfill the Word of the Lord, who stood at the foot of the cross and was taken up body and soul into heaven, was sent by God to our beloved Venezuela as a missionary of salvation, a star of our evangelization. The year 1652, when she appeared on the plains of Guanare, he said, was without doubt a shining moment in the life of the Church in Venezuela: that young Church received Mary’s splendid visit, and she came to show us the path of life, justice and peace, which is faith in Christ, the true way to human fulfillment, to fraternity and social harmony, to salvation and happiness in this life and in eternal life. The apparitions of Coromoto, he said, are an unmistakable sign of God’s love for the Venezuelan people and a reason for us to trust immensely in Mary’s motherly intercession and to have a deep devotion to her. He described the venerated relic and image, which show her seated on a throne and crowned as Queen, with the Child Jesus crowned as King on her lap, holding the globe in his left hand and raising his right hand in blessing, a sign of Christ’s centrality and universal lordship and of Our Lady’s divine motherhood. The message of Coromoto, he added, also shows God’s plan to make brothers and sisters of men and women from different ethnic backgrounds by calling them to be children of God through Baptism, and he invited everyone to give thanks to the Lord for that wonderful visit to our ancestors and for the devotion to our loving Mother of Coromoto that beats in our hearts.

If there is anyone in this beautiful land who brings together all Venezuelans, in every sector (political, military, social and so on), it is that beautiful woman, the Virgin Mary, who has shown us a very special Love throughout our history. Her Love for us is so great that election day (when some predict a lack of Peace in our country) will be the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and a new anniversary of October 7, 1950, when Pope Pius XII named the Virgin of Coromoto Patroness of Venezuela.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. God and the Blessed Virgin will take care, from on high, to protect us. Millions of Venezuelans will go out very early to vote (many with their rosary in hand), and we will also have the protection of our soldiers (who are also very devoted to Mary) so that nothing bad happens in our country. That woman, who loves us as much as she loves her Son, will cover ALL of us with her mantle and help us to hold a clear, transparent and peaceful election.

That day, when Peace triumphs in Venezuela, we will give a great example to the world, and once again the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which the Blessed Virgin has taught the vast majority of Venezuelans, will triumph. Here is the link to the rosary for Peace in Venezuela, in case you would like to pray it: http://www.venezuelaentrelineas.com/images/Rosario\_por\_La\_Paz.pdf