John 2:5: His
mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
I would like to return
to my trip to Poland for today, because this week we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Jasna Gora, also known as the Black Madonna or Our
Lady of Czestochowa. She is also known
as Our Lady of Poland, and her feast day is August 26th. Here is an
excerpt from a commentary on the pilgrimage I wrote for the members of the
group who traveled through Poland with me.
The next stop was Czestochowa, the home of Our Lady of Jasna
Gora (the Black Madonna). She is called Our Lady of Jasna Gora because the
Pauline monks from Hungary who built the monastery on the high hill named it
after their Mother House at Buda, St. Lawrence in Claro Monte Budensi, Hungary.
We were given a tour of this magnificent shrine and had the thrill of viewing
the image during Eucharistic Adoration! Many, many miracles are attributed to
this icon, which is clothed in precious metals and jewels and housed in a glass
enclosure to insure perfect temperature control. The Black Madonna is
attributed with saving the town of Czestochowa against many attacks and
invasions, as recently as the occupation of the monastery and church by the
Nazis, and is the source of great graces and many miracles. Tradition holds
that she was painted by St. Luke on the table top from the house of the Holy
Family, and art critics say it was originally a Byzantine icon from between the
6th and 9th centuries. Some of us were able to attend the
6 am unveiling of the Image ceremony the next morning. This is a beautiful
tradition where the image, which is hidden behind a silver screen, is unveiled
for the day to the blast of trumpets and the sound of drums. The screen rises
slowly while the people sing hymns. It was truly a glimpse of heaven. The
presence of Mary throughout our entire pilgrimage can only leave us with the
reminder that no matter what we do for God, no matter where we travel to be
near to Him, His mother Mary will always be with us. She is the light that will
lead us to her Son, just as her hand points to Him in this
sacred image.
“On June 4, 1979, the first Polish Pope, John Paul II,
visited Jasna Gora and began his pilgrimage with these words, “Mary’s will is
being fulfilled. Here I am… I have come ….” During his three-day visit, the
Pope encountered three and a half million faithful. John Paul II declared the
faith of the Universal Church, of his homeland, of all mankind and of himself in
the Virgin and proclaimed, “Mother, I am yours and all that I have is yours”.
He made an offering of a golden rose and set it on the altar of the Mother of
God.” (This paragraph is from the book Jasna
Gora Czestochowa, Wydawnictwo Zakonu Paulinow, 1998)
Almighty and
merciful God! You gave us a wondrous help and defense in the most holy Virgin
Mary and You honored Her sacred image of Jasna Gora with remarkable veneration
of the faithful. Grant in Your mercy that, under her protection, we may
struggle confidently throughout our lives and at the moment of death be
victorious over our enemy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. http://www.ssmaryandjohn.co.uk/page,8.html. For more info:
campus.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/olczest.html
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