Thought for the Day – 4 September – The Feast of Our Lady of Consolation

Thought for the Day – 4 September – The Feast of Our Lady of Consolation

Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the faithful to pray to Our Lady of Consolation, stating “From Her We Can Always Learn How to Look Upon Jesus:”

“As we come to the conclusion of this solemn celebration, we offer a prayer to Mary Most Holy, who in Turin is venerated as the principal patroness with the title Blessed Virgin of Consolation.   To her I entrust this city and all those who live here.   O Mary, watch over the families and the workers;  watch over those who have lost faith and hope;  comfort the sick, those in prison and all who suffer.   O Help of Christians, sustain the young people, the elderly and persons in difficulty.   O Mother of the Church, watch over her pastors and the whole community of believers, that they may be “salt and light” in the midst of the world.

The Virgin Mary is she who more than any other contemplated God in the human face of Jesus.   She saw him as a newborn when, wrapped in swaddling clothes, he was placed in a manger;  she saw him when, just after his death, they took him down from the cross, wrapped him in linen and placed him in the sepulcher.   Inside her was impressed the image of her martyred Son;  but this image was then transfigured in the light of the Resurrection.   Thus in Mary’s heart was carried the mystery of the face of Christ, a mystery of death and of glory.   From her we can always learn how to look upon Jesus with a gaze of love and of faith, to recognise in that human countenance, the Countenance of God.”

To our Lord and our God, Jesus Christ, we pray for a greater love of His Mother and to our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Consolation, we lift our prayers for patience, for support and for comfort in our times of confusion, fear and anxiety.    Pray for us, Our Lady of Consolation!