The end of the summer is always punctuated by one of my favorite holy days, which reminds all of us of the goal of our earthly pilgrimage. Our Lady’s Assumption (normally a holy day of obligation but not this year, because of the coronavirus) is an opportunity for us to meditate on the life of heaven, to which Our Lady has preceded us, and to which we hope to follow. This year it has special meaning for me in light of the state of crisis in which we find our world.
As our world has been gripped with fear through the coronavirus and the sadness of racial injustice, violence and division, more than ever we need to be reminded that this life is not all there is. We need to be reminded that through Jesus, we live with a hope that nothing in this world has the power to destroy. As we see people gripped with fear of death, we know that death is not the greatest enemy in the world. As our Lord told us, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Mt 10:28).
Even as we work for justice against all discrimination, we remember that this deep thirst in our hearts for justice will only be fulfilled in the justice of heaven. Our Lady’s Assumption is a reminder to us of our eternal destiny. Where she has gone as the first member of the Church, we also hope to go. This gives us great peace, even in the midst of so many difficulties. As Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” (Jn 14:2).
This doesn’t mean that we don’t work to end injustice in our world, or that we are callous about human life — exactly the opposite. Knowledge of our eternal destiny empowers us to give our whole lives to serve God and build the civilization of love on this earth, because we do not live for ourselves. We are able to endure great sufferings for the sake of others because we know that “although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. As we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor 4:16-17).
As we live with our eyes fixed on heaven, working to build a civilization of love in these troubled times, I want to also highlight one strong but simple piece of advice from Our Heavenly Mother. The times of crisis in which we are living have reminded me of another time when the world was in crisis and Our Lady came from heaven to bring a message of peace. In 1917, as the world was embroiled in the worst war ever known, Our Lady of Fatima appeared six times to three young shepherd children (Lucia, age 10; Francisco, age 9; Jacinta, age 7). She brought to them a very simple message — a message she said would end the war and save the world from even greater destruction. She asked them to pray the rosary every day and to make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
These three young children, two of whom died as a result of the 1918 influenza epidemic — and whom Pope Francis canonized in 2017 — took Our Lady’s message to heart and began to pray the rosary daily and offer sacrifice for the conversion of the world. A wonderful new movie entitled “Fatima,” which details their heroism and Our Lady’s message, will be released on the eve of the Assumption, Aug. 14. I highly recommend it.
It is striking to me that in the gravity of the problems facing the world in 1917, the Mother of God chose to appear to children, and she gave them a solution against the evils of the time that even children could do. Perhaps we are sometimes too proud to believe that prayer can actually change the world, but it is certainly true that if we seek to build a civilization of love, we must root all our efforts in prayer, or they will not be successful. To this end, especially in light of the times in which we find ourselves, I’d like to invite all Catholics in the archdiocese to join me in responding to Our Lady’s call at Fatima to pray the rosary daily for the healing of our world.
We have a beautiful tradition in our church of a 54-day rosary novena (not a light commitment!). If one begins praying the rosary daily Aug. 15, the 54-day novena ends Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Our Lady of Fatima, who called herself Our Lady of the Rosary, has given us this powerful weapon — not for destruction, but for peace — and she has invited us to pray it daily for the healing of the world.
To mark the beginning of this novena, at 10 a.m. Aug. 15, some local Catholics will gather at Leif Erickson park, near the State Capitol, to pray the 15 mysteries of the rosary for the healing of our country and our world. You can join them in person or online at facebook.com/groups/15mysteries. These outdoor events are a great way to social distance while praying together for the healing of our world. I invite you to join me in this 54-day rosary novena for the healing of our country and our world, as we seek to build a civilization of love, a place where all people come to know the love that has overcome death!
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