13 May 1990
London, England

My dear Confreres and my dear Sisters,

The date, 13 May, reminds most of us that it is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima and, were it not a Sunday, we might reflect a little on the person of the Mother of God and of her place in heaven and on earth today.

The date also recalls the attempt that was made on the life of the Pope nine years ago today. It was a coincidence that the Pope should have suffered this attempt on his life on one of the feast days of the Mother of God to whom he is deeply devoted. It reminds me of St. Catherine who, on the 8 December in the last month of her life, on coming out from the rue du Bac, slipped and broke her wrist. Her reaction to the pain was: "...my bouquet of flowers. Every year the Blessed Virgin sends me one like this." A Sister said to St. Catherine, "Look what happens to you when you take the trouble to go to pray to her at the Mother House." Catherine replied very calmly: "When the Blessed Virgin sends suffering, she is imparting a grace to us." (R. Laurentin, The Life of Catherine Labouré, Eng. ed., p. 225).

Reflecting on the three readings of today's Mass, I think we can select three graces which were given to Mary and that shine out in her life.

The first reading centers on the idea of service. In the daily distribution of food it seems that some widows in the church of Jerusalem were being neglected. So a resolution was taken to remedy the situation. Deacons were appointed and sent on mission. The mission they were given was one of humble service--the distribution of food to needy people.

For you who work here in London, it is interesting to note that, even in the first years of the Church, differences in language and culture gave rise to pastoral problems. The pastoral difficulty, mentioned in today's first reading, was one that arose between people who spoke Hebrew and those who spoke Greek. Your presence here in London is to achieve what the first deacons were ordained to do, to assure that a difference in language and culture does not deprive a section of the people of the care and love that Our Lord and His Church wish to offer to all. You are giving service, and service distinguished her who called herself the servant or, more accurately, the slave of the Lord.

The second reading highlights the dignity of a Christian. "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation," (1 Pt 2:9) writes St. Peter. Mention the word 'royal' to any English person and he will immediately think of the royal family. The members of the royal family are wealthy people. It is almost impossible for an English person to think of a royal person who is not wealthy.

Although Mary of Nazareth was a member of the royal house of David, she was certainly not wealthy. Nevertheless, she was royal and had the dignity of royalty. What a changed place the world would be if all Christians could think of themselves and others as members of a royal family and of the need, therefore, to behave with the dignity of royal persons. The royalty of Christians is derived, not from the house of David but from the family of God Himself, Who has adopted us as His children. Our royalty stems from our baptism, a point made clear by St. Peter in his letter to the people to whom today's reading was addressed. St. Paul in his letters to the Romans and Galatians stresses the point that the effect of baptism has made us adopted children of God, our Father.

The Gospel of today's Mass is an exhortation to faith. "Do not let your heart be troubled. Have faith in God and faith in Me." (Jn 14.1). We know of at least three occasions when the heart of Mary was troubled. When the angel spoke to her at the Annunciation, she was troubled by the greeting that was offered to her. Mary's heart was also troubled when she lost Jesus in Jerusalem and when with Joseph she sought Him sorrowing. Her heart must have been almost broken as she watched His life drain away on the cross on Calvary. Yet we know that she lived her life with the conviction that the fruit of her womb was the Son of the Most High and that the Holy Spirit had, at the moment of the Incarnation, overshadowed her.