The Fatima Devotions for 2006 completed the May to October cycle with the usual addition of the blessing of the sick on Sunday, October 15. I am using my column this week to share the homily I preached at the Liturgy.

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“My Sisters and Brothers, The fidelity of the people of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain to the tradition of devotions to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Fatima at both Laventille in the North and Palmiste in the South is really quite extraordinary.

 Each year, the period from May 13 to October 13 is a special time for the archdiocese. It is a time of prayer, a time of grace, a time of reflection and a time of recommitment of the archdiocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The faith-based perseverance that is characteristic of the Marian tradition in the archdiocese has successfully confronted the temptation of spiritual consumerism which stresses that we should pray for ourselves and others but when the results of prayer are not evident reasonably soon then there is no point in continuing to pray.

Not so! Spiritual consumerism and its emphasis on immediate results are foreign to the Catholic tradition on prayer. The Church tells us to continue praying with patience. The Church asks us to recall salvation history. The believing community prayed for the coming of the Messiah generation after generation for thousands of years. Their prayers were eventually answered. 

The Catholic Tradition on prayer, in which the tradition of Marian prayer exists, teaches us to pray in trust without time limits. In the archdiocese we trust Mary to intercede for us.

We trust God to listen to Mary’s intercession for us since that is what she was missioned to do. We trust God to give us what will benefit us. How God responds to our prayer and, when God responds to our prayer, we leave in trust to God’s wisdom.

The traditional prayerful witness of devotions to Our Lady of Fatima has taken on a new and broader dimension this year. Its witness has expanded to include what could be called the monthly journey of faith to Laventille – the processions of faith through the streets of the nation. The devotions have also taken on an explicit dimension of evangelisation.

The devotions have established links to the Catholic school system. Young people have been assigned specific responsibilities for the community that gathers here to honour the Mother of God. The format for the Fatima devotions has been changed somewhat so the celebration of the Mass is highlighted for what it truly is, the source and summit of Christian life.

I am grateful to Fr Merrick and the committee that plans the Marian devotions at Laventille for taking the risks that are always involved in facilitating change and for being committed to the continual analysis of Fatima devotions to assure that they are both ecclesial and apostolic.

I am grateful to the community that gathers here at Laventille from May to October. My gratitude extends to the community that is faithful to Fatima devotions in the South – at Palmiste and La Romaine.

 I closed the Fatima devotions for 2006 with the community in the South on Friday evening. To both North and South I say that the witness of your faith and the quality of your prayer help people who are searching for God, help people who are really struggling with life and give people hope so they can continue the journey. For that ministry I thank you all.

The Book of Wisdom

The readings of the liturgy speak of wisdom and searching for a more meaningful life. One of the titles of Mary that is found in the litany of Loreto is ‘Mary, seat of wisdom’. Let us begin our reflection with a brief consideration of wisdom. What is wisdom and what is the meaning of Mary’s title as seat of wisdom? 

Wisdom means to know or to see. Wisdom is truth beyond the effort of thought. It allows a person to understand God’s purposes. It enables accurate self-understanding. The Book of Sirach (formerly called Ecclesiasticus) tells us that wisdom is God’s first creation. (Sir 1: 4)

Wisdom is associated closely with reverence for God which is also called Fear of the Lord. The tradition on wisdom tells us that, unlike knowledge, wisdom is not something that can be acquired by human effort. It is a gift of God that we must ask for in humility and be open to receiving. Only God gives birth to wisdom.

One of the helpful elements in finding wisdom is to associate with people who have accepted wisdom and who live by wisdom. These people model wisdom for us. They teach us by how they live.

Modeling is important because as Paul teaches the wisdom of the world blinds and deafens us to the wisdom of God. He teaches that the wisdom of God protects us from the unredeemed wisdom that governs much of the world.

Remember in Scripture the word world means that which does not know God. The pastoral conclusion of the teaching on wisdom is that the presence of foolishness in our lives that includes sin usually means that wisdom is absent.

The second part of the question I posed was the image of Mary as the seat of wisdom. What is the meaning of the image? In classical education the teacher sat on a chair, gathered the students around the chair so he/she could share wisdom with them. In contemporary education, the same image is still operative e.g. a person holds the chair of philosophy at a university.

Mary, as the first disciple of Christ, models wisdom for us. One aspect of her mission in the Church is to intercede for us and obtain for us, if we ask with humility and openness, the gift of wisdom. 

The image of Mary as seat of wisdom is not some pious thought that consoles people who deal with life by withdrawing from reality. Wisdom is reality! Mary helps us to desire and to obtain the gift of wisdom. By modeling the benefits of wisdom for us, she helps us to share the gift of wisdom with others. 

The Gospel of Mark

Mark’s gospel presents us with another image: the image of a young, wealthy man who has all the comforts of life.  He is a good man who is living his life in accord with the Covenant.

However, his experience is that what he has is not enough to make him happy and peaceful. So he asks Jesus what to do. Jesus responds, ‘Sell what you have and follow me.’ The young man could not accept the response of Jesus. 

What insight did he receive from his dialogue with Jesus? Before he met Jesus, he thought that he was in control of his need for wealth and his need for comfort. Through his dialogue with Jesus, he learned that his wealth and need for comfort controlled him.

He returned to his life of non-radical living of the values of the covenant and to the unhappiness and lack of peace that he had experienced for years. He just could not let go. He could not choose the insight into wisdom of God that was offered to him by Jesus. He was trapped. Many people find themselves in the same position.

The issue in today’s gospel - wealth and comfort – is just one example of the attachments that people must let go of to be free and happy and peaceful. Let us look at some other examples of attachments that could be present in our lives.

What about injustice, violence, unchristian relationships, sexual behaviour that is essentially pagan, selfishness, non-involvement in anything beyond ourselves, laziness, not developing our gifts and not sharing them with others.

What about not modelling wisdom for each other and for new generations who do not have a clue about how to live their lives? They are the victims of a secularised culture.

Paul’s letter to the Hebrews

What do we do about that list of potential attachments? Consider the image of the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, the image of scripture as a two-edged sword. Modernise the image. Picture the scalpel of a surgeon. What does a scalpel do in the hands of a surgeon? It cuts away everything that is killing us.

 It removes whatever is an obstacle to our health. Scripture and the teaching of the Church do the same thing for us regarding wisdom and salvation and freedom and happiness and peace?

 They cut away evil that endangers our salvation. Many people will stay trapped. They are too afraid to let go of their attachments. They lack the freedom to move on to a more meaningful life. They refuse to pay the price to live in peace. 

Conclusion

As we close the Fatima devotions for 2006 with this liturgy, let us ask Mary, the Seat of Wisdom, to obtain for us not only the gift of wisdom but also the freedom to respond to the insights that wisdom gives us about ourselves and about the level of our participation in the mission in the Church.