Custos of the Holy Land praises Mary as model of peace

By Adriana Masotti

Father Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land, celebrated Mass this morning, August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption, in the Basilica of the Agony on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, and his homily reflected the dramatic circumstances his land has been enduring for the past ten months. His prayer addressed to Blessed Mother on her Solemnity was one for peace and for "a humanity finally reconciled."

Evil one's attempt to sabotage 

Father Patton recalled the Passage from Revelation that the Church re-proposes every year on this occasion, namely the vision in heaven of the woman who in the desert, is about to give birth to her child, which is contrasted by a dragon, endowed with a violent and terrible but still limited destructive force, ready to devour the newborn.

The Custos acknowledged that there are many interpretations, as he recognized that the woman is the image of the Church, but also of the Virgin Mary. While in the figure of the dragon, he continued, we see "evil in all its personifications and with all the names by which it has been called."

The struggle described by St. John in the Biblical account between the woman and the dragon, he said, is nothing other than the description of the "continuous attempt that the Evil One makes to sabotage the birth of that new world willed by God," the birth of "a humanity no longer enslaved by violence, war, the market, cultural colonisation, the commodification of people."

Mary as a prophecy of our ultimate destiny

In Mary assumed into Heaven in both soul and body, the Custos of the Holy Land continued, we also catch a glimpse into our ultimate destiny, which is not "to be dragged down and overwhelmed by conflicts," but, instead, he marveled, "to be lifted up toward God and toward the new Jerusalem where there is room for all peoples, languages, and cultures."

In this sense, Fr. Patton argued, Mary is a prophecy, as she had been throughout her life, including when she lived solely according to the Father's will, when she trusted God at the angel's announcement, and when she stood at the foot of the Cross "without being overwhelmed by the scandal of gratuitous evil, innocent suffering, or unjust death."

May earth no longer be object of contention and war

Mary, singing the Magnificat, the Franciscan priest observed, was also a prophecy for our history.

This was evident, he noted, when she asked ‘that the proud be scattered in the thoughts of their hearts; that the mighty be overthrown from their thrones, and the lowly be exalted at last..."

The Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton

With this in mind, Fr. Patton said, we are "to ask today for the gift of peace for that prophecy to be fulfilled," that is to say, "that those who want to violently impose their own politics, economy, culture, religion, no longer have power," but that rather "the little ones may live in peace, and the hostages and prisoners may return to their families."

"May the earth," the Custos prayed, "no longer be an object of contention and war, but may it be received as a gift by the meek, who know how to welcome it as a gift and are willing to take care of it rather than occupy and conquer it."

Invitation to recite Supplication for Peace on the Assumption

On 10 August, Father Patton had sent a letter to the friars of the Custody inviting them to dedicate the day of the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary to the supplication for peace in the Middle East and in the whole world, using a certain prayer formula, for which he specifically requested ecclesiastical approval.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has invited people to recite the same text at the same time, noting he himself will use it to ask for the gift of peace in view of the ceasefire talks being held in Qatar today, 15 August.

In a letter addressed to the Holy Land's faithful, Cardinal Pizzaballa had written: "We all seem to be crushed by this present mixed with so much violence and, certainly, also with anger..."

"After having spent so many words, and after having done everything possible to help and be close to everyone, especially those who are hardest hit," he said, "all that remains is for us to pray."