Do whatever my Son tells you (John 2:1-12)

 Last week we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Knock. It brought back memories to me of the visit of Pope John Paul in 1979 to that great Marian shrine. His words made a deep impression on me. He said,

 Mother in this shrine you gather the people of God of all Ireland and constantly point out to them Christ in the Eucharist and the Church. At this moment  we listen with particular attention to  your words Do whatever my Son tells you and we  wish to respond to you with all our heart.

 We entrust to your motherly care the land of Ireland where you have been and are so  much loved. Help this land to stay true to you and your Son always. Keep them faithful in prosperity to the faith they would not surrender in poverty and persecution. Help them to work together to build a just and peaceful loving society where the poor are never neglected and the rights of all especially the weak are respected.  Queen of Ireland Mary mother of the heavenly and earthly church keep Ireland true to her spiritual tradition and  her Christian heritage.

 Isn’t it awesome for us to know that  Jesus in his last agony on the cross gave us his Mother to be our Mother too. He could not bear that we should journey through life  without her Motherly protection. So let us hear her motherly voice in our ears saying


Do whatever my Son tells.

  Little Sr. Mary Paul  now in Heaven for many years chose those words of Mary as her motto on her profession day. They lived in her heart and made her into the compassionate loving person she was, her heart always open to the poor and suffering.

 Mary came to the help of the famine stricken, persecuted people of Ireland in 1879. She will come to the help of our people in their present need. She will come to the help of each one of us.

 How blessed we are to have the Marian shrine of Knock in our midst as a place of healing and prayer.