“And Simeon blessed them,
and said to Mary, His Mother,
‘Behold, this Child
is set for the fall,
and for the resurrection
of many in Israel,
and for a sign
which shall be contradicted;
and thy own soul
a sword shall pierce
that, out of many hearts,
thoughts may be revealed.’ ”
Luke 2:34-35
We, as Americans, mourn our heroes.
They were lost aboard the “Columbia,” a name that denotes the “female personification of the United States.” It is a great symbol.
We, as human beings, are in a Great Spiritual Battle. A battle made up of words, signs and symbols.
Yesterday, today and the next day, we will mourn.
But there is one who has been mourning since She stood at the Foot of the Cross. It was then, when the centurion pierced the Heart of Her Son, that the Sword of Sorrow pierced Her own Heart.
The Prophecy of Simeon, rooted in Christ, continues in the Heart of Mary.
It is a Heart we, as a nation — as a world — have not only been ignoring, but are guilty of piercing as well.
It is the Heart of a Mother.
A Mother who wishes to hold and comfort us in this Valley of Tears.
We, as a nation, have rejected Her. Instead, we have honored other signs and symbols. We have honored “Columbia.” We have embraced her while we have dishonored Mary.
In our grief, we have rallied around a flag that is draped in red, white and blue.
This is a great symbol. We all know what the flag stands for.
But do we, as a nation, know the flag's colors are also Mary’s colors?
White for Her Father, Blue for Her Son and Red for Her Spouse, the colors of the Most Holy Trinity. You will see Her draped in these colors in many old paintings. They are the colors of our Queen.
We are not concerned with patriotism — especially at a time like this. We are grateful that our nation is again turning to God in its time of sorrow and invoking prayer in its mourning.
We join in this outpouring of faith, sorrow and prayer.
But we believe there is another lesson here for all of us as a nation. Perhaps we will be accused of callousness by talking of this today.
When is a good time to speak of it if not when tragedy strikes and our hearts ache?
We believe it is not an accident that this tragedy comes at a time when so much is at stake. In its own way, it is another warning that we as a nation, as human beings, are not invincible.
We need to please God and renew our faith in Him as a nation; a nation that has, like the Nicolaites of the 1st Century, indulged in the excesses of liberty and corrupted the Gospel to justify our own self-righteousness.
There is an easy way back to Him. It will not be found through Columbia.
It can be found through Her.
Mary has cried out to us as Her children in many messages, and especially to the United States as Our Lady of America. No one listened. Not the people. Not the bishops.
We need to turn to Her now for guidance, graces and, most importantly, the protection of Her Virginal Mantle.
As a nation, we need to remove the Sword of Sorrow we have placed through Her Heart so that Her Son may bless us again.
We are realistic. We know this will not happen tomorrow. But if more of us begin to do this and show the way …
We have talked about the fact that we, as we live our lives, are not proving anything to God. We are proving it to ourselves.
In the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, there is incredible imagery. A sword is a sharp-edged instrument used in combat.
Besides the Prophecy of Simeon, this sharp imagery is also used to tell us that the Word of God is “keener than any two-edged sword … and a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.
It is, as Simeon prophesied, a way that the thoughts of many hearts are revealed. And Jesus has an impeccable way of discerning it.
The Prophecy of Simeon is in full force today and every day.
The thoughts and hearts of everyone — from astronauts to presidents, from schoolchildren to teachers, from believers to atheists — are revealed when we think about Mary.
In the Great Spiritual Battle, God discerns our true love for Him by how much we honor and love Her, the Woman He loves the most. Many people do not pass this test and a Sword of Sorrow again pierces the Heart of Mary.
Many nations are also failing this test.
This is not an anti-America article. We take no joy in our enemies and pray the Lord will help us smite them.
It is a Wake Up, America article that the Lord might grant us His Hand of Protection as we battle those who would do us harm.
In this remembrance of one of the most important prophecies — the Prophecy of Simeon — let us, as a nation, in our sorrow, turn back to Our Lady and remove the Sword of Sorrow we have placed in Her Heart so that She may, in turn, ask Her Son to remove the Sword of Sorrows piercing America’s hearts.
© 2003 Agnus Dei Presents!
