our Lady of Snows

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Tuesday, 5 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the need for all of us to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and not in our own human power and intelligence. Whenever we do things and carry out our activities, we must always keep in mind that we should not seek our own glory but God’s, and we can do all things in God Who has always been with us, guiding and strengthening us in every steps of our journey. It is when we allow ourselves to be tempted and swayed by all sorts of worldly temptations, ambitions, power and desires that we end up losing sight of what truly matters in our lives. We have to resist those temptations and keep ourselves aligned to God and His will, at all times.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of Numbers we heard of the feuds and disagreements that happened between Moses and his siblings, Aaron and Miriam, instigated by those latter two because they desired to be in the leading position over the people of God, the Israelites. They did not want Moses to be the only one through Whom God would speak His words to, and they wanted to be the ones to lead the Israelites as well, claiming their position from their prominent roles during the time of the Exodus. This therefore led to the leadership contest and disagreements between Moses and his siblings, and it was mentioned also how Moses in truth was a very humble man, and this implies that all those bickering for power and influence, positions and prestige is not something that he wanted or desired.

This means that the blame for instigating the leadership challenge fell squarely on Moses’ siblings, Aaron and Miriam, and when they all stood before the Lord’s Presence, Who came to them in the pillar of cloud, to let Him be the judge over the matters and things, and it was clear that Moses was in the right and that He was truly the one chosen by God to lead the Israelites, as God struck Aaron and Miriam with the curse of leprosy. And even in that occasion we can see just how kind, compassionate and magnanimous Moses was, as he asked the Lord to heal his siblings and to spare them the punishment due for their actions. They were reconciled and Moses was reaffirmed in his leadership over the people of Israel, without any more dispute from his siblings.

Aaron and Miriam had essentially allowed their worldly desires and ambitions to mislead themselves down the path of rebellion and disobedience, and they strived for position and prestige likely because they were swayed by ambition and desire for renown, glory and more of the great signs and wonders that God had performed through Moses. But it was likely that they overlooked the fact that Moses himself had borne a lot of great grievances and had to endure many hardships throughout his ministry among the Israelites. And yet, Moses faithfully carried out his mission and duties, despite the oppositions, challenges and betrayals that he had to face even from those closest to him. These are reminders for all of us as well that we should not allow something like this to happen to us either.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the account of the moment when the disciples of the Lord were struck by the great storm in the middle of the lake, likely the Lake of Galilee where they were travelling through while the Lord was not with them in the boat. They were terrified at the great waves and storm, and the fact that several of them were fishermen that must have been accustomed to such a condition, testified to the severity of the event. Yet, the Lord appeared to them, walking miraculously on the water and told them to have faith in Him and not to be afraid. It was at this occasion then that St. Peter asked the Lord to prove that it was truly Him Who appeared to them, and the Lord called on St. Peter to come to Him walking on the water as He did.

St. Peter did so and walked on the water, but as we heard, he was overwhelmed by fear and doubt upon seeing the great storm and the waves, and he began to falter and sink. The Lord rescued him and pulled him out from the water, and as He settled into the boat, He chided the disciples for their lack of faith and trust in Him, and showed forth His power by calming the storm and the waves with the mere command and power of His words. This astonished the disciples greatly and was yet another proof of the Lord’s truth and His identity before those same disciples. It is also an important reminder for all of us, relating to what we have just heard from our first reading today, that we should not depend only on our own human power, intelligence and methods, or else we may end up like Aaron and Miriam who tried to seize power from Moses for their own ambitions, or like the disciples in the storm who were overcome by doubt and fear.

As Christians, it is important that all of us should have complete trust and faith in the Lord, knowing that with Him, we shall not falter or fail. We have to put Him as the centre and priority in our lives, and we should always keep in mind His teachings, precepts and ways in every one of our actions, our interactions and dealings with each other. That is how we can protect ourselves from falling ever deeper into the temptations of worldly desires and ambitions, from the allures of the false treasures of this world which may distract us from truly seeking out the true treasures that we can find in the Lord alone. And it is also important that we should do our best to focus our attention on the Lord and resist the evil ones trying to tempt us in various ways to lead us astray in our paths in life.

Today also marks the celebration of the anniversary of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the four Papal Major Basilica in Rome, which is also the chief and most important of Marian churches and shrines all around the world, dedicated to Mary herself, the Mother of God. And this shrine was dedicated originally to Our Lady of Snows as the history and tradition was such that during the time shortly after Christianity was tolerated by the Roman Empire and the Emperors such as Constantine the Great began supporting the building of great churches in Rome, there was an wealth, elderly and childless Christian couple who wanted to dedicate their wealth and possessions to the Lord, and they prayed to the Lord asking for guidance on what they ought to do.

It was then that the Lord guided them to a site on the Esquiline Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, where miraculously, at the height of the Summer season, which was exactly today, the fifth day of August, when the weather and condition should have been at the hottest, that snow fell upon that very site that the Lord pointed out to the elderly Christian couple. They bought the site and there they built and established a great Basilica, a truly venerable House of God dedicated to the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God herself, in her title as Our Lady of the Snows, in remembering that great miracle. Over time, this devotion to Mary further developed with the arrival of the famous Byzantine style icon of Our Lady, the Protectress of the Roman People, also known as the Salus Populi Romani, which is venerated by many people.

It is upon that icon that our late Pope, Pope Francis, the predecessor of our current Pope, Pope Leo XIV, always prayed before he went on all of his Apostolic Journeys, and to which he also returned once he returned from those Apostolic Journeys. It is at this great Basilica too that Pope Francis himself chose to be buried, at the side of the Basilica’s shrine to Our Lady. And many others came to seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother, the Protectress of the Roman people, and many people had been helped and assisted by the kind assistance of the Mother of God, who is also our Mother that loves us all so much, and we recall Mary’s great faith and dedication to the mission entrusted to her as we rejoice in the memory of the Dedication of this great Basilica and House of God dedicated in her name.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to live our lives as faithfully as we can as Christians, in following the example of Mary, our Most Blessed Mother, in her faith and dedication to her mission, and ask her to intercede for all of us in each and every one of our endeavours and efforts in life. May the Lord continue to bless us all and our good efforts and works, our every actions and interactions in life, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Matthew 14 : 22-36

At that time, immediately, Jesus obliged His disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowd away. And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by Himself, to pray. At nightfall, He was there alone.

Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves, for the wind was against it. At daybreak, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. When they saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once, Jesus said to them, “Courage! Do not be afraid. It is Me!”

Peter answered, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Jesus said to him, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water to go to Jesus. But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid, and began to sink; and he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and took hold of him, saying, “Man of little faith, why did you doubt?” As they got into the boat, the wind dropped. Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus, saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God!”

They came ashore at Gennesaret. The local people recognised Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they brought to Him all the sick people, begging Him to let them touch just the hem of His cloak. All who touched it became perfectly well.

Alternative reading

Matthew 15 : 1-2, 10-14

At that time, some Pharisees, and teachers of the Law, who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around Jesus. And they said to Him, “Why do Your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders? For they, they do not wash their hands before eating.”

Jesus then called the people to Him, and said to them, “Listen and understand : What enters into the mouth does not make a person unclean. What defiles a person is what comes out of his mouth.”

After a while the disciples gathered around Jesus and said, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended by what You said?” Jesus answered, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted. Pay no attention to them! They are blind, leading the blind. When a blind person leads another, the two will fall into a pit.”

Alternative reading (Mass of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Tuesday, 5 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Psalm 50 : 3-4, 5-6a, 6bc-7, 12-13

Have mercy on me, o God, in Your love. In Your great compassion blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly of my guilt; cleanse me of evil.

For I acknowledge my wrongdoings and have my sins ever in mind. Against You alone, have I sinned.

What is evil in Your sight, I have done. You are right when You pass sentence; and blameless in Your judgement. For I have been guilt-ridden from birth; a sinner from my mother’s womb.

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Alternative Psalm (Mass of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Judith 13 : 18-19

My daughter, may the Most High God bless you more than all women on earth. And blessed be the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, Who has led you to behead the leader of our enemies.

Never will people forget the confidence you have shown; they will always remember the power of God.

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Tuesday, 5 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Numbers 12 : 1-13

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married and they said, “Has YHVH only spoken through Moses? Has He not also spoken through us?” And YHVH heard.

Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than any man on the face of the earth. Yet suddenly YHVH said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting.” The three of them came out.

YHVH came down in the pillar of cloud and, standing at the door of the Tent, called Aaron and Miriam. They both went out and He said, “Listen carefully to what I say, ‘If there is a prophet among you, I reveal Myself to him in a vision and I speak to him in a dream. It is not so for My servant, Moses, My trusted steward in all My household.'”

“‘To Him I speak face to face, openly, and not in riddles, and he sees the presence of YHVH. Why then did you not fear to speak against My servant, against Moses?'” YHVH became angry with them and He departed. The cloud moved away from above the Tent and Miriam was there white as snow with leprosy. Aaron turned towards Miriam and he saw that she was leprous.

And he said to Moses, “My lord, I beg you, do not charge us with this sin that we have foolishly committed. Let her not be like the stillborn whose flesh is half-eaten when it comes from its mother’s womb.”

Then Moses cried to YHVH, “Heal her, o God, I beg of You.”

Alternative reading (Mass of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Revelations 21 : 1-5a

Then, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and no longer was there any sea. I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God, out of heaven, adorned as a bride prepared for her husband.

A loud voice came from the throne, “Here is the dwelling of God among mortals : He will pitch His tent among them, and they will be His people; He will be God-with-them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the world that was, has passed away.”

The One seated on the throne said, “See, I make all things new.”

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Saturday, 5 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of one of the four greatest churches in the whole Christendom, namely one of the four Papal Major Basilicas in Rome. This Basilica that we are celebrating today is the greatest of all the churches and edifices dedicated to the Blessed Mother of God, Mary most Holy. Hence, we celebrate today the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, also known as Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. In that great Basilica was displayed the very popular Icon of the Blessed Mother of God, known as ‘Salus Populi Romani’, or the Protectress of the Roman People, which is a very old and ancient Byzantine icon dating to the early days of the Church, which became an important and integral part of the devotions in this great Basilica.

The story of how the Basilica of St. Mary Major was founded cannot be separated from the miraculous occasion of Our Lady of Snows, which was a miracle that happened when snow fell in Rome, at the exact site of the Basilica of St. Mary Major at Rome’s Esquiline Hill, during the Pontificate of Pope St. Celestine I, about a hundred years or so after the ending of official persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire by the Edict of Milan. At that time, it was told by Church traditions that an elderly and devout Christian couple prayed to the Lord and through His Mother, to show them how they ought to best give their whole assets and properties for the good of the Church and the faithful, and thereafter, as mentioned, miraculously snow appeared and fell upon the Esquiline Hill in Rome at the height of summer, on this date, the fifth day of the month of August, which was also the date when the Basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Snows, named such after the miracle, was dedicated to God and to His blessed Mother, as gifts from the aforementioned devout couple, who dedicated their wealth for the good of the Church and the faithful.

Ever since, this great Basilica had seen endless streams of the faithful, many pilgrims and others who sought for the help and intercession of the Blessed Mary, Mother of God. Countless Popes have also entrusted themselves, the Roman people and all Christians to the protection of the Blessed Mother of God, whose love for the Lord, her Son, our Saviour, is an inspiration for all of us, and is also the means by which all of us can love the Lord with ever greater commitment and devotion. Pope Francis, our current Pope and Vicar of Christ for example, has always visited this Basilica of St. Mary Major, to the blessed and miraculous Icon of Salus Populi Romani at every occasions before and after his Apostolic Journeys outside of Italy, entrusting to the Lord through Mary, His blessed Mother, the missions and works that would be carried out and accomplished in all those trips and journeys.

On this blessed day, when we mark the anniversary of the dedication of this great Basilica dedicated to the Mother of our Lord and God, we remind ourselves once again that as Christians, all of us should be exemplary in our way of life and in our faith in God, because we are all ourselves the Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence, where the Lord Himself dwells, in our hearts and minds, in our whole bodies and in our whole beings. Just as the Basilica of St. Mary Major and other consecrated and dedicated churches and chapels are great Houses, consecrated and dedicated for the divine worship of God and God alone, thus, all of us who are the ‘Living Stones’ and the ‘Living Church’, the public manifestation of the Lord’s kingdom in His visible Church, all of us are the Holy Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence, through His own Precious Body and Blood which He has given to us, and which we have partaken in, and also through the Holy Spirit that God has given to us and dwelled within us.

That is why, just as the great Basilica of St. Mary Major and other holy edifices and Houses of God had been set aside, purified and made worthy of the Lord, thus, it is very important that all of us realise just how much more precious it is for us all, as the Living Houses of God’s Holy Presence, to be truly worthy of Him and to consecrate ourselves to the Lord, to dedicate and commit ourselves to His cause and path. Each and every one of us are called to holiness and greatness, set aside and taken from the darkness of this world. The light and love of God, His truth and glory have been given to us, the seeds of faith and love, hope and truth have all been sown in us, awaiting for us to provide them the best and most appropriate conditions such that they may truly bear fruits of faith and love in us, and that our faith in God may be truly genuine and living, not just merely a formality or empty faith.

That is why, as we rejoice together in the memory of the dedication of this great House of God dedicated to His blessed Mother, all of us should remind ourselves to renew our own dedication to God, and to commit ourselves anew to the path that the Lord has shown us. And there is no better way to do this than to look upon the very examples and good model that Mary herself has shown us with her exemplary and most wonderful life. Mary, in her total commitment to the Lord, and in her wholehearted dedication to her Son, to all that she has been entrusted with, we may be inspired to follow her good examples and be strengthened with the same love and devotion to the Lord, in all the things that we say and do, in our every actions and works, in our every deeds and interactions at every moments, in our lives, in every opportunities and time provided to us.

Let us all be the shining and great examples of faith and dedication to all those around us, by our commitment to a life of virtue and faith, righteousness and justice so that in all the things we say, act and do, we will always ever be truly devoted to the Lord. Let us all distance ourselves from the darkness and wickedness of sins and evils all around us, and let us all turn towards the Lord with renewed conviction and desire to love the Lord our God with ever more zeal and faith, and to be the missionary and evangelising disciples that can be the means through which more and more people all around us may come to know of the Lord and His salvation and grace. Let us all be the great inspiration and examples to others, and help one another in the conduct of our faith so that hopefully in all and everything that we say and do, we will always be filled with heartfelt dedication to God.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Master, be with us always, and may His blessed Mother Mary, our patroness and protectress, our blessed mother and gentle guide, continue to help us and intercede for us sinners. May the Lord be with us all His Church and faithful ones, and may He bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 5 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Matthew 14 : 1-12

At that time, the reports about Jesus reached king Herod. And he said to his servants, “This Man is John the Baptist. John has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in John.”

Herod had, in fact, ordered that John be arrested, bound in chains and put in prison, because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had said to Herod, “It is not right for you to have her as your wife.” Herod wanted to kill him but he did not dare, because he feared the people, who regarded John as a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced among the guests; she so delighted Herod that he promised under oath to give her anything she asked for. The girl, following the advice of her mother, said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist, here, on a dish.”

The king was very displeased, but because he had made his promise under oath, in the presence of his guests, he ordered it to be given to her. So he had John beheaded in prison, and his head brought on a dish and given to the girl. The girl then took it to her mother.

Then John’s disciple came, took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Saturday, 5 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Psalm 66 : 2-3, 5, 7-8

May God be gracious and bless us; may He let His face shine upon us; that Your way be known on earth and Your salvation, among the nations.

May the countries be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with justice; and guide the nations of the world.

The land has given its harvest; God, our God, has blessed us. May God bless us and be revered, to the very ends of the earth.

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Judith 13 : 18bcde, 19

My daughter, may the Most High God bless you more than all women on earth. And blessed be the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, Who has led you to behead the leader of our enemies.

Never will people forget the confidence you have shown; they will always remember the power of God.

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Saturday, 5 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Leviticus 25 : 1, 8-17

YHVH spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai : “When seven Sabbaths of years have passed, that is, seven times seven years, there shall be the time of the seven weeks of years, that is forty-nine years. Then on the tenth day of the seventh month sound the trumpet loudly. On this Day of Atonement sound the trumpet all through the land.”

“Keep holy the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom for all the inhabitants of the land. It shall be a jubilation year for you when each one shall recover his property and go back to his family. In this fiftieth year, your year of Jubilee, you shall neither sow nor reap the aftergrowth, nor gather the grapes from the uncultivated vines. This Jubilee year shall be holy for you, and you shall eat what the field yields of itself without cultivation.”

“In this year of Jubilee each of you shall recover his own property. When you sell something to your neighbour or buy something from him, do not wrong one another. According to the number of years after the Jubilee, you shall buy it from your neighbour and according to the number of years left for harvesting crops he shall sell to you.”

“When the years are many the price shall be greater and when the years are few the price shall be less, for it is the number of crops that he is selling to you. So you shall not wrong one another but you shall fear your God, for I am YHVH, your God.”

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Revelations 21 : 1-5a

Then, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and no longer was there any sea. I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God, out of heaven, adorned as a bride prepared for her husband.

A loud voice came from the throne, “Here is the dwelling of God among mortals : He will pitch His tent among them, and they will be His people; He will be God-with-them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the world that was, has passed away.”

The One seated on the throne said, “See, I make all things new.”

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Wednesday, 5 August 2020 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Scripture we rejoice in the remembrance of the historic event of the Dedication or Consecration of the Papal Basilica St. Mary Major, also known well by its Italian name, Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. This is one of the four great Papal Major Basilicas, and it is also the most important of churches and basilicas dedicated to the Blessed Mother of God.

The Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major is a great Marian shrine, most well-known for its holy icon of the ‘Maria Salus Populi Romani’ or the Protectress of the Roman people. This icon is a Byzantine style icon that dated from the fifth or century after the birth of Christ, and therefore had been around in Rome for a very long time, and was well-known and had great following both in Rome and beyond. In recent years, our Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis had been visiting the icon before and after his foreign trips and thus made the icon even more popular.

The icon of ‘Salus Populi Romani’ further highlighted the Marian character of this great church and Basilica, but how did this Basilica came up to be in the first place? It was one of the oldest churches in Rome, lasting from the late era of the Roman Empire, from a time not long after Christianity was tolerated and eventually became the official faith of the entire Empire. This Basilica was also often known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows for the well-known miraculous occurrence that led to the foundation of the Basilica.

It was told in the Church history and tradition that a Roman patrician named John and his wife made a vow to donate their personal land and wealth as they had no son and heir to continue their family and inherit their legacy. They made the vow to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and they prayed asking for guidance and help in finding the proper site to build a church dedicated to God and to His blessed Mother.

And in the most wonderful and miraculous way, on the fifth day of August, on one of the hills of Rome, the Esquiline Hill on which the Basilica of St. Mary Major now stands, during the very height of the hot Roman summer, snow falls on the hill and covered the very spot that Mary had marked for this great shrine and church. And that was how this great Basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Snows, the Blessed Virgin Mary, came to be.

Ever since then, the Basilica had stood for many centuries as the symbol of the faith that all of us mankind has in the Lord through His mother Mary, and it has become a strong rallying point and place for devotees and the faithful, inspiring many to return to the faith. And this homage to the Blessed Mother of God was also part of the affirmation that came with the official recognition of Mary as the Mother of God at the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, which took place around the time the Basilica was built and dedicated.

Why is it that we have such great dedication and devotion to Mary? That is because we honour her first and foremost as the Mother of God, by virtue of her being the mother of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who is both God and Man, and because Mary is the Mother of Him Who is God Incarnate, that is why she is also the Mother of God. And throughout history the mother of an important persona, such as rulers and kings have always had great honour applied to them.

And even more so than just this, Mary is so honoured because of her exemplary faith and dedication, her righteousness and piety, her love for her Son, all the virtues she has possessed that are great examples and inspiration for each and every one of us. Indeed, if the Lord were to point out for someone or an example for us to follow, first and foremost, He is likely to say, “There is My mother, follow her and her examples, devote yourself to her, and you will find the straightest path to heaven.”

That is why, as we celebrate the Dedication of this church and House of God, we recall Mary, the mother of God, and her brilliant examples in faith. Let us all follow her and be inspired by her and love God wholeheartedly as Mary had once done. Let us all look towards the Lord with faith, and commit ourselves anew to Him, with His mother Mary by our side, guiding us on the path forward that we will always do what the Lord has taught us to do, that indeed, we will be blessed because we obey God’s will and does what He wants us to do as said in our Gospel passage today.

O Holy Mother of God, Mary, Our Lady of Snows, most virtuous and wonderful of all the children of man, pray for us and intercede for our sake always, before your Son in heaven. Pray for all of us sinners now, and at the hour death, and lead us all into your Son, that He may show us mercy and forgive us our sins. Amen.

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Wednesday, 5 August 2020 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Matthew 15 : 21-28

At that time, leaving that area, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from the area, came and cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So His disciples approached Him and said, “Send her away! See how she is shouting after us.” Then Jesus said to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”

But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus, and said, “Sir, help me!” Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to puppies.”

The woman replied, “That is true, Sir, but even puppies eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said, “Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Alternative reading (Mass for the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”