In Czestochowa Mary has shown the power of her prayers

By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami

Homily by Archbishop Thomas Wenski at Mass celebrated at the altar of Our Lady of Czestochowa at Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland with the group of pilgrims from Miami who travelled for World Youth Day. July 24, 2016.

We are here for Holy Mass at Czestochowa, in this shrine, in this chapel where we stand before the image of Our Lady. This place is truly the spiritual lung of Poland. We come as pilgrims - and this is perhaps our first "official" stop as we prepare to meet Pope Francis later this week in Krakow for World Youth Day. I said, we come as pilgrims - not as tourists. Tourists spend a lot money - and they expect to be "taken care of", to be pampered. Pilgrims might spend a lot of money but we can't expect to be pampered. Some of you already learned this with cancelled flights and missed connections. But a pilgrimage represents our live's journey - a journey which some difficulties are to be expected; yet, our pilgrimage reminds us that we don't travel alone. We are accompanied by angels and saints, we are accompanied in our life's journey especially by Mary, our mother, whom the Polish nation honors as their queen.

The scriptures today speak about the power of intercession prayer. Abraham "bargains" with God, as it were. But his intercession is successful. In the gospel, Jesus tells us to knock, to seek and to ask. Again telling us about the power of prayers of intercession.

Of course, in Mary we have a powerful intercessor. In the beautiful prayer composed by St. Bernard, the Memorare, we pray "remember that never was it known that anyone who sought you help was left unaided".

Here in Czestochowa Mary has shown the power of her prayers. Over the years, people have come here to seek her help - and they were not left unaided. This nation suffered greatly in the 20th Century from Nazism and from communism, but how many prayers were offered by men and women of Faith before this very altar? These prayers were heard many times over the centuries and these prayers were heard most recently with the election of a Polish Pope and with the Fall of the Wall in 1989 - when World War II finally ended for the Polish people.

For years, during the "Cold War", people lived in fear of weapons of mass destruction. These weapons still are a threat to the world and its future. But Mary has given us a much more powerful weapon. The Holy Rosary is a weapon of mass conversion. Mary's intercession is a powerful intercession!

In the gospel reading, Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He taught the "Our Father" which, of course, because the Lord himself taught to us, is a perfect prayer. But, it is a demanding prayer for we ask that God forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. This is not easy - for often we hold resentments, grudges. So it is hard to pray the Lord's Prayer with sincerity -without hypocrisy. That is why in the Rosary, for every Our Father we pray ten times the Hail Mary. "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." We ask Mary to intercede for us so that we can rid ourselves of those resentments, those sins that keep us from forgiving those "who trespass against us". It this way we seek Mary's intercession so that we can pray the prayer Jesus taught us with sincerity, without any hypocrisy.

Mary then helps us through her powerful intercession to experience mercy - both to receive mercy and to give mercy. Earlier I said that we are pilgrims not tourists. Remember pilgrims have to travel light - no extra baggage. As you continue on this pilgrimage take advantage of the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation - this is best way of getting rid of that excess baggage - of sin, of resentments, of the evil things we do - that weigh us down on our pilgrim journey through life.

We are before the image of Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa, let us pray with confidence that "never was it known that anyone who sought your protection was left unaided' inspired with this confidence we fly to you, Virgin of virgins, Our Mother. Despise not our petitions but in your mercy answer us.'