Mary and the reconstruction of Lebanon

Sister Marie-Raymonde Alam, founder of the movement À toi Marie (For you, Mary) and former director of Hospitality Services for the French-speaking pilgrims to Medjugorje, has been planting Marian devotion in Lebanese parishes and families for nearly 20 years. She is currently organizing the construction of a Marian City in the diocese of Jounieh, a few kilometers from Beirut, wanting to transform this place into a sign of reconstruction, unity and peace for the future of Lebanon.

Moved by the heroic sacrifice of the first responders, many of whom lost their lives in the August 4, 2020, disaster in Beirut and are now considered "holy souls," the nun explains that the resilience and healing of the Lebanese people is rooted in their faith and Marian devotion. "For us Lebanese, the Lord is our strength, our support, our shepherd, and our safety. We have seen it during all the years of war. How many times we could have been killed but were saved by a miracle! The Lebanese always turn to the Lord, and rely on the Blessed Virgin," she says, stressing that despite all the corruption and violence, a large part of the population remains open to God's grace, by praying for Mary’s intercession.

There is a unity of the Lebanese around the figure of Mary, as this story told by Sister Marie-Raymonde proves: "I have this Lebanese Muslim friend. One day, he called me early in the morning and said: 'Raise your eyes to Heaven, and give thanks to God!’ I was really surprised: ‘Yahia, why are you calling me so early in the morning?’ He said, ‘I made a vow to the Blessed Virgin and she quickly answered me. So I told her that I would give you a car so that you could go to Mass every day.’ He gave me a Fiat, like Mary's ‘Fiat,’ with blue car keys (Mary’s color)! Amen! Thank you Lord, glory be to God!" the nun exclaimed with gratitude.

A sign of God's humor, this story proves to what extent the land of the Cedars, beyond its dramas and crises, remains a land in which the spirit of God has taken root in the hearts of the faithful. Finding in Mary a common Mother helps the Lebanese see each other as brothers and sisters, bound by a common destiny.

Adapted from: Vatican News