Mary accomplished what money and laws could never do!

With the Protestant Reformation, Mary’s role was eclipsed for many. Martin Luther tried to hold on to the Marian doctrines while abandoning devotions. John Calvin had no such scruples, and he even revived the error of Nestorius in rejecting the title Mother of God.

Yet just as millions were leaving the Church in Europe, millions entered in the New World. Though the conquistadors and missionaries had failed to convert the native peoples, Mary succeeded. In 1531 she appeared at Guadalupe to a poor man named Juan Diego. And she accomplished what money and laws could never do. She converted a continent in a matter of a few years.

Then, forty years later, she saved fractured Europe from succumbing to Muslim invaders. As the Ottoman fleet advanced, Pope Pius V roused the Catholic people to pray the Rosary. And on October 7, 1571, at the Battle of Lepanto, Christendom’s ragtag navy prevailed over the Sultan’s fleet. The Blessed Virgin — and an army of common people praying their beads — received credit as a new feast day was added to the calendar.

The story continues into the modern era. There have been apparitions — at Rue de Bac, Lourdes, Fatima, and elsewhere.

And the future?

I see it in an image of Mary I keep in my office. It’s from India, and it is painted on a pipal leaf.&

The Church is growing. Though it seems weakened in the West, it is growing in the global South and East. The painting on the pipal leaf is a sign of that growth and the future’s promise. Every crisis in Church history has led to surprising developments — often brought about not by the rich and powerful, but by poor people who stand with Mary and pray … and are pleased to make some noise as they carry her image through the streets.

Mike Aquilina

Adapted from https://angelusnews.com/faith/the-historical-events-that-have-kept-making-mary-great-again/