MANILA, Dec. 18, 2014 – How can a person be ashamed of his own mother? If this seems impossible on human terms, then more so in the case of the Blessed Mother Mary, said a priest during a massive Marian event on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila.
Fr. Melvin Castro, Confraternity of Mary Mediatrix of All-Grace (CMMG) director general and founder (Photo: James Benedict Malabanan)
“Let us not be ashamed of or let’s not doubt our devotion to the Blessed Virgin…That is the work of God, that is His action, that is His wish…that everything flows through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin,” said Fr. Melvin Castro during the “To Jesus through Mary: The Journey from Misery and Sin to Mercy and Grace” recollection, which was attended by 2,000 participants.
Quoting St. Louis de Montfort, a saint known for his devotion to Mary, the priest said, “Everything will go back to Christ also through the mediation of this woman.”
According to Castro, Confraternity of Mary Mediatrix of All-Grace (CMMG) director general and founder, the maternal presence of Mary in the life of every Christian is something God Himself ordained.
“That is the action of the Lord…His Son came to earth through a mother. Grace, salvation came to earth through the Blessed Virgin,” he explained.
Castro, who is also the Episcopal Commission of Family and Life executive secretary, stressed how the faithful should follow Christ’s example in honoring His mother, Mary.
“Do we now know better than God? And we will say that we do not need the Blessed Mother? And we will say, ‘I’ll just go directly [to God]’? That is not how God acted,” the priest added.
Castro encouraged the Marian devotees in the crowd, telling them that if they find themselves misunderstood because of their love for Mary, they should not be afraid and accept the experience as the Blessed Virgin would.
“We can be sure that if there is true devotion to the Blessed Virgin, the Lord is there,” he said in closing.
The event was organized by the CMMG as a form of spiritual preparation for the papal visit. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz/CBCPNews)
