Marian devotion overcomes religious barriers in India
Mumbai (AsiaNews)
- Marian devotion in India overcomes religious barriers and more than 80% of pilgrims
to Marian sanctuaries are non-Catholics. They
bring all kinds of offerings - flowers, garlands, coconuts - and it is not
unusual to see women dressed in burqas who pray to Our Lady. On
the occasion of the feast of Mary Help of Christians, which falls on May 24, AsiaNews spoke with the Jesuit scriptures
scholar, Errold Fernandes, to better understand the phenomenon.
"The
mother goddess has always been venerated from the earliest times.
Durga and Kali are some examples of this veneration - explained the Jesuit - despite
the fact that the girl child is frowned upon and in many cases women are
treated as objects rather then persons, Indian tradition has contradictorily
held women/mother goddesses in high esteem. Mary, the mother of Jesus
is also venerated by people of all faiths in many parts of India.
Velankanni in Chennai, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Mount Mary in Mumbai
are striking examples of such veneration and honour given to Mary. People are
able to see in Mary (and by extension in 'Mother goddesses') s figure who
will fulfil their aspirations and answer their prayers. "
Father
Errol is also an expert in new media and has traveled extensively throughout
the country and keeps a blog (http://errolsj.blogspot.com
), explaining the Scriptures. "The
intercession of Mary is seen very clearly in the Catholic Scriptures" the
scholar continues. "At the beginning of the Gospel of John, the intervention
and intercession of Mary is responsible for the water being turned into wine by
Jesus. And this despite the fact that 'his hour had not yet come'. Mary is with
the first group of Apostles constantly praying with them for the coming of the
spirit (Acts 1:14). In recent times, the intercession of Mary has been
responsible for numerous favours that people have received. I have heard from
so many who make the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour that seeming
impossible situations have become possible through Mary's intercession. These
include conception of a child after many years, acquisition of a job,
settlement of family disputes and the like. In my own life, I believe that it
is the constant intercession of Mary which keeps me optimistic and positive
despite the many challenges that come my way each day. "
With
regard to the Marian shrines in India, as an example of religious harmony, Fr. Errol Francis Pope recalls: "As
Pope Francis has recently said, our God is too big to
be pigeon-holed or placed in a box. God is bigger that anything we
can ever imagine and as human beings we need to realise this. Often we tend to
make God in our image and likeness and so restrict God to a
Church/Mosque/Temple or other place of worship. This is a disservice to God. It
is a wonderful example of religious harmony when we see people of all faiths
converge to pray to God who is all and in all. "
The
priest went on to explain why it is not strange to see Muslim women pray to the
Virgin Mary. "Mary
is the only woman mentioned explicitly in the Koran. First of all, the Koran
believes in her Immaculate Conception and, also, in her Virgin Birth. The third
chapter of the Koran places the history of Mary's family in a genealogy which
goes back through Abraham, Noah, and Adam. The Koran has also verses on the Annunciation,
Visitation, and Nativity. In the nineteenth chapter, there are 41 verses on
Jesus and Mary. "
"I
think anyone who is devoted to Our Lady - concludes Fr. Errol - is on the right
track. It was never known that anyone who fled to her protection was left
unaided. Mary will never let any devotee stop at her, but will always leads
people to God" .
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13/08/2004
