Struck by the Moon:
The moon is certainly a beautiful thing! Back in August 2017, there was some major media attention on the full lunar eclipse of the sun which passed through 10 different US states in the space of 90 minutes. An eclipse is always an impressive thing. One commentator in the US who witnessed it said it was “a religious experience.” I am not sure what he meant by that; perhaps like many natural wonders, he meant it was a numinous experience. Something that takes us out of ourselves, reminding us of the transcendent and omnipotent Divine.
I can relate to that. When I was in Ephesus at the shrine of the House of Mary (Miryam) in August 1999 when a total eclipse was witnessed by millions from Falmouth to Syria and more. I will always remember that strange sensation when the sky turned dark and the temperature dropped [though at the height of summer in Turkey that’s not much of a drop] and I felt a bizarre wonderment of being in the midst of something almost apocalyptic. By that I mean, an “unveiling” of something rather than an end of the world/doomsday type of thing.
The Moons Unveiling for Me:
The “unveiling” for me that day, at the last earthly home of the Queen of Heaven, where she was assumed body and soul into heaven was one of a new realization. Like Mary, we too as disciples of the Lord, must be “lunar” models of the Church.
Like the moon, we must reflect the light of Christ in the darkness of the world around us. We must shine as reflectors of His glory and wonder. Though we will never do it as beautifully as Mary did. For unlike her, we all too often “eclipse” the light of Jesus by our sins. However, by turning to Mary, who has the Moon at her feet as a symbol of her sovereign power and closeness to the Redeemer, we will shine once again with grace and truth and beauty.
In these days of continued commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima let us renew efforts to be close to Her through the power of the daily rosary. We face uncertain futures in this fragile world so full of terror, threat, and devastating war. The Holy Rosary is and must be our preferred weapon of choice to fight the ultimate battle we all face every single moment of every single day.
