“This is the day that the Lord has made”, said by His Eminence, Orlando Cardinal Queveda of the Metropolitan Diocese of Cotabato, “it is not only the culmination of the month-long devotion of the Flores de Mayo. This day will be remembered for all time by the people of San Mateo and by the diocese of Antipolo as the day of the pontifical coronation of Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu”.
Hundreds of devotees, priests, public officials, and various church ministries and organizations filled the parish grounds as Cardinal Queveda preside the Eucharistic celebration of the pontifical coronation of Our Lady of Aranzazu.
It is indeed a great privilege to the diocese as Our Lady of Aranzazu is its third Marian image, following Nuestra Senora dela Paz y Buenviaje in Antipolo and Nuestra Senora Desamparados in Marikina, to be crowned by Papal mandate.
Our Lady first appeared to Rodrigo, a shepherd in a small town in Oñate, Spain in a thorn bush around 450 years ago. After these apparitions, there came a “stream of wonderful miracles and healings down the centuries”, shared Cardinal Queveda in his homily. This stream of blessings started to overflow in San Mateo when the Jesuits introduced the devotion to Our Lady in the early 1700’s. Various accounts of miracles such as healing from sickness, protection from calamity especially during the typhoon Ondoy, reconciliation among family, friends, and neighbors are only a few of hundreds of miracles interceded by Our Lady of Aranzazu.
“Our love for our Mother must impel to follow her example of loving service”, says His Eminence in his homily. She is an image and role the model of loving service – something that our society direly needs today. As a cardinal in the South, His Eminence recognizes the value of charity especially in the violence-stricken areas in Mindanao.
Terrorism, greed and corruption seem to be the new form of plague that infest in our society. Charity and service are most needed in these times. Cardinal Quevedo urged the faithful to serve one another without expecting anything in return. He encouraged everyone to voluntarily offer their services and share their blessings especially when we see it’s needed. There’s no need to wait for a call for help. “This is the practical implication of crowning Our Lady of Aranzazu”, he emphasized. “Our mother loves the poor”, he added. Most, if not all, the apparitions of our Mother throughout the world and through centuries were to the poor and victims of calamity, famine, or violence.
It is important that we understand that there’s something more beyond the ceremonial rites in our today’s historical event. Today, we merely crowned Our Lady and the Infant Jesus with gold and jewels.
There are priceless jewels that we can and strive to continuously crown her. Kindness and charity are just to name a few. The bells in the thorn bush are calling us and will continuously call us. We must spare no effort to listen and respond. (Lea Basillio)
