My dear Sisters,
I wish all of you the joys and the blessings of the twin feasts – the Assumption of Our Lady and the 75th Independence Day of our country India. The feast of the Assumption of Our Lady draws our attention to Mary who is richly awarded by God for her loyalty to Him as the humble handmaid of the Lord. We salute her for her daring life of faith and fidelity and as reward He lifts up the lowly and crowns her with the glory of heaven accompanied by the choirs of angels. William Wordsworth the great English poet writing about Mary says, “Woman above all women glorified; our tainted nature’s solitary boast! May she, who alone stands as pure and undefiled in a world of sin, reign over India in full splendour as Queen and Mother.”
The feast of the Independence of India beckons us to rejoice at the freedom that we have enjoyed as the citizens of India for the past 75years and calls us to salute our leaders who have paid the price of their life to gain independence. Their lives are a great challenge for us to desire, decide and commit ourselves for the good of others and our Nation at large. We are aware that our Country is in crisis; there is a dearth for good leaders, there are deaths due to covid 19 pandemic, natural calamities, violence, poverty, fanaticism etc. There is division of hearts and minds based on caste, creed and colour, there is sadness and anxiety in the hearts of millions who are displaced every now and then. There are prisoners, exploited women, victims of domestic violence, bound by chains of slavery, living in constant fear and terror. These, our less fortunate brothers and sisters do not have a reason to celebrate the joy of freedom. Dear sisters, what can be done to brighten their faces?
As we celebrate the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady and our Independence Day, let us take some time to reflect on our responsibility to build our brothers and sisters, society and nation. Let us seek ways and means to heal rather than hurt, to free others rather than bind and raise up the fallen rather than crush. Let there be healing, wholeness and total well-being of everyone and of everything. Let us be leaders where we are, leaders who take the people where they ought to be, women of vision, of integrity, truthfulness and commitment and stand up for the cause of the deprived.
I wish you a happy feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother and Independence Day!