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January 15, 2023Abu Dhabi.
The church in Arabia celebrated the Solemnity of Our Lady of Arabia on 14 January 2023. Every year the celebration falls on the Saturday preceding the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The Liturgy for the celebration at St. joseph's Cathedral was presided by Bishop Paolo Martinelli. Below is the full text of his homily.
Today we celebrate the solemnity of Our Lady of Arabia. It is a significant celebration for all the Churches in the Gulf.
It is an excellent occasion for prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord for giving us Mary, the Mother of God, as our mother and patroness. Many Christians live and work in the gulf region and entrust themselves to Mary in their prayers.
Jesus gave his life for us and our salvation, but he also wanted to provide us with Mary as our mother. We turn to her every day; She intercedes for us. Mary gives us her son Jesus and brings us to him. We trust in her and her maternal presence.
Celebrating today Mary as Our Lady of Arabia, our thoughts go in particular to the beautiful and large Cathedral in Bahrain dedicated to her, consecrated just over a year ago and visited last November by Pope Francis. Under the protection of Mary, our Lady of Arabia, today we feel united in a unique way to all Christians living in the Gulf region.
Celebrating Our Lady of Arabia also means accepting the invitation to live with faith in this land where we are mysteriously placed by providence. Mary is a woman of pure faith. Looking at her, we want to live our Christian life with faith, committing ourselves daily to witness the Gospel of Jesus. Living with faith means living entrusted to the presence of Jesus in our lives. Mary helps us follow Jesus who is present in our lives, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, in the life of the Church, and in the poor and the needy.
The word of God we have heard then invites us to sing the hymn of Praise to God with Mary. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit exults in God, my Saviour.
We, too, learn to praise the Lord for all his gifts and the good works he accomplishes in our lives.
Sometimes we are tempted to emphasize only the difficulties and limitations we experience in life. Our Lady of Arabia also invites us to the prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the great things that God works in our lives.
We do well to implore the help of God and the saints in difficult moments and to ask for the intercession of Mary in times of tribulation. But let us never forget to thank the Lord and praise him for his faithful and merciful love.
Furthermore, Mary's words in her hymn of praise help us look at life differently. Mary praises God for his power which intervenes in history and changes the world. Mary thanks the Lord for his mercy; She praises the Lord because he frees us from evil. The Lord lifts up the poor and the humble and shows how in the eyes of God, the successes of this world are short and unavailable.
In the light of God's mercy and justice, we welcome the words of Saint Paul in the letter to the Romans, who invites us to have sincere love, without pretence towards everyone, always to prefer good to evil.
Finally, today's liturgy brings our Lady of Arabia closer to the new Jerusalem of Heaven and helps us kindle the desire for great and beautiful things. It makes us think of eternal life. It is an invitation not to attach our hearts to passing things but to open ourselves to greater Hope.
Our journey on this earth is not aimless. Mary reminds us that we are on our way toward an encounter with the Lord. Our heart is made for great things. We were created by God to participate in eternal life fully. The kingdom of God begins on this earth in brotherly love but is fulfilled only in Heaven when we will see Jesus face to face.
There the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, awaits us, and from Heaven, she intercedes for all of us so that one day we may all be with her in that endless joy among the saints.
Our Lady of Arabia - Pray for us.