by Francis Khoo Thwe

Tens of thousands of Catholics attended the novena to Mary, with prayers, masses and solemn processions. Over 70 thousand faithful attend final day of prayers. In his homily, Msgr. Bo stresses the importance of "trust" and traced the country's recent history, marked by war and violence.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - The faith of Mary in the will of God must be an example to renew a relationship of mutual respect and trust between government and citizens, so that after decades of war and darkness Myanmar can see "the light that is a source of hope" . These the words of the Archbishop of Yangon, Msgr. Charles Bo, to tens of thousands of faithful who attended the final Mass of the Novena of Our Lady on 9 February at the Marian shrine of Nyaunglebin. In the town of the district of Bago, the seat of the most important Marian shrine in Burma, the bishop along with dozens of priests, nuns and religious chaired the 111th anniversary of the festival dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The celebrations began on Feb. 1, and each day, they recorded the participation of tens of thousands of Catholics - from all over the country - Masses, prayers, confessions and recitations of the Holy Rosary.

The final act of the festival dedicated to the mother of Jesus was the solemn Mass on the evening of February 9, preceded by a procession. The liturgy was attended by at least 70 thousand faithful and pilgrims filled every corner of Nyaunglebin. Leading the procession and mass, was Msgr. Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, assisted by the Bishop of Hpa-an, Msgr. Justin Saw Min Thid and 76 other priests.

In his homily, the bishop insisted on the concept of "trust", starting from the example of the Virgin Mary who entrusted herself fully to God, Abba (Father, ed), "in whom we can always trust." "Mary - said Msgr. Bo - is our example of faith in God." He then expanded by referring to the country, tracing the recent history since 1962. "Our people - he said - lived for 50 years in darkness" with blindfolded and our mouths shut. "But now - he added - the situation is changing. We are at the dawn of a new day, we are begining to see a light that is a source of hope."

Archbishop Bo finally recalled the ongoing conflict between the Burmese army and the Kachin militia in Kachin State, northern Myanmar, on the border with China. Stressing that the country "has not lived a year without war, since independence in 1948," the prelate said he hoped that through "discussions and negotiations," we can achieve a "peaceful solution" because "we are all tired of fighting" .

 

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