The Basilica of St Mary Major
(Our Lady of the Snow)
A reading of the holy Gospel according to MT 16:24-28
Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
REFLECTION
the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory
Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the four major basilicas in Rome. The other three are St Peters, St John Lateran and St Paul outside the walls. It is the largest of all the twenty six churches now in Rome named in honor of the Bless Mother. It holds the Holy Crib, shards from the Holy Manger, piece of the true cross and the tombs of St Matthew, Pope Clement, and Pope Paul V
Pope Sixtus (432-440) built the present church following the proclamation by the Council of Ephesus in 431 that Mary was the Mother of God. She was acknowledged as Theotokos--God Bearer.
Two buildings were built on the same spot prior to Santa Maria Maggiore. The first was bult in 375 BC in honor of the Roman goddess Juno. It was a pagan site of worship before its destruction.
In 358 AD, Pope Liberius built a church on that site. Legend has it that a wealthy heiress donated the money for the church. The Pope and the heiress had a dream whereby Mary said she would give them a sign. The next morning snow had fallen on the Esquiline Hill. It was summer. It was called Our Lady of the Snow Church and stood there for 80 years til Pope Sixtus replaced it with the present Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.
Jesus is the Son of God, Son of Mary Most Holy. He will come with His angels in His Father’s glory.
