II° Sunday of Advent: Time of Mercy
Holy Mary Mother of Mercy
The lights of the great opportunities that the church proposes to Christians, such as the Advent season, are always bright and attainable, but the comet star that will always guide us brightly is that of Mary Mother of Mercy because it is fueled by her great maternal love that will never be extinguished.
She was well depicted by Piero della Francesca, in the central compartment of the 1444/1454 polyptych preserved in the Sansepolcro Civic Museum. This depicts the Virgin gigantically spreading her cloak as a sign of great protection, to welcome and succor every needy person who appeals to her mercy.
Indeed, it is certainly an effective and extraordinary sign of God’s love, Mary Mother of Mercy, who has repeatedly wanted to show herself to the favored few to call to prayer and penance all those in need of help.
This is evidenced by many miracles such as that of May 11, 1850. Countess Anna Bugli Bandini entered the church of St. Clare in Rimini for a brief visit and, while addressing her prayers looking at the image of Our Lady of Mercy, she was struck by an extraordinary phenomenon: the eyes of the Virgin turned upward until they disappeared under her eyelids and then lowered again and looked softly toward her.
The movement was seen for several times and those present, amazed and moved, spread the news. For eight months the miracle was repeated with a few intervals as more and more faithful flocked to it.
The eyes of the holy image, which kept rising and falling towards the faithful, were sometimes shining like stars and sometimes veiled with tears. The face also changed color and turned pale from rosy. Pope Pius IX then ordered a regular trial where both the diocesan bishop of the time, as well as cardinals, other bishops, men of science and ordinary faithful gave their testimony: all asserted the veracity of the prodigy.
The beautiful image of the Virgin, which today triumphs in the apse in a frame of precious stones, gold and silver donated by Pope Pius IX, was crowned by him on August 15, 1850. This Madonna of Mercy was painted by Giuseppe Soleri Brancaleoni, a talented painter from Rimini, to make a gift of it to his Poor Clare sister of St. Clare in 1796.
She is depicted half-length, has a beautiful youthful face, very sweet features, large dark eyes, her head somewhat reclined on her right shoulder and her hands, with tapering fingers, crossed over her heart. Proclaimed patron saint of Rimini and the diocese, she soon drew so many people that a large church had to be built.
The task was entrusted to the architect Giovanni Benedettini, who in just six months from May 17 to November 17, 1850, built the present temple, thanks in part to those faithful who immediately contributed to the expenses of the building.
Many times the Mother of Jesus has intervened to grant the requests for help that were addressed to her, as evidenced by the various miracles worked in the following years, and she has always left some mark on the soul and in the places where the faithful, even today, flock in prayer.
