Inside story of Marian mosaic told on Bl. John Paul II's birthday

Vatican City, May 18, 2011 / 05:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Blessed Pope John Paul II was born on May 18, 1920. Today, one of his closest colleagues revealed the true story behind the mosaic of Our Lady the late Pope had installed in St. Peter’s Square.
“After the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981, Vatican officials were evaluating the possibility of placing a plaque, or some visible sign, in St. Peter’s Square in the area where the Pope had been shot, in remembrance of a painful page in the history of the Church but also as testimony of divine protection,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re wrote in the May 18 edition of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.
Cardinal Re was a senior figure in the Congregation for Bishops and the Vatican Secretariat of State during the pontificate of Pope John Paul.
“John Paul II, convinced that the Virgin Mary had protected him on that day, immediately expressed the desire that an image of the Madonna be placed in the square.” Cardinal Re added that Pope John Paul had also become aware that there was something “missing” from the St. Peter’s Square up until that time – an image of Our Lady.
So in the summer of 1981, then-Bishop Re was asked to join a small group charged with devising solutions. Their deliberations didn’t take long.
“Two hours later, we were standing in St. Peter’s Square and Monsignor Fallani (who was in charge of conservation in the Vatican) pointed to a window of the Apostolic Palace where the mosaic is now placed and said, ‘For me, a solution which works well for the setting of this square is a mosaic placed in the travertine frame of that window up there.’ He then asked what was behind that particular window.”
Cardinal Re said he explained that it was the room “where two sisters did some typing for the Secretariat of State, but that it was a large room and had another side window.”
So the group had decided upon a location and the use of a mosaic, but which image of Our Lady to use?
“Once again, the Pope offered his opinion that he would like a representation of Mary as Mother of the Church, because, he explained, ‘the Mother of God has always been united with the Church and has been particularly close during difficult moments in its history.’ He added that he was personally convinced that the Virgin Mary was in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, to save the life of the Pope,” Cardinal Re wrote.

The exact image was taken from an ancient painting of the Madonna and child that had a long history. It was housed in the old St. Peter’s Basilica, built in the 4th century by the Emperor Constantine, and then later in the present St. Peter’s, built in the 16th century under the guidance of Michelangelo. Finally, in 1964, the image was restored and renamed “Mater Ecclesiae” to mark the Second Vatican Council’s proclamation of Mary as “Mother of the Church,” Cardinal Re explained.

“On December 8th, 1981, John Paul II, before the recitation of the Angelus, blessed the Marian image, a sign of heavenly protection on the Pontiff, on the Church and on all who come to St. Peter’s Square.”
www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/inside-story-of…

MAY 18, 2011
DAILY PRAYER WITH REGNUM CHRISTI
THE LIGHT OF LIFE
May 18, 2011
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Father Steven Reilly, LC

John 12:44-50
Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me believes not only
in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the
one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who
believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my
words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not
come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me
and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word
that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not
speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say
and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I
say, I say as the Father told me."
Introductory Prayer: Father, you have blessed me with this
opportunity to pray. I come into your presence to please and glorify
you. I offer it up for all those who are counting on me for spiritual
support.
Petition: Lord, increase my hope so that I know that you are always
guiding me.
1. Our Souls Were Made for the Light: Little children are scared of
the dark - after all, monsters and ghosts live in the dark. Flick on
the light switch, however, and all the fears dissipate. The real
world is so much less scary when the light is on. What's true for
children is also true for us - but on a different level. We have many
fears, and so many of them come because we are in the dark. We don't
know the future; we can't control outcomes. We fear spiritual
darkness because our souls were made for the light. But Jesus "came
into the world as light." When we know Jesus, the light has come into
our lives, the fears vanish. We don't know the future, but he does.
We can't control outcomes, but his providence guides all. Like the
little child who is relieved when Mom or Dad comes into the dark
room, with Jesus we can rest assured that everything will be okay.
2. Living in the Truth: If there is one thing that we should fear,
it is ourselves. It is said that Saint Philip Neri used to wake up in
the morning, look in the mirror and say, "Lord, watch out for Philip
lest he betray you again today." The Lord speaks of a self-inflicted
condemnation that comes from not accepting his words. When we feel
the inner tug of our pride or sensuality, beckoning us to confide
more in ourselves than in Christ, then we need to pause. It is like a
spiritual red flag telling us that our adherence to Jesus' words is
waning. If we stick with Christ, and abhor the thought of going our
own way rather than his, we will avoid that inner darkness which is
far more fearsome than anything in the world.
3. The Father's Command Is Eternal Life: The philosophy of the
1960's has left a long trail of wreckage that persists to this day.
"Do your own thing!" the Woodstock creed, would have us believe that
self-assertion is the key to happiness. As counterintuitive as it may
sound, obedience is really the key. Jesus was the man that could walk
on water, pacify storms with the snap of the finger, and provide
dinner for thousands with a few loaves and fish. Yet he teaches that
happiness doesn't lie in power. Rather it lies in obedience to the
Father's command. Obeying him is the road to eternal life:
fulfillment beyond our wildest dreams.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, take away all my fears. I know that
my true good is to be found in loving you and following you. Give me
the strength to obey the Father and so find the eternal life that I
seek.
Resolution: I will fulfill my spiritual commitments perfectly
today.
meditation.regnumchristi.org