Our Lady of Snows and the dedication of the Basilica Mary Major in Rome (358 AD)
THE MIRACLE AND BUILDING OF THE BASILICA
Under the Pontificate of Liberius (352-366), there lived in Rome a wealthy nobleman named John. He and his wife, who was of an equally noble family, prayed at length for a son and heir to whom they could leave their fortune. But this never came to pass. God in His Providence had another plan. John accepted his disappointment with Christian resignation, and begged the Blessed Virgin Mary to at least designate an heir of her own choice, to whom in dying he might bequeath his immense fortune. In the course of his prayer, he even vowed his whole fortune to the Blessed Virgin Mother of God herself. He begged Our Lady most earnestly and continuously to make known to him, by some means, in what pious work she wished him to employ the money. The Blessed Virgin Mary graciously heard their heartfelt prayers and vows, and answered them with a most wondrous miracle.
On the 5th of August, usually the hottest time of the year in Rome, a part of the Esquiline hill was covered with snow during the night. [Today it is well know that the inhabitants of Rome evacuate the city during the heat of August and are replaced by visiting tourists. Even the Vatican shuts down all its offices and conducts little business that month.] That same night the Mother of God appeared in a dream to John and his wife separately, and told them to build a church on the spot they would find covered with snow, and to dedicate it to the Virgin Mary; for it was in this manner that she wished to become their Heiress. John related this to Pope Liberius, who said he had dreamt the same thing!
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Pope Liberius went, therefore, with a solemn procession of priests and people to the snow-clad hill, and chose the site of a church, which was built with the money from John and his wife. They spared no expense! [Rome is famous for its seven hills. Each of those hills used to be topped by a pagan temple, but following the triumph of Christianity, each hill was surmounted by a Catholic Altar!] It was afterwards rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III (432-440). At first it was called by different names: the Liberian Basilica, the Sixtus Basilica, St, Mary Mother, St. Mary at the Crib. But since there are many churches in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and, as this one surpasses all other basilicas in dignity, and by its miraculous beginning, it is distinguished from them also by its title of St. Mary Major. On account of the miraculous fall of snow, the anniversary of the dedication is celebrated by a yearly solemnity on this day.
A FEW HISTORICAL NOTES
After the Council of Ephesus, held in 431 A.D, Pope Sixtus III, erected a triumphal arc in honor of the Mother of God in the Liberian Basilica, and later restored and enlarged the Basilica, naming it St. Mary Major. Thus, St. Mary Major celebrates first and foremost the Divine Motherhood of the Virgin Mary (a consequence of the true Divinity of Christ), the Dogma of Faith proclaimed by the Council of Ephesus.
[column size="2-3" last="0"]In the time of Pope Theodore I (640-649), the crib from the or manger of the Nativity of Jesus Christ was placed within this basilica. It consists of five boards and is venerated by countless pilgrims every day. On account of this relic, it became traditional for the pope to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass here on Christmas Night. When the popes returned to Rome from Avignon (14th century), they used this basilica and its grounds as their papal residence since the Lateran had greatly deteriorated. The basilica was restored, redecorated and extended by various popes, including Eugene III (1145–1153), Nicholas IV (1288–92), Clement X (1670–76), and Benedict XIV (1740–58), who in the 1740s commissioned Ferdinando Fuga to build the present façade and to modify the interior. The interior of the Santa Maria Maggiore underwent a broad renovation encompassing all of its altars between the years 1575 and 1630.
In the 1940's and 50's, Fr. Paul Shulte of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, helped popularize devotion to Our Lady of the Snows in the midwest. This led to the building of the National Shrine to Our Lady of Snows in Belleville, IL, nine miles southeast of downtown St. Louis.
MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES
At St. Mary Major, a beautiful and touching custom from long ago continues down to our own times. [Sadly, this custom was eliminated from our heritage along with many wonderful devotions following the Liturgical Revolution of the Modernists.] During Mass and Vespers, by means of an ingenious mechanism, a shower of jasmines and other white flowers fall from the vaults of the Basilica, recalling the miraculous fall of snow that originally indicated the site and size of the Basilica. This flower-fall impresses upon the faithful the reality of grace, in particular the graces of purity and innocence which are lavishly bestowed by God through the hands of Mary on hearts that are faithful to her cult.
This “raining down of grace” at St. Mary Major reminds us of the doctrine of Mary as Mediatrix of all graces. Pope Leo XIII, in one of his many Encyclicals on the Holy Rosary, Octobri Mense, Sept. 22, 1891, wrote: “With equal truth it may be said that of the great treasury of all graces given to us by Our Lord - “for grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” - nothing comes to us except through the mediation of Mary, for such is the will of God. Thus, as no man goes to the Father but by the Son, so no one goes to Christ except through His Mother. How great are the goodness and mercy revealed in this design of God! Mary is the mighty Mother of God. But - what is still sweeter - she is gentle, exquisite in tenderness, and of a limitless love and kindness. As such God gave her to us. Having chosen her for the Mother of His only-begotten Son, He taught her all a mother’s feelings that breathe nothing but pardon and love.”
PILGRIMS GAIN INDULGENCES
Mary Major is one of Four Major Basilicas. All of them are located in Rome. The other three are: St. Peter (Vatican), St. Paul (Outside the Walls) and St. John Lateran. Each of these is on a particular hill of Rome. The other three hills are covered by St. Lawrence (Outside the Walls), the Basilica of the Holy Cross and St Sebastian. In 1552, St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome, popularized a Pilgrim's Route of 20km linking these seven basilicas of Rome. Those pilgrims who wished to gain the plenary indulgence during a holy year would walk the route, pray at each basilica, and make a visit to the Most Blessed Sacrament.[/column]
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[/column]THEOLOGICAL AND PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE
It is quite notable that the other major basilicas were built on the extremities of the capital of the pagan empire, as if marking out its limits. However, St. Mary Major was built right in the middle of the pagan territory and at the highest point, illustrative of how it is our Blessed Mother who crushes the head of the serpent and smashes all heresies (ipsa conteret). This tower of David now dominates over all the other vain and earthly towers, and from her impregnable positions our Lady will never cease her victorious sallies till she has taken the last hostile fort.
It is also noteworthy that Our Lady made this request at the time when the Church was experiencing its worst crisis of the the first millennium: the Arian heresy. Following the pernicious heresiarch priest Arius, the Arians professed the Son was not equal to the Father. In effect, they claimed Jesus Christ is not God. Nearly all the bishops in the East had become Arian and the ones that would not were deposed, exiled, tortured imprisoned and even killed. Most of the bishops in the West were also coerced into signing Arian or semi-Arian creeds, as well as professions of refusing communion with St. Athanasius. After being exiled, imprisoned, and treated harshly, even Pope Liberius signed documents wrongfully excommunicating St. Athanasius and endorsing a creed which left itself open to an Arian interpretation. Yet in the midst of this grave crisis, Our Lady appeared in Rome and requested a church dedicated to her honor. Ipsa conteret! The tide turned and within a decade the champions of orthodoxy had reclaimed the bastions of the Church and routed the heresy. The anti-pope fled, Pope Liberius returned to Rome, and rescinded the documents he had signed under coercion. (However, Liberius does have the ignoble distinction of being the first pope not to be canonized.)
Yet the devil never sleeps. Soon another heresy was plaguing the Church - that of Nestorianism which claims Jesus Christi is two persons. Consequently, Nestor argued, the Blessed Virgin Mary is only mother of the man and it incorrect to call her "Mother of God." Led by St. Cyril of Alexandria (spiritual son of St. Athanasius), this heresy was utterly condemned at the Council of Ephesus (431 AD). Joyous Catholic faithful thronged the streets, carried our Lady's image in the streets, and sang joyous hymns to the Theotokos (Mother of God). In Rome, Pope Sixtus III commemorated this victory of our Lady by rebuilding an even more impressive church in her honor upon the same site of the miracle of snow.
POSSIBLY -- IN THE FUTURE ?
A number of prophecies link this particular Basilica with the Three Days of Darkness and other terrible evils which shall fall upon the earth. There may come a time when the Pope flees from Rome and St. Peter's Basilica falls into the hands of the enemy. Faithful Catholics filled with fear shall gather outside St. Mary Major and the locked doors shall mysteriously open allowing them to pray within. Those prayers will be instrumental in calling our Lady's aid and ending that terrible time. [Note: We discussed these events in our course on Catholic Prophecy.]