Our Lady of Tears,
we need You:
the light that radiates from Your eyes,
the comfort that emanates from Your heart,
the Peace of which You are Queen.
Confidently, we entrust our needs to You:
our sorrows, that You may alleviate them;
our bodies, that You may heal them;
our hearts, that You may convert them;
our souls, that You may guide them to salvation.
Deign, O good Mother,
to unite Your tears with ours,
so that Your divine Son
may grant us the grace (express the desired grace)
that we so ardently ask of You.
O Mother of Love, of Sorrow, and of Mercy,
have pity on us.
The weeping in 1953
The weeping of the little Madonna of Syracuse occurred from August 29 to September 1, 1953, in the home of the couple Angelo Iannuso and Antonina Lucia Giusto, at Via degli Orti di San Giorgio n. 11.
The image was a small enameled plaster bas-relief, depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, given to the couple as a wedding gift and placed above the marital bed.
On August 29, 1953, around 8:30 in the morning, Antonina, seriously ill and awaiting her first child, saw tears flow from the eyes of the effigy. The phenomenon repeated itself at least 58 times in the following days, attracting thousands of faithful, curious onlookers, and civil and religious authorities.
On September 1, 1953, a medical commission chaired by Dr. Michele Cassola collected and analyzed the liquid, concluding that it was human tears, without being able to provide a scientific explanation.
On August 30, 1953, the amateur filmmaker Nicola Guarino also managed to film one of the weepings, producing about 300 frames.
After careful investigation, the Church recognized the authenticity of the phenomenon. On December 13, 1953, the bishops of Sicily, gathered in Syracuse, declared the weeping credible and authorized its cult, recognizing its religious value.
To house the venerated effigy and welcome the growing number of pilgrims, it was decided to build the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tears.
Over the years, numerous graces and healings have been reported, attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Tears. The Church, through special medical and ecclesiastical commissions, has recognized some cases of healing as scientifically inexplicable, considering them extraordinary signs related to the devotion to the little Madonna of Syracuse.
For the Catholic Church, the weeping of the Madonna of Syracuse is a sign of God’s compassion and mercy. The Virgin’s tears testify to her maternal love and her sorrow for the sins, sufferings, and rejection of God by humanity. They invite the faithful to prayer, repentance, and conversion of heart.
Why the tears?
Tears are the language of those who have no more words. In the Christian tradition, Mary’s weeping participates in the mystery of Christ’s Passion: it is not a sign of despair, but of compassion and hope. Just as a mother suffers for her children, so Mary shares in the spiritual and material sufferings of humanity and continues to accompany the Church on its journey.
During his visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tears, on November 6, 1994, Saint John Paul II explained the meaning of this event with these words:
“The tears of the Madonna belong to the order of signs: they attest to the presence of the Mother in the Church and in the world. A mother cries when she sees her children threatened by spiritual or physical evil.”
The Pope also recalled that Mary’s tears are a call to the responsibility of Christians and to trust in God’s mercy: they testify that the Lord never abandons his people and that the Mother of Christ continues to watch over her children with love.
Paolo Botti
© Tutti i diritti riservati. Riproduzione consentita solo chiedendo permesso a info@amicidilazzaro.it
(non verrà concesso a siti con pubblicità/ads o per usi commerciali)
© All rights reserved. Reproduction allowed only with permission from info@amicidilazzaro.it
(it will not be granted to sites with advertising/ads or for commercial uses)
