Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has urged Myanmar’s faithful to draw strength from the Virgin Mary as a “wounded healer and pilgrim of hope” amid the nation’s ongoing political and humanitarian crisis.
Preaching during the Feast of Vailankanni on September 8, the prelate reminded Catholics that “Mother Mary has been given to us as a compassionate Mother—always leading us to her Son, always bringing healing through Jesus.”
The cardinal said that the wounds of Myanmar echo Mary’s sorrows, particularly the “Seven Sorrows” prophesied by Simeon in the Gospel of Luke.
“Mary’s heart would be pierced—not once, but many times—through the sorrows of her life. These are remembered as the Seven Sorrows of Mary,” he said.
Linking the biblical account to the country’s present struggles, he said Myanmar is enduring seven deep wounds and suffering from the absence of essential “wines” such as peace, justice, health, and opportunities for its people.
Among the “absent wines,” he enumerated: “No wine of peace. No wine of reconciliation. No wine of health. No wine of justice. No wine of opportunities for our youth. No wine of protection for millions of our migrant workers in other countries. No wine for millions of displaced to return home.”
Still, Cardinal Bo urged the faithful to believe that, through Mary’s intercession, Myanmar could find renewal—transforming wounds into hope, sorrows into songs, and emptiness into abundant grace.
Citing the miracle at Cana, he reminded the faithful that Mary’s intercession can lead to renewal. “At Cana, Jesus saved a wedding feast by turning water into wine. … And if we dare to believe, then the best wine is yet to come.”
The prelate said the faithful must see themselves as “wounded healers and pilgrims of hope,” particularly mothers and women who carry the brunt of suffering.
“Mothers, women, sisters—let our faith heal us, let our presence, prayer, courage, and love make you wounded healers and pilgrims of hope,” he said.
Cardinal Bo assured the public that they are not abandoned, saying, “You may feel wounded, in many ways, deprived of many things. But heaven says: ‘Blessed are you. The Lord is with you.’ Myanmar, the Lord is with you. Mothers of Myanmar, the Lord is with you. Families of Myanmar, the Lord is with you. This is your strength, your dignity, your hope.”
