Forty-four years ago on 13 May 1981, on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima (only two years into his pontificate), Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded in St. Peter’s Square. He was struck twice and suffered severe blood loss. His would-be assassin was apprehended immediately (by a nun) and later sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court. Many recall the moving images of John Paul II forgiving him publicly during a visit to the prison in 1983. He was then pardoned at the Pope’s request, and deported to Turkey in June 2000, the Great Jubilee, at the turn of
the millennia.

Upon being struck, John Paul fell into the arms of his secretary, Archbishop Dziwisz, who asked, “Where?” “In the stomach,” he replied. “Does it hurt very much?” Dziwisz asked. The Pope faintly responded, “Yes. Oh, Mary, my mother, my mother,” and then fell unconscious. His survival was miraculous. No vital organ had been disturbed and the bullet missed a main artery by millimeters. His doctor said it was as though it had hit a steel wall and changed directions. John Paul later said, “One hand pulled the trigger, and another hand guided the bullet. Everything that happened to me on that very day, I felt the extraordinary motherly protection and care, which turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet.”

One year later, John Paul II visited Fatima to give thanks. He gave the bullet that struck him to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. He placed it in the crown of the image of Our Lady as a sign of gratitude for what he believed was her intervention in his rescue. There, he reflected:

“Jesus dying on the cross, said to John, ‘There is your mother.’ From that moment, and from when ‘the disciple took her into his care,’ the mystery of Mary's spiritual motherhood has had its accomplishment in history with boundless amplitude. Motherhood means concern for the life of the child. Now, if Mary is the mother of all mankind, then her concern for the life of man has universal extension. A mother’s concern embraces the whole person. Mary’s maternity has its beginning in her maternal care for Christ. In Christ, she accepted John beneath the cross, and in him, she accepted every human and all humanity. Mary embraces all with a particular solicitude in the Holy Spirit. In fact, as we profess in our Creed, it is He who ‘gives life.’ Mary’s spiritual motherhood is therefore participation in the power of the Holy Spirit, of Him who ‘gives life.’ It is likewise the humble servant of her who says of herself: ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord.’”

Happy Mother’s Day!

With a son’s love,

Fr. Terry