Can God make it snow in August? On the fifth of this month we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Snows. What a strange location for a holiday! It is even stranger, in the heat of the Roman August to see crowds streaming toward the Basilica of St. Mary Major. They are coming to rejoice with Mary in this beautiful shrine, so feminine in its lovely mosaic and appointments. The painting over the high altar is of the Nativity and the arch above shows the story of Mary’s life with her divine Son, Jesus. To understand the snow one must look at the chapel on the left, the most richly marbled chapel in Rome if not the world. A marble relief shows a Pope marking something in the snow with his staff. It is the outline of this very basilica, whose location was indicated in a dream by a rare August snowfall on the Esquiline Hill. The icon in this chapel is the inspiration for the favorite portrait of Mary for the Daughters of Divine Charity throughout the world and was often kept as a day for important events in the life of the sisters.
But getting back to the August snowfall we can look at Mother Franziska who had no trouble at all in believing in miracles large and small. We have numerous accounts of her trusting in God’s providence and signing contracts for buildings and renovations when there wasn’t a “penny” in her pocket. The line between daily life and eternity was not marked in concrete for her. She passed easily and joyfully from human encounters to talks with her heavenly friends. It was St. Joseph who was counted on to provide the means and manly support for the most daring ventures. Never was she disappointed. All over Europe today there are buildings which she built for poor servant girls, the education of youth or the convalescence of the sick. She never asked, “How much will this cost?” or “Do we have the money?” but only, “Is this what God wants?” and then the infinite resources of the Heavenly Father were at her disposal.
But getting back to the August snowfall we can look at Mother Franziska who had no trouble at all in believing in miracles large and small. We have numerous accounts of her trusting in God’s providence and signing contracts for buildings and renovations when there wasn’t a “penny” in her pocket. The line between daily life and eternity was not marked in concrete for her. She passed easily and joyfully from human encounters to talks with her heavenly friends. It was St. Joseph who was counted on to provide the means and manly support for the most daring ventures. Never was she disappointed. All over Europe today there are buildings which she built for poor servant girls, the education of youth or the convalescence of the sick. She never asked, “How much will this cost?” or “Do we have the money?” but only, “Is this what God wants?” and then the infinite resources of the Heavenly Father were at her disposal.
