Aurelio Porfiri
In August, at least before the pandemic, the Italian population for the most part flocked to the holiday resorts to enjoy the well-deserved scraps of sunshine and then return refreshed in body and mind to the fatigue of work. Not that people don’t go on vacation now, but months and months of masks, social distancing, sanitization, hand washing and several health concerns have certainly upset everything a bit.
It would be interesting to ask the faithful, the average Catholic, perhaps while enjoying his well-deserved “place in the sun,” if he is aware that precisely during the month of August, to be exact on day 5, there is a feast of the Madonna della Neve, Our Lady of the Snows. A particularly important feast for a Roman Basilica, that of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), which seems particularly dear to the present Pontiff. A feast that recalls the very foundation of the famous Marian Temple.
In the year 358, in the intervening night of 4th and 5th August, a wealthy childless couple who had intended to offer their goods for the construction of a church in honor of the Holy Virgin had a dream in which Our Lady indicated that the place where the church was to be built would be indicated by a miracle. The couple went the next day to Pope Liberius (352-366) who revealed that he had had the same dream.
Then they went to the Esquiline, an area of Rome (that is where the main train station is, for those that have already visited Rome before) in the place where it snowed in the middle of August. The Pontiff traced the perimeter of what would be the first building, which was soon demolished to build an even larger one and thanks to subsequent renovations, the current Basilica was erected in the 18th century.
The feast of Our Lady of the Snows was established on August 5. It spread outside Rome, becoming an important devotion in various Italian regions. Obviously, in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the feast of the Dedication has a particular prominence, given that the miracle of the 4th century is commemorated with a shower of petals that occurs during vespers and Mass. The Musical Chapel of the Basilica also contributes to solemnize the ceremony, which in honor of the Pope mentioned above is called Liberiana (like the Basilica itself, for that matter). It is a historic Musical Chapel, with a long tradition of masters, singers and organists. Among these, Msgr.Valentino Miserachs (1943) who was the holder of the direction of the Chapel for 46 years while from 2019 he is Maestro emeritus. His long conducting experience led him to contribute new compositions for the chapel’s repertoire, a very dense catalog for the various moments of the liturgical year. Among these the Magnificat Videntes Stellam for male choir and organ (but also available for mixed choir) often sung during the shower of petals reminiscent of the fourth century miracle that is, at least according to legend (but legends are more serious things than what you hink) is at the origins of the Basilica. The piece, called Videntes Stellam” by a collaborator of the Maestro of Catalan origins (perhaps to distinguish him from other Magnificats by the same composer) is particularly representative of the style of this author, a robust choral and organ writing always in search of a melody which reflects that of other predecessors of Miserachs in the role of Master Directors of the Basilica. I think in a special way of Licinio Refice (1883-1954). A passage of great effect and which well underlines the wonder for the miracles of God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, a wonder that is symbolized by the reminiscent rain of petals.
Pope Benedict XVI, in an audience in 2006, spoke of the Magnificat in musical tones: “The first movement of the Marian canticle (cf. Lk 1: 46-50) is a sort of solo voice that rises towards heaven to reach the Lord. We hear the voice of Our Lady who speaks thus of her Savior, who has done great things in her soul and in her body. Note, in fact, the constant resounding of the first person: ‘My soul … my spirit … my savior … they will call me blessed … he has done great things in me ….’ The soul of prayer is, therefore, the celebration of divine grace which broke into the heart and existence of Mary, making her the Mother of the Lord. The intimate structure of her prayerful song is, then, praise, thanksgiving and grateful joy. But this personal testimony is not solitary, intimate or purely individualistic, because the Virgin Mother is aware that she has a mission to fulfill for humanity and her story is part of the history of salvation. And so she can say: ‘From generation to generation her mercy extends to those who fear him’ (v. 50). With this praise of the Lord, Our Lady gives voice to all the redeemed creatures who find God’s mercy in her ‘Fiat,’ and thus in the figure of Jesus born of the Virgin.”
We could say that this choral voice rises every day from every corner of the earth, when the Magnificat is sung or recited so as not to forget the wonders that God continues to work for us all. (Image: The Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale. Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary observe Pope Liberius, who marks in the legendary snowfall the outline of the basilica. Source: Wikipedia)
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