August has come, bearing at its start the Fast of the Virgin. Fifteen days, like blossoms we offer to the Virgin Mary, the lily of purity, the mother of hope.
In this fast we do not seek food, but we long for Him "with whom the belly is filled and for whom the heart thirsts," for Him whom the Virgin bore in her womb, and who became for us living bread and healing. It is a time of grace, when we become children in the embrace of our heavenly Mother, whispering to her: "O Theotokos, do not cease to intercede for us."
The Virgin does not absent herself from the Church of Christ; she is its guardian in silence, the companion of its martyrs, and the mother of the faithful. From Nazareth, to the cave of Bethlehem, to the Cross of Golgotha, and from the upper room of Pentecost to every home in which a child lifts up his hands saying, "O Lady," the Virgin accompanies us, as a mother who does not sleep.
O Virgin, in this fast, take us into your heart. Teach us how to listen, how to live in your purity, how to become servants without noise, and believers without pride. We ask of you nothing but that you take our hands in our weakness, and be a shade over our heads in the time of storms.
August is yours, O full of grace. Fifteen days, in which we hang our prayers upon the fringe of your robe, and wait. For you send no one away disappointed, but open your heart, and say to each one of us:
"I am with you, do not fear. This is my Son; take His hand and walk."