From the archives: Monsignor Horan reflected on Knock prior to Papal visit
By Tom Gillespie
FORTY-three years ago this week, Co. Mayo, and indeed the west of Ireland, was agog as we awaited the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Knock Shrine.
The late Monsignor James Horan, parish priest of Knock, wrote an article for The Connaught Telegraph on what Knock meant to him.
He wrote: On a wet Thursday evening of August 21, 1879, at 8 o’clock, Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at the south gable of the Church of St. John the Baptist at Knock. Beside them and a little to the left was an altar and on the altar was a lamb and a cross.
There were angels hovering around the lamb during the two-and-a-half hours that the apparition lasted.
The entire apparition was enveloped in a blaze of heavenly light and the figures were dressed in white.
In the 16 years that I have spent in Knock, one of the most frequent comments on the Knock apparition is that Our Lady did not speak. It is strange that while this may present a problem for some people, to me it is one of the greatest proofs of the sincerity and good faith of the 15 people or more that witnessed it.
Surely if they wanted to perpetrate a fraud it would have been the easiest thing in the world to put words into Our Lady’s mouth but never did they attempt to do so.
Their reaction at the scene of the apparition varied from feelings of great delight to prayers and tears of joy. They all felt that they were in the presence of a heavenly scene which stirred their very hearts and souls.
This reaction did not come from any words spoken but from the eloquent symbolism that spoke to their hearts and minds. Dominic Byrne, one of the visionaries, in his evidence before the Commission of Enquiry in 1879, said: "I was filled with wonder at the sight I saw. I was so affected that I shed tears."
Bridget Trench, another visionary, said in her evidence before the same Commission: "I continued to repeat the Rosary on beads while there. I felt great joy and pleasure in looking at the Blessed Virgin. I could think of nothing else while there but giving thanks to God repeating my prayers."
As far as the spoken work is concerned, we sometimes forget that words are only sound symbols. This symbolism is created by convention and usage, and may vary from time to time, from place to place, and from language to language.
If Our Lady did not speak then how did the witnesses recognise the three figures? They recognised Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John through conventional images given them by Church usage. This really involves a liturgical language of its own and what more suitable medium could Almighty God employ in communicating with people of the countryside.
The symbolism of the Knock apparition is so full of meaning that it could not have been invented by artists; not to speak of ordinary lay people.
In other apparitions such as Lourdes and La-Salette, the messages did not seem to be the spoken word as heard by the ear, but as words communicated to the heart.
When Bernadette of Lourdes was asked about the secrets she had received from Our Lady she had no hesitation in saying that the secrets could not have been heard by others, because, as she explained: "It was not like we are talking now. When the Blessed Virgin entrusted me with her secrets she spoke to here (pointing to her heart) and not through the ear."
When the shepherd of La-Salette was asked whether the sound of Our Lady’s voice made an impression on his ears, he replied that he 'knew not how to express it; but that the Lady’s voice seemed to strike his heart rather than the drum of his ear’.
As I said in the beginning, language if merely a sign, but the Knock apparition was itself the sign. You can say that the message of Knock was communicated through liturgical signs of language. We have an excellent example of liturgical symbolism or language in the Christmas crib. Its silent symbolism has spoken to every age, in every clime of the world, with an eloquence sublime.
The early Christians used symbols to express their faith in various doctrines, e.g. the Mass and the Eucharist. Our Lord Himself used the symbolism of parables to convey his teachings.
The Gospel pages abound in symbolism. It must be more than a coincidence that the apparition at Knock bears such a striking resemblance to the Apocalypse Revelations with which St. John is associated.
Why should the silence of Our Lady at Knock make us wonder when in the history of the Gospel she only spoke six short sentences?
One of the reasons why she came to Knock was to console a people in great sorrow and affliction and words often fail to convey such deep feelings.
The deepest feelings are often best conveyed in silence with a clasp of hand.
While it is true to say that Our Lady came to console her Irish children in their darkest hour it is important to understand that there were deeper and more far reaching reasons.
Perhaps this is why her message was given through symbolism which transcends all boundaries and can be universally understood.
The fact that the apparition took place at a church seems to indicate that its message was not of any particular place but for every church and every community around the world.
The Knock apparition is so full of meaning that the country folk who witnessed it might not be able to express in words its full significance. In all these circumstances the silent message seemed very appropriate.
It seems to be Our Lady’s role to lead her children to God, more by her living example than by words.
In the Knock apparition she appeared as the crowned Queen of Heaven, standing before the throne of God in prayer, and interceding for her Irish children who were steeped in sorrow and distress. In this particular aspect the Knock apparition seems to anticipate the decision of the Church in 1950 in defining the Dogma of the Assumption. It is also evident that Our Lady wished to show Herself as Mother of the Church.
St. John was present and represented the Church and he showed that all his bishops have the authority of the Apostles and are their legitimate successors. He was there also as the priest who preached the word of God and proclaimed the sacrifice of the Lamb on the altar - which is the Mass.
It is also interesting to note that St. Joseph was proclaimed Patron or Guardian of the Universal Church in 1872, only seven years prior to the apparition. He, too, in his capacity as patron, represents the Church in the Heavenly scene at Knock.
Our Lady, with St. Joseph and St. John, appeared in a real sense and Mother of the Church and especially for the suffering Church in Ireland. This part of the Knock message is in accord with the teaching of Vatican II when Our Lady was declared Mother of the Church.
As far as the Knock apparition is concerned, why worry about words? The apparition is a beautiful picture to behold and we all know very well that every picture tells a story.
No words are necessary, the liturgical symbolism of the apparition speaks louder than words.
The Heavenly scene at Knock could have been described in the words of the Apocalypse Revelations …."I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, as beautiful as a bride dressed for her husband …. Let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the lamb. His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made to the good deeds of the Saints."