May 13 2025 - Our Lady of Fatima - Pray, do penance, seek conversion

 

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon.  The Blessed Virgin asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of atheistic Russia.  

Many have heard of the three secrets of Fatima which Our Lady imparted to the shepherd children, and those secrets have been interpreted in a variety of ways over the last century. Whatever the meaning of these three Fatima secrets, the central meaning of the message of Fatima is no different from what the Church has always taught: as Pope Benedict the XVI put it, the message of Fatima is “the exhortation to prayer as the path of “salvation for souls” and, likewise, the summons to penance and conversion.”

Prayer, penance, and conversion. During the Easter season we consider how each of us are called to engage in the mission of the Church, and no doubt the message of Fatima gives us some insight into what that personal engagement looks like. Prayer, penance, and conversion. We are to pray for the salvation of souls, particularly the rosary. We are to do penance for the salvation of souls—as we do during the season of Lent, all year round there needs to be some penance done by each of us. And conversion—each of us are to seek personal conversion of sin—for a holy soul is a magnetic soul, a soul which draws others to Christ.

Many have felt Fatima to be a sort of wake-up call from our Mother Mary, to recommit to the Gospel in order to avoid unnecessary evil and suffering. Sadly, we’ve seen Our Lady’s message ignored—atheism, hedonism, violence, ignorance of Christ have spread not just in Russia but in our corner of the world, in our neighborhood. 

And yet, we take solace in what is perhaps the most well-known utterance of Fatima, in which Our Lady promised that no matter what, in the end, her “Immaculate Heart will triumph”. Pope Benedict interpreted this utterance as follows: “The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, because it brought the Savior into the world—because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world and remains so for all time. The Evil One has power in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word.”

With the help of Our Lady may we be faithful, as we prayed in the opening prayer, to persevere in penance and prayer for the salvation of the world, that we may further more effectively each day the reign of Christ.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Trusting in the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and inspired by her call to prayer, penance, and conversion, we bring our prayers before the Lord:

For the holy Church of God, that she may always heed Our Lady’s message of Fatima by proclaiming and living out the call to prayer, penance, and conversion with renewed fervor,

For peace in our world, that through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, hatred may give way to reconciliation, violence to justice, and war to enduring peace,

For the conversion of sinners and the renewal of faith in our world, especially in places darkened by atheism, hedonism, and indifference to Christ,

For those who suffer, especially the poor, the persecuted, and the forgotten, that they may know the comfort of Mary’s maternal heart and the strength of her Son’s redeeming love, 

For the dead, that they may be received into the glory of heaven where Mary reigns as Queen

O God, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring your Son into the world, hear our prayers and strengthen us in faith, hope, and charity, that we may one day share in the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. Through Christ our Lord.

May 13 2024 - Our Lady of Fatima - Fatima and Pentecost

 

During this final week of the Easter season, as we prepare for the Great Solemnity of Pentecost, we commemorate today “Our Lady of Fatima”. 

In 1917, in the small town of Portugal called Fatima, the Virgin Mary appeared to three young shepherd children. She delivered messages that were both a warning and an instruction: a call to prayer, especially the Rosary, and a plea for repentance and conversion. These messages were not just for those children or for that time; they are messages for all of us, across all times.

For, the messages of Our Lady at Fatima are consistent with the perpetual teaching of the Church: repent, believe in the Gospel, enter into a living relationship with God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through the Church, through a life of prayer, the imitation of Christ, and reception of the Sacraments.

At Fatima, we see God continuing to use Mary as his instrument, to help the world know, love, and follow Jesus Christ. At Fatima, Mary echoes the same instruction she gave at the Wedding at Cana: “do whatever he tells you”.  

At Fatima, God gathered souls around Mary to be strengthened in faith and in the mission of the Church, just like at Pentecost, when the apostles were gathered around Mary. On Pentecost, the apostles, those spiritual sons of Mary, prayerfully prepared for the decent of the Holy Spirit with the assistance of her humble example and her prayers. 

As we prepare for Pentecost, the message of Fatima helps us remain intent on seeking the strengthening of our own faith, and a deeper openness to the gifts and movement of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the Church’s mission, through the aid of the Blessed Virgin.

We do well to follow Our Lady’s instruction at Fatima to pray the rosary each day this week, meditating on the mysteries of the life of Our Savior—that we may imitate what those mysteries contain and obtain what they promise. The Rosary is a powerful means to welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, as did Our Lady. We pray for ourselves and for those who fail to pray as they should—unbelievers, hardened sinners, the prideful the lukewarm, and those souls at risk of hell. 

May our devotion to Mary and our anticipation of the Holy Spirit prepare our hearts to be renewed, that we might be effective witnesses of the Gospel in our world today for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the maternal care of Our Lady may bring protection to the shepherds of the Church and all who preach the Gospel.

That Our Lady’s devotion to the Divine Will of God will move government leaders to work to build a culture of life and peace to further the reign of Christ.

That through the penance and prayers of the Church, hardened sinners will return to God.

That the intercession of Our Lady will bring comfort and care to all who suffer disease, violence, and afflictions of any kind.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

May 13 2022 - Our Lady of Fatima - Becoming like shepherd children

 

May 13 is the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima in Portugal in 1917.  She appeared six times to Lucia, age 9, and her cousins Francisco, age 8, and his sister Jacinta, age 6, between May 13, 1917 and October 13, 1917.

Why did the queen of heaven appear to these young children, and not to the Pope, or to us?

Part of that answer is mysterious—God works in mysterious ways. But, likely, she appeared to children because children show us the enthusiastic acceptance of God’s Word that we are to have—unless you become like little children, says the Lord himself, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. In 1917, the world was on the verge of tremendous technological advancement, humans would be able to accomplish marvels that the ancients may never have dreamt of. And Our Lady appears, and tells the world to pray the rosary with the fervor of poor shepherd children kneeling in a field. 

She appeared to young children because many of us older children think of ourselves as too sophisticated to pray the rosary, too proud to go to confession, too learned to believe in hell and the devil, too cultivated to practice fasting.

After the apparitions began Francisco’s father discovered the boy sobbing in his room. When questioned why was he weeping, Francisco said, “I was thinking of Jesus who is so sad because of the sins that are committed against him.” Jacinta was so convinced by the vision of sinners falling to Hell that she began to pour herself into prayer and practice various corporal mortifications. “Pray, pray much and make sacrifices for sinners,” Mary had told her. “Many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.” Jacinta responded, as did her brother, by prostrating themselves in prayer for hours, kneeling with their heads humbly bowed to the ground.

 They made all types of physical sacrifices, wearing tight cords around their waist, scourging themselves with stinging nettles, abstaining from water on hot days and other penitential practices. When both caught the terrible 1918 flu that took the lives of tens of thousands, they offered all of their sufferings for sinners. 

Having been told by Our Lady that she would take him to heaven soon, Francisco declined hospital treatment, bearing enormous pain with a smile and without complaint. Our Lady appeared to Jacinta and asked if she wanted to stay on earth a little longer to convert more sinners. She said yes. So the little girl allowed herself to be dragged from clinic to clinic, to have two of her ribs removed without anesthesia, valiantly sacrificing herself as a victim for the conversion of sinners and for the Holy Father, whom she knew from the vision would suffer much. 

When Saint John Paul II beatified them in Fatima 22 years ago today, he lifted them up as an example to the whole world of what Christ-like and Marian love for the salvation of others looks like. He stressed that their lives demonstrate that children can be heroically virtuous and reach “the heights of perfection” at a very young age, and if they can so can all of us. 

Echoing the words of our Lady, the Pope reminded all children of God, however young, “Our Lady needs you all to console Jesus, who is sad because of the bad things done to him; he needs your prayers and your sacrifices for sinners.” 

May we accept the summons to pray, do penance and mortification, and accept sacrifices like the dear shepherd children of Fatima as our dear Blessed Mother has taught for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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That the maternal care of Our Lady may bring protection to the shepherds of the Church and all who preach the Gospel.

That Our Lady’s devotion to the Divine Will of God will move government leaders to work to build a culture of life and peace to further the reign of Christ.

That through the penance and prayers of the Church, hardened sinners will return to God.

That the intercession of Our Lady will bring comfort and care to all who suffer disease, violence, and afflictions of any kind.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

May 13 2019 - Our Lady of Fatima - Triumph of the Immaculate Heart

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon.  Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of atheistic Russia. 

Many have heard of the three secrets of Fatima, which have been interpreted in different ways over the last century. Whatever the meaning of these three Fatima secrets, he central meaning of the message of Fatima is no different from what the Church has always taught: as Pope Benedict the XVI put it, the message of Fatima is “the exhortation to prayer as the path of “salvation for souls” and, likewise, the summons to penance and conversion.”

Many have felt Fatima to be a sort of wake-up call from our Mother Mary, to recommit to the Gospel in order to avoid unnecessary evil and suffering. Sadly, we’ve seen the errors of atheism and hedonism spread, violence against Christians has increased, and the falling away from the Church is rampant.

And yet, we take solace in what is perhaps the most well-known utterance of Fatima, in which Our Lady promised that no matter what, in the end, her “Immaculate Heart will triumph”. Pope Benedict interpreted this utterance as follows: “The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, because it brought the Saviour into the world—because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world and remains so for all time. The Evil One has power in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word.”

With the help of Our Lady may we be faithful, as we prayed in the opening prayer, to persevere in penance and prayer for the salvation of the world, that we may further more effectively each day the reign of Christ.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -

That the maternal care of Our Lady may bring protection to the shepherds of the Church and all who preach the Gospel.

That Our Lady’s devotion to the Divine Will of God will move government leaders to work to build a culture of life and peace to further the reign of Christ.

That through the penance and prayers of the Church hardened sinners will return to God.

That the intercession of Our Lady will bring comfort and care to all who suffer disease, violence, and afflictions of any kind.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

October 13 2017 - The Day of the Lord is Coming (Miracle of the Sun at Fatima - 100th Anniversary)

100 Years ago, today, somewhere between thirty-thousand and one hundred thousand people witnessed the great miracle of the sun in Fatima, Portugal.  Thousands of witnesses saw the sun leave its place in the sky, begin to spin like a top, “spinning like a ring of fireworks”, one account said and come barreling toward the earth. And then, just as quickly as it came toward the earth, it returned to its spot in the sky and stopped spinning.

The miracle occurred eight months after Our Lady began appearing to the three shepherd children. She introduced herself as “the Lady of the Rosary” and stressed the importance of praying the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for the conversion of Russia, and to pray especially for sinners in danger of hell.

The miracle of the sun was a sign from heaven, a stamp of confirmation on the message of Our Lady: there is a great need of repentance and a need to have faith is Jesus Christ.

I saw an article this morning that claimed the Miracle of the Sun was a turning point in Portugal’s history. Anti-Catholicism and Atheism, which proliferated in the 18^th century, leading to the seizing of many catholic churches and schools by the government, maltreatment of clergy, the outlawing of church bells, the banning of religious festivals. Between 1911 & 1916, nearly 2000 priests, monks and nuns were killed by anti-Christian groups. But the “day the sun danced” was a turning point. The Atheist regime was soon replaced, and a flourishing of faith ensued.

The message of Fatima is as relevant today as ever: the need for repentance and conversion and prayer is a perpetual necessity; and that there can be no real lasting peace in the world, unless the peace of Jesus Christ fills our hearts.

The readings today are all ominous, but in their own way they each resonate with the Fatima message. The power of Christ can cast out demons from a soul and from a nation, and repentance and observance of God’s commands are perpetually needed for the day of judgment is coming, “the day of the Lord is coming” the prophet Joel says; “The Lord will judge the world with justice” we proclaimed in the Psalm.

“Say the Rosary every day… People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins.” May we heed Our Lady’s message, praying for ourselves and for those who do not yet know the importance of prayer. Confident and trusting in the Lord and His Mother amidst all the chaos of our lives, may we be found faithful today in his service for the Glory of God and salvation of souls. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

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That our Church Leaders may always help us prepare rightly for the day of Judgment.

For those who have fallen into error, for Catholics who have grown lukewarm in their faith, for those who have left the Church, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For an increase in devotion to Our Lady’s Holy Rosary, and that we may all come to more fully imitate Our Lady’s faith and purity.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

5th Sunday of Easter 2017 - Mother's Day and Fatima 100th Anniversary

Happy Mother’s Day.

We celebrate a very special Mother’s Day this weekend. 100 years ago, on May 13, 1917, Our Blessed Mother began appearing to 3 little shepherd children near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon, Portugal. In honor of the centennial anniversary this weekend, Pope Francis has traveled to Fatima to celebrate the canonization of two of those children, Francisco and Jacinta, who after their encounter with the Blessed Mother lived lives of great sanctity. An encounter with the Blessed Mother always changes you, and when you entrust yourself to her, she will help you to be as holy as God made you to be.

At Fatima, Mary tasked the children and all of us to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for the conversion of Russia, and to pray especially for sinners in danger of hell. She urged the children also to offer their lives in reparation for the sins and to make mortifications throughout the day for the conversion sinners.

You may have also heard of the three secrets of Fatima; the Blessed Mother delivered three secret messages to the children, two of which they were allowed to reveal soon after the apparitions.  The first secret was actually a terrifying vision: Mary showed the children a vision of a multitude of souls languishing in hell. They saw blackened souls, surrounded by torturing demons, lakes of fire with souls screaming in torment.

Mothers seek to protect their children from harm. And Our Blessed Mother is concerned not only with the well-being of our bodies, but our souls. And this first vision is a warning, of what happens when souls separate themselves from God through serious sin, when they live godless lives, and persevere in error.

The second secret was a prophecy.  The Blessed Mother told the children that World War One was about to end, but unless Russia converted to Catholicism and was consecrated to her Immaculate Heart, the godless errors of atheistic communism would spread throughout the world and another great war would follow the first; great destruction would be wrought upon earth the human evil and the Church would be persecuted.  But in the end, her immaculate heart would triumph.

The first war did end, shortly after the apparition. And though Russia was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart by Pius XII, Russia did not embrace the Faith and a second war did follow, World War II. Atheism and communism have spread. The 20th century contained more death, destruction, and martyrdom than all of the previous centuries combined.  The Church suffered terribly in the 20th century: 8000 priests in Spain alone were killed in the 1930s; 3000 priests in Mexico, 6000 priests were sent to the concentration camps of the Nazis. Countless souls turned away from the saving faith in the 20th century to the errors of atheism and the grave sins of the sexual revolution.

Our Mother’s promise will come to fulfillment at the end of time: her Immaculate Heart will triumph, when the love of God brings about the ultimate end of evil.

The third secret was made known to the world during the reign of Pope St. John Paul II. The children were shown a a vision of an angel with a flaming sword, who cried out “Penance, Penance, Penance” Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious climbed up a steep mountain and at the top of the mountain, an immense Cross. There they beheld a Bishop, dressed in white, shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him. Two angels then gathered the blood of the martyrs in holy water buckets and sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God. A very strange vision.
Pope Benedict believed this vision of the Bishop dressed in white to refer to the Popes of the 20th century collectively, who shared in the suffering of the Church, and how the Church is strengthened by their Holy Witness. The Popes of the 20th Century were very holy men compared to some of the Popes of centuries past.

Pius X, John XXIII, John Paul II have been canonized. Paul VI has been beatified, and Pius XII is on his way to canonization. These holy men gave incredible witness and clarity of teaching, during one of the bloodiest and secular ages the Church has faced. And although the 21st century has seen the incredible leadership of Pope Benedict, who in my opinion is a living saint, and Pope Francis who has so impressively called us to embody the mercy of God, the errors of the 20th century continue to lead souls away from God and put them in danger of hell.

Yet, Our Lady promised, in the end, “Her Immaculate Heart would triumph.” Pope Benedict interpreted these words as well. He said, “The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, because it brought the Saviour into the world—because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world and remains so for all time. The Evil One has power in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word.”

Mother’s day! How can we honor our mother’s this day? We honor our mother’s with cards and candy and flowers, taking them to their favorite places, or perhaps visiting the grave of the mother’s who have died. But I think the greatest honor we can show our mothers is by becoming the people God made us to be, people of faith and love, the people our mothers hoped we would be. That goes for our earthly mothers and also our Blessed Mother.

We show great honor to our Mother by taking up the rosary as she taught us, by turning to her example of love, and emulating the resounding Yes she made to God. Take seriously your Mother’s wishes, that her children pray the rosary, do penance for sinners, seek the purification of our own hearts from all resistance to God. Allow her immaculate heart to triumph over the evils that still linger in our world and hearts.

Make your mother smile today. Your earthly mother and the Blessed Mother. And may each of us entrust our fates, our souls to mother Mary, that we, with her “may further more effectively each day the reign of Christ” in the world and in our hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.