PUBLIC PENANCE PROJECT

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A PUBLIC PENANCE PROJECT

On Pentecost Sunday I posted another Post on the need to make reparation for the Sacriliges occuring daily against the Blessed Sacrament. Describing them in more detail and linking them in providence to the Fatima Message and the call to Eucharistic Reparation.  The post was up for only 3 days and during that time I made a few minor corrections and then I lost a large portion of the post into cyberspace. My notes and extra copies that Blogger sends to your e-mail inbox also disappeared. All I had left were the tweets on twitter that highlighted the topics.  I was very discouraged because I am not an accomplished writer and the whole post for me was quite a feat to be able to put what was in my heart in writing and hope that people in authority who could make changes would read it and take action to make necessary corrections.

I surmised I made the devil mad swallowed my pride and tried to remind myself that God is very capable of using other better means to accomplish his will. I spent some time offering it up knowing I will never be able to replace it in its original format. But my faith said that God can use my Acceptance however imperfect to bring about a greater good than my words will ever be able to do.

Fatima Sacrifice Prayer

So I prayed the Fatima Sacrifice Prayer taught by the Angel to the children however hard and bitter it felt in my heart and on my lips: "O my Jesus it is for Love of you in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and for the conversion of poor sinners!" Now it took Faith and Hope that God will bring good out of my poor efforts and my apparent failures.

A Necessary Work

Public Atonement

The following days I came across the following post and this also is a good work, an important work a necessary work. A call to make public atonement for the sins of some of the members of the church in order to appease the justice of God for the failures of some of the members of the church.

We Hold Our Future in our Hands
We will accept and do penance or
God will do it for us!

They agree with the message of Fatima that we hold our future in our hands. It is up to us what happens. If we follow the simple requests of Our Lady do penance and pray we shall save our souls and others. If we do not, I believe we are headed towards the a divine chastisement and annihilation of nations. These are prophesied in symbols during the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. The people at that time thought it was the end of the world and begged pardon for their sins. The chastisement will come in order to purify us for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the new spring time in the church that John Paul II saw. We will accept and do penance or God will do it for us! Is it possible that our inability to Cap Gulf Oil haemorrhage and another future world economic collapse is part of the beginnings of these cleansings. Men do not need God until they are on their knees. 

The Following Articles Merit Consideration

First Catholic News Service CNS published an article below on a special period of Eucharistic adoration to be held at the Vatican in reparation for the abuse scandals and for the healing of this wound within the church.

Then ALWAYS Catholic Blog started a Public Penance project also below.

This is what Our Lady of Fatima would want. This is also the root of the Eucharistic Sacriligies occuring daily today. Infiltration of our seminaries by unfaithful priests many ordained who did not have a vocation. Others attacked  after wards by the evil spirit who has a greater power over souls today who give themselves to him by mortal sin. See the vision of Pope Leo XIII and the inclusion of the St. Michael Prayer after Low Mass

Locution of  Pope Leo XIII

Different versions but all agree that the Pope after appearing in shock  and shaken up said that he suddenly heard voices- one kind and gentle, the other guttural and harsh. They seemed to come from near the tabernacle. As he listened, he heard the following conversation: The guttural voice, the voice of Satan in his pride, boasted to Our Lord: "I can destroy your Church." The gentle voice of Our Lord: "You can? Then go ahead and do so." Satan: "To do so, I need more time and more power." Our Lord: "How much time? How much power?" Satan: "75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves over to my service." Our Lord: "You have the time, you will have the power. Do with them what you will."



      

          Eucharistic Adoration at Vatican

              In Reparation for Abuse

CNS Post May 27, 2010 by John Thavis

(CNS photo/Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin)

VATICAN CITY- The Vatican is hosting two hours of eucharistic adoration “in reparation for abuses committed by priests and for the healing of this wound within the church

The service in St. Peter’s Basilica this Saturday will feature an hour of silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, an hour of prayer and meditation, and a solemn blessing at the end.

The unusual initiative was organized by Catholic university students in Rome. Sources said the event was originally planned for the small Church of St. Anne inside Vatican City, but that it was moved to St. Peter’s at the suggestion of Cardinal Angelo Comastri, who is archpriest of the basilica.

So far, however, the Vatican has not publicized the event. Invitations have been forwarded by email and spread by word-of-mouth.

The hour of prayer and meditation will be led by Msgr. Charles Scicluna, an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who deals directly with cases of priests accused of abuse of minors.

Msgr. Scicluna's Address
Prayer Service for Priests

"The Child Image of Innocence"

VATICAN CITY, MAY 30, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the meditation delivered Saturday by Msgr. Charles Scicluna, promoter of justice for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, during a morning of adoration of the Most Blessed sacrament to pray for the sanctification of priests at St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome.

Do not be an obstacle in their way to me!
Do not Hinder their Spiritual Progress!
Do not let them be Seduced by Evil!

Accepting the kingdom of God like a child is to accept with a pure heart, with docility, abandonment, confidence, enthusiasm, and hope. All this reminds us of the child. All this makes the child precious in God's eyes, and in the eyes of a true disciple of JesusInstead, how barren and sad the world becomes when this beautiful image, when this holy icon is crushed, broken, muddied, abused and destroyed. The deep cry that comes from the heart of Jesus echoes: "Let the children come to me and do not hinder them" (Mark 10:14). Do not be an obstacle in their way toward me, do not hinder their spiritual progress, do not let them be seduced by evil, do not make children the subject of your impure greed.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea" (Mark 9:42).

After having taken a Profession of Holiness, Anyone who Destroys others through Words or Deed would have been better off if their Misdeeds had caused them to Die in Secular Dress!
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Gregory the Great says this about those severe words of Jesus: "Mystically expressed in the millstone is the hard and tedious rhythm of secular life, while the deep sea signifies the most terrible curse. Thus, After having taken a profession of holiness, anyone who destroys others through words or deed would have been better off if their misdeeds had caused them to die in secular dress, rather than, through their holy office, being imposed as an example for others in their sins. Without a doubt, if they had fallen all by themselves, their suffering in Hell would be easier to bear. "

But the Lord, who does not enjoy the loss of his servants and does not want eternal death for his creatures, immediately adds a remedy for condemnation, a drug for the disease, relief from the danger of eternal damnation. His are the strong words of the Divine surgeon that cuts to heal, amputates to cure, prunes so the vine bears much fruit: And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off" (Mark 9:43). "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off" (Mark 9:45). "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out" (Mark 9:47).

Several Holy Fathers interpret "the hand," "the foot," and "the eye" as a friend dear to our heart with which we share our life, to whom we are bound by ties of affection, harmony and solidarity. There is a limit to this relationship. Christian friendship submits to the law of God. If my friend, my companion, a person dear to me is for me an occasion of sin, a stumbling block for me in journey, I have no other choice. According to the criterion of the Lord, this relationship must be cut. Who would deny the agony of such a choice? Is this a cruel amputation? Yet the Lord is clear: It is better for me to go alone in the Kingdom (without a hand, without a foot, without an eye), than to go with my friend "into hell, into unquenchable fire" (Mark 9:43; cf. Mark 9: 45,47). ....
            

      'Whoever is near me, is near the Fire'

"A Father of the Church, Origen, in one of his homilies on Jeremiah, reports a saying attributed to Jesus, not contained in the sacred Scriptures but perhaps authentic, which he puts thus: 'Whoever is near me, is near the fire' (Homilies on Jeremiah, L. I [III]). In Christ, in fact, there is the fullness of God, who in the Bible is compared to fire. We just observed that the flame of the Holy Spirit burns but does not destroy. And nevertheless it causes a transformation, and it must for this reason consume something in man, the waste that corrupts him and hinders his relations with God and neighbor.
 
  This effect of the Divine Fire, Frightens Us

"This effect of the divine fire, however, frightens us, we are afraid of being 'burned,' we prefer to stay just as we are. This is because our life is often formed according to the logic of having, of possessing and not the logic of self-giving. Many people believe in God and admire the person of Jesus Christ, but when they are asked to lose something of themselves, then they retreat, they are afraid of the demands of faith. There is the fear of giving up something nice to which we are attached; the fear that following Christ deprives us of freedom, of certain experiences, of a part of ourselves. On one hand, we want to be with Jesus, follow him closely, and, on the other hand, we are afraid of the consequences that this brings with it.

 Be Touched by the Fire of the Holy Spirit!

    The Suffering it Causes is Necessary

      For Our Transformation!

"Dear brothers and sisters, we always need to hear the Lord Jesus tell us what he often repeated to his friends: 'Be not afraid.' Like Simon Peter and the others we must allow his presence and his grace to transform our heart, which is always subject to human weakness. We must know how to recognize that losing something, indeed, losing ourselves for the true God, the God of love and of life, is in reality gaining ourselves, finding ourselves more fully. Whoever entrusts himself to Jesus already experiences in this life peace and joy of heart, which the world cannot give, and it cannot even take it away once God has given it to us.

"So it is worthwhile to let ourselves be touched by the fire of the Holy Spirit! The suffering that it causes us is necessary for our transformation. It is the reality of the cross: It is not for nothing that in the language of Jesus 'fire' is above all a representation of the cross, without which Christianity does not exist.  Read More....

         A Grass Roots Call for Public Penance

In several recent statements, Pope Benedict has said the response to the sex abuse crisis in the church will require openness, adoption of new measures to protect children and spiritual reparation.

In a letter to Irish Catholics earlier this year, he asked that eucharistic adoration be set up in every diocese, so that “through intense prayer before the real presence of the Lord, you can make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm.

A PUBLIC PENANCE PROJECT                       

    To Make Spiritual Reparation

PUBLIC PENANCE PROJECT

Posted May 29 by Always Catholic Blog

Please everyone, talk to all you know, especially your Bishops and priests … a movement is beginning. We need to beg mercy and call down grace to strengthen and sanctify the clergy and faithful. With all the scandal for so long in the Church along with the progressives and liberals, we need to act quickly and storm heaven to mitigate what will surely befall us shortly from our complacency and arrogance.

Beginning with Bishops to lead by example and backed up by all clergy and faithful; we need to begin a movement of at least a quarter hour a week of  PUBLIC PENANCE. 15 minutes of CONTRITE PROSTRATE PRAYER in front of the Blessed Sacrament. If we do not beg mercy and grace for strength, conversions and in reparation …. our future will be our own doing. 

In Fatima, the Blessed Virgin invites everyone to regard earth as the place of our pilgrimage to our final homeland, which is heaven.

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Fatima a Message centered on Prayer, Penance and Conversion, that is Projected Beyond the Threats, Dangers and Horrors of History, Inviting Mankind to Trust in the Action of God!


In His Wednesday General Audience on May 19, 2010 the Pope Benedict XVI summarized his apostolic journey to Fatima. A touching experience rich with Many spiritual gifts was how the Holy Father described his recent trip to Portugal! He said that the Mass at the Fatima Shrine on May 13 with over 500,000 people was the culmination of his visit and the almost palpable presence of the Virgin Mary is present there with an atmosphere of authentic mysticism that characterizes the city.

The images of this unforgettable trip, the warm and spontaneous welcome and the enthusiasm of the people remain fixed in my mind and heart, I give praise to the Lord because Mary, appearing to the three shepherd children, opened in the world a privileged space to find the divine mercy that heals and saves. A message centered on prayer, on penance and conversion, that is projected beyond the threats, dangers and horrors of history, inviting mankind to trust in the action of God, to cultivate great hope, to experience the grace of the Lord so as to fall in love with Him, source of all love and peace."

In Fatima, the Blessed Virgin invites everyone to regard earth as the place of our pilgrimage to our final homeland, which is heaven. We are all pilgrims and we all need our Mother who guides us. “With you (Mary) we walk in Hope, Wisdom and Mission was the motto of my apostolic trip to Portugal, and in Fatima the Blessed Virgin Mary invites us to walk with great hope, letting ourselves be guided by ‘the wisdom from above,’ which was revealed in Jesus -- the wisdom of love.



Pope Benedict also said that for the duration of his four days in the nation he felt "spiritually sustained" by his "beloved predecessor," Venerable John Paul II. The late Pope had gone to Fatima three times during his pontificate, giving thanks to Our Lady particularly for the "'invisible hand' that freed him from death" during the assassination attempt in 1981.



The Holy Father ended with a request for the people to join him in prayer: “Let us also pray that, through the intercession of Mary Most Holy, the Holy Spirit may render this apostolic trip fruitful, and enliven in the whole world the Church’s mission, founded by Christ to announce to all peoples the Gospel of truth, peace and love.”  Read more... 

Pope Benedict XVI Farewell Procession @ Fatima on 93rd Anniversary Our Lady’s Appearance!

93rd Anniversary Our Lady’s Appearance

10th Anniversary Beatification

Bl. Jacinta and Francisco!

          

The Lord, our great hope

Offers a Future to His People!

Our Lady, Mother of all men and women, I come before you as a son visiting his Mother, and I do so in company with a multitude of brothers and sisters. As the Successor of Peter, to whom was entrusted the mission of presiding in the service of charity in the Church of Christ and of confirming all in faith and in hope, I wish to present to your Immaculate Heart the joys and hopes as well as the problems and sufferings of each one of these sons and daughters of yours who are gathered in the Cova di Iria or who are praying with us from afar. Mother most gentle, you know each one by name, you know each one’s face and personal history, and you love them all with maternal benevolence that wells up from the very heart of Divine Love. I entrust and consecrate them all to you, Mary Most Holy, Mother

"You are Crowned not only with

The Silver and Gold of our Joys

But also with the 'Bullet' of

All our Anxieties and Sufferings!"

The Venerable Pope John Paul II, who visited you three times here in Fatima and thanked the "unseen hand" that rescued him from death in the assassination attempt on 13 May in Saint Peter’s Square almost thirty years ago, wanted to offer to the Shrine of Fatima a bullet which gravely wounded him and was placed in the crown of the Queen of Peace. It is a profound consolation to know that you are crowned not only with the silver and gold of our joys and hopes, but also with the "bullet" of our anxieties and sufferings.

Pope Consigns the Golden Rose

Entrusting all God's People to Her!

The Popes Prayer of Thanksgiving

I thank you, beloved Mother, for the prayers and sacrifices that the shepherd-children of Fatima offered for the Pope, led by the sentiments that you inspired in them in the apparitions. I also thank all those who, every day, pray for the Successor of Peter and for his intentions, that the Pope may be strong in faith, bold in hope and zealous in love. Beloved Mother of us all, here in your Shrine at Fatima I consign the Golden Rose that I have brought from Rome I am sure that the shepherd-children of Fatima, Blessed Francisco and Jacinta and the Servant of God Lucia of Jesus, are united with us at this hour of prayer and jubilation.

Excerpts from Pope's Homily

Mass on the 13th of May

In God I embrace all their sons and daughters, particularly the afflicted or outcast, with the desire of bringing them that great hope which burns in my own heart, and which here, in Fatima, can be palpably felt. May our great hope sink roots in the lives of each of you, dear pilgrims, and of all those who join us through the communications media. Yes! The Lord, our great hope, is with us. In his merciful love, he offers a future to his people: a future of communion with himself.

This holy place is the proof of it. In seven years you will return here to celebrate the centenary of the first visit made by the Lady “come from heaven”, the Teacher who introduced the little seers to a deep knowledge of the Love of the Blessed Trinity and led them to savour God himself as the most beautiful reality of human existence. This experience of grace made them fall in love with God in Jesus, so much so that Jacinta could cry out: “How much I delight in telling Jesus that I love him! When I tell him this often, I feel as if I have a fire in my breast, yet it does not burn me”. And Francisco could say: “What I liked most of all was seeing Our Lord in that light which Our Mother put into our hearts. I love God so much!” (Memoirs of Sister Lúcia, I, 42 and 126).

We would be Mistaken to Think   

Fatima’s Prophetic Mission is Complete

We would be mistaken to think that Fatima’s prophetic mission is complete. Here there takes on new life the plan of God which asks humanity from the beginning: “Where is your brother Abel […] Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!” (Gen 4:9). Mankind has succeeded in unleashing a cycle of death and terror, but failed in bringing it to an end… In sacred Scripture we often find that God seeks righteous men and women in order to save the city of man and he does the same here, in Fatima, when Our Lady asks: “Do you want to offer yourselves to God, to endure all the sufferings which he will send you, in an act of reparation for the sins by which he is offended and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?”


At a time when the human family was ready to sacrifice all that was most sacred on the altar of the petty and selfish interests of nations, races, ideologies, groups and individuals, our Blessed Mother came from heaven, offering to implant in the hearts of all those who trust in her the Love of God burning in her own heart. At that time it was only to three children, yet the example of their lives spread and multiplied, especially as a result of the travels of the Pilgrim Virgin, in countless groups throughout the world dedicated to the cause of fraternal solidarity. May the seven years which separate us from the centenary of the apparitions hasten the fulfilment of the prophecy of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity.

On Fatima’s Prophetic Mission

Interview on Vatican Radio with Fr. Federico Lombardi May 13, 2010

Pope Benedict said that we would be mistaken to think that Fatima’s prophetic mission is complete, how should we interpret this statement?


“The Pope is telling us that Fatima is a place in which Our Lady and seers, their tradition, help us read the story of our times, the great difficulties of our times, in the light of Faith. There is the action of God, there is His Providence, in the goodness of the Virgin Mother but then there is also the responsibility of humanity, which often closes in on itself and because of sin we then have wars, difficulties and suffering. In the midst of all this there is the key of prayer, penitence and conversion to open up the path to good. This is the prophetic message of Fatima, it helps us to read history, even the history of today and tomorrow, in the light of God.

 

"It was not the church that imposed Fatima but it was Fatima that imposed itself on the Church!"

Pope on Fatima: Heaven Opened

Over Portugal - Like a Window of

Hope God Opened When Man

Closed the Door to Him!

  "It was not the Church

that Imposed Fatima,

Rather, it was Fatima that

Imposed itself on the Church!"

Arriving in Lisbon, Pope Benedict declared, "I come as a pilgrim to Our Lady of Fatima, invested from on high with the mission of confirming my brothers and sisters as they advance on their own pilgrimage towards Heaven. Heaven itself was opened over Portugal - like a window of hope that God opens when man closes the door to him heaven.

The Virgin Mary came from heaven to remind us of the truths of the Gospel which for humankind—lacking in love and without hope of salvation—represent a source of hope. - in order to refashion, within the human family, the bonds of fraternal solidarity based on the mutual recognition of the one Father, this was a loving design from God; it does not depend on the Pope, nor on any other ecclesial authority: "It was not the Church that imposed Fatima", as Cardinal Manuel Cerejeira of blessed memory used to say, "but it was Fatima that imposed itself on the Church!"

On the plane the pope was asked by reporters:

 "If the message of the secret could be

extended, beyond the assassination

attempt against John Paul II to

other sufferings of the popes?

The pope responded; "Here too, beyond this great vision of the suffering Pope, which we can initially circumscribe to John Paul II, other realities are indicated which over time will develop and become clear. Thus it is true that beyond the moment indicated in the vision, (concerning the 3rd secret) one speaks about and sees the necessity of suffering by the Church, which is focused on the person of the Pope.
 

The Pope stands for the Church,


and Therefore the Sufferings


of the Church are Announced.

The Lord told us that the Church will always be suffering in various ways, up to the end of the world.  In terms of what we today can discover in this message, attacks against the Pope or the Church do not only come from outside; rather the sufferings of the Church come from within, from the sins that exist in the Church. This too has always been known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way:

    The Greatest Persecution of the Church

 Does not Come from Enemies

on the outside, but is Born from

the Sin Within the Church.

The Church therefore has a deep need to re-learn penance, to accept purification, to learn on one hand forgiveness but also the need for justice. Forgiveness is not a substitute for justice. In one word we have to  re-learn these essentials: conversion, prayer, penance, and the theological virtues.


That is how we respond, and we need to be realistic in expecting that evil will always attack, from within and from outside, but the forces of good are also always present, and finally the Lord is stronger than evil and the Virgin Mary is for us the visible maternal guarantee that the will of God is always the last word in history. Read More

 The Pope will participate in a similiar 

Candelight vigil on Wednesday night

the eve of the Fatima apparitions

Pope Benedict XVI First Visit to Fatima as Pope! Theme of Pilgrimage "With You We Walk In Hope!"

Theme for Papal Trip to Fatima May 11-14, 2010

With You We Walk In Hope

Pope Benedict XVI will make a two-day stop in the historic city of Fatima during a visit to Portugal this week. This trip will be the Popes 15th apostolic journey abroad in his five years and his first to Portugal as pope. He will be in Portugal Tuesday through Friday. Benedict XVI will be the third Pope to visit the Fatima shrine, after Pope Paul VI in 1967 and Pope John Paul II's three trips in 1982, 1991 and 2000.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi presented the program of the Pope's 15th apostolic visit outside Italy. Fatima is "a Marian shrine in which events occurred with which Benedict XVI has been personally concerned in a very profound way, also from the point of view of theology and spirituality." As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he wrote a document on the event, published in 2000. We will be just one month before the conclusion of the Year for Priests and the context is very appropriate," he explained. the emphasis this trip will give to the world of the clergy in the celebration of vespers with priests, religious, seminarians and deacons in the Church of the Most Holy Trinity of Fatima, and the meeting with bishops in Lisbon-More

World Wide Fatima Rosary on May 13

Join Catholics around the world  to pray the Rosary on  May 13th to honor Our Lady of Fatima and to beg her to intervene in the world, to stop the growing spiral of sin, and violence. The driving force behind the Worldwide Fatima Rosary on May 13 is the thought that Our Lady will be pleased to see one million people praying the Rosary all together on May 13th, which is the very day She pleaded: “Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world!”

The Pope Invited  Everyone 

 To Go With him to Portugal!

"Dear friends, in the heart of this Marian month, I will have the joy of going in the forthcoming days to Portugal. I will visit the capital, Lisbon, and Porto, the country's second city. The principal objective of my trip will be Fatima, the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Beatification of Jacinta and Francisco. For the first time as Successor of Peter I will go to that Marian Shrine, so dear to Bl. John Paul II. I invite everyone to accompany me on this pilgrimage, participating actively with prayer: with only one heart and one soul we invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary for the Church, in particular for priests, and for peace in the world."... Read More

                  

 Fatima a Place to

Extend One's Gaze

   for a Meditation on History!

                 Pope John Paul II at Fatima 2000

Pope to Reveal God's Action in History

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office,Comments on Pope's Fatima Visit: "John Paul II wanted the 'third secret' of Fatima to be revealed on the occasion of the beatification of the two little shepherds, Francisco and Jacinta, during the Jubilee of 2000, transition between two millenniums," said Father Lombardi. "A century was ending characterized by great sufferings, on which in fact the visions of Fatima gave at once a dramatic and luminous interpretation: time of war and of martyrdom, in which the Church and the Pope himself shared profoundly the sufferings and thirst for salvation of the whole of humanity. To two ignorant children, in an insignificant place -- as is characteristic of great Marian events -- was entrusted a message that in its simplicity, that released a spiritual force able to surmount borders and to be transmitted beyond the grave circumstances of history of humanity," Father Lombardi wondered what the Fatima message can tell us, now that the secret has been revealed-Read More

Action of God, Lord of History, 

and Co-responsibility of Man

Fr. Lombardi, continued and recalled the comment of the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the conclusion of the publication of the text of the "secret," which stated: "Action of God, Lord of history, and co-responsibility of man, in his dramatic and fecund liberty, are the two bases on which the history of humanity is built. The Virgin who appeared in Fatima is calling us to return to these forgotten values, to this future of man in God, of which we are an active and responsible part." Father Lombardi concluded: "We need pure and innocent eyes to read the path of the new millennium and to understand where its risks and truest hopes are. The message of Fatima retains all its seriousness vis-à-vis history."

Is it not an overwhelming thought that an Angel admonished the Fatima Children for playing when the need for prayer and sacrifice was so great?

Photo © Real Presence Association uploaded by Speramus-We Hope w permisssion

1916 Apparitions

The Angel at Fatima

The first apparition of the Angel took place on the side of a hill called Lopa do Cabeço in the spring of 1916. Although the children had previously seen a nebulous figure of light, this was the first time they could definitely perceive the Angel and hear him speak. The Angel then knelt, bowing low with his head touching the ground.  The three children, impelled by a supernatural impulse, did the same, and then repeated after him: "My God, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee.  I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love Thee."  Having repeated this prayer three times, the Angel rose and said: "Pray thus.  The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to your supplications."

Lucia later told Canon Galamba

About this visit of the Angel

"The supernatural atmosphere which enveloped us was so intense that, for a long time, we were scarcely aware of our own existence, remaining in the same position and repeating the same prayers. "So intimate and intense was the feeling of the presence of God, that we did not even attempt to speak to one another. The next day we could still feel the holy atmosphere. It began to disappear only very slowly.  We said nothing about this apparition... it seemed to impose silence on us.  It was of such an intimate nature that it was not easy to speak of it at all."

The next apparition of the Angel took place in the heat of midsummer, while the children were playing near a well not far from Lucia's home. 

Suddenly they saw the Angel descending towards them and heard him ask: "What are you doing?  Pray!  Pray a great deal!  The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs upon you.  Offer prayers and sacrifices continually to the Most High."  "How are we to make sacrifices?" Lucia asked.  The Angel replied: "Make everything you do a sacrifice, and offer it as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and as a petition for the conversion of poor sinners.  Bring peace to our country in this way.  I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of Portugal.  Especially accept and bear with submission the sufferings sent you by Our Lord."

VALUE OF SACRIFICE


"These words," commented Lucia, "made a deep impression on our minds, like a light making us understand Who God is, how He loves us and desires to be loved, as well as the value of sacrifice, how pleasing it is to Him, and how, on account of it, He grants the grace of conversion to sinners. 

For this reason, from that moment we began to offer such mortifications as daily befell us... and to remain for hours with our forehead touching the ground, repeating the prayer the Angel had taught us." The experience of this apparition  overwhelmed the children, and for days they remained silent and in a spirit of deep reflection.  Jacinta said: "I can't speak, nor play, nor sing; I have no strength for anything."  "Nor do I," replied Francisco, "But what does it matter?  The Angel is more important than anything!  Let us think about him."

   

Is it not an overwhelming thought to consider that an Angel sent by God admonished these little children who were only nine, eight, and six years old, for spending their time playing when the need for continual prayer and sacrifice was so great? 

Is that need any less today than it was then?  How many parents coddle and pamper their children, never teaching these little souls entrusted to them by God the importance of prayer and sacrifice.

We underestimate the capacity of children for prayer and sacrifice!  When children are taught by example they are generous in their response to the good.  Very often the children's unreserved "offering of self" far surpasses the half-hearted offering of adults, who are overly imbued with self-love and attachment to material wealth, prestige, security, and comfortable living.

Remember that Our Lord set a little child before the apostles who were arguing over who would be most important in the Kingdom, solemnly assuring them, that unless they were converted and made like little children, they could not enter his kingdom. Children, when very young, do not desire authority, do not regard outward distinctions, are free from malice, are teachable, and willingly dependent on their parents. Granted  It is true that they soon begin to show other unfavorable dispositions due to concupiscence from original sin but these are marks of childhood, and render them proper emblems of true Christians. Surely we need to be daily renewed in the spirit, that we may become simple and humble, as little children, so that we may enter Gods Kingdom.

Bl. Jacinta and Francesco Marto, and Sr. Lucia little shepherds of Fatima, and confidants of Our Lady and the Angels pray for us that we may become worthy of the promises of Christ.

Above Photo copyrighted by the Real Presence Association you are invited to visit their web page for a complete listing of Vatican approved Eucharistic Miracles.  Posted via email from Speramus's posterous