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John 21:24-25

A Holy Awe

It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

Reflection:

As we conclude our Easter season, we are given the conclusion of the Gospel of Saint John to ponder. Recall that John’s Gospel has been a central focus throughout the Easter Season. Therefore, if you have been prayerfully reading the Gospel for Mass each day for the past several weeks, then you have truly immersed yourself in this holy Gospel.

The Gospel of Saint John is much different from the other three Synoptic Gospels. John’s language is mystical and symbolic. John presents the seven miracles as the seven “signs” that reveal Jesus’ divinity. Jesus is identified as I AM, the Son of the Father, the Vine, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Eternal Word, and more. John points to the Crucifixion as Jesus’ hour of glory in which He takes up His throne of the Cross for the salvation of the world. And John’s teaching on the Eucharist is truly profound.

John states that the reason he wrote his Gospel was so “that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John clearly loved our Lord and understood Him, not only by personal experiences while Jesus was alive on earth but also through a profound level of prayer in his later years. And this depth of understanding and mystical knowledge is communicated in such a way that the reader is easily drawn into John’s prayerful understanding.

As John concludes His testimony about Jesus, he states something worth pondering. He states that Jesus did so many things that were not recorded by him or others, that if they were all written down, the whole world would not contain the books that would be written. First of all, everything that was written down could be the source of prayerful study for a lifetime. John’s Gospel alone could never be exhausted of its meaning. But then consider this final line of John’s Gospel and try to take it as a literal statement for a moment. If that statement were literally true, that the whole world could not contain the books that would record all that Jesus did, then this fact should leave us with a holy awe. In fact, the reason this must be true is because what Jesus did within each and every mind and heart He touched is truly indescribable. Volumes upon volumes could not thoroughly describe it. His divine action of saving souls, rescuing people from sin and death, and pointing them to eternal life is more than our feeble minds can fully comprehend.

Reflect, today, upon the holy Gospel of Saint John. As we do conclude this Easter Season and our reading of John’s Gospel, allow yourself to sit in awe of the infinite activity of our divine Lord in the lives of those who have turned to Him. Consider every movement of grace in their lives that has been accomplished with such care and love by our Lord. Reflect upon the fact that for eternity you will be contemplating the Eternal Word made Flesh, the Messiah, the Great I AM, the Son of the Father and every other name given to Him Who is our God and King. Saint John loved our Lord and understood Him deeply because he spent his life prayerfully pondering all that Jesus did. Continue to commit yourself to this holy pondering so that you will be drawn more deeply into this contemplation with holy awe.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/05/17/a-holy-awe-3/

John 21:24-25 Read More »

Saint Pascal Baylon

Daily Saints

Profile

Pascal was the son of the pious peasants Martin Baylon and Elizabeth Jubera. From youth, he displayed great devotion to the Eucharist. He worked as a shepherd from ages 7 to 24, and was a good influence on his shepherd friends, an often rowdy group. He was a Franciscan lay brother with friars of the Alcantarine Reform, often serving as cook or doorkeeper. His charity to the poor and afflicted, his unfailing courtesy and humility, were remarkable even by Franciscan standards. While travelling in France, he defended the Real Presence against the blasphemies of a Calvinist preacher, and narrowly escaped death at the hands of a Huguenot mob. Poorly educated, he was still a counselor sought by rich and poor alike. His cultus is especially strong in Spain and southern Italy, in Central and South America.

Born

24 May 1540 (feast of Pentecost) at Torre Hermosa, Aragon, (modern Spain)

Died

15 May 1592 (feast of Pentecost) at Villa Reale, Spain of natural causes

Beatified

29 October 1618 by Pope Paul V

Canonized

16 October 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII

Patronage

cooks
Eucharistic congresses, confraternities and organizations (proclaimed by Pope Leo XIII on 28 November 1897)
shepherds
Bisenti, Italy
Castelnuovo, Assisi, Italy
Montebello, Orciano di Pesaro, Italy
Obado, Bulacan, Philippines
Segorbe-Castellón de la Plana, Spain, diocese of

Representation

man in adoration before a vision of the Host

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-pascal-baylon/

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John 21:18-19

Daily Reflections, Verse

True Love

“Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Reflection:

On this, the third time that Jesus appeared to His disciples, Jesus enters into a threefold discourse with Peter. Each time that Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, Peter responds that he does. And Jesus responds back each time, “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” The passage quoted above concludes Jesus’ discourse with Peter using very powerful language. Jesus tells Peter that when he grows old, “someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” This was Jesus’ way of saying to Peter that he would ultimately express his love of Jesus by dying for Him. As we know, tradition states that Peter was ultimately crucified. And at Peter’s request, he was crucified upside down because he felt unworthy of dying in the exact same way Jesus died.

As we consider this conversation between Jesus and Peter, it is clear that Jesus’ understanding of love is very different from the way many others understand it today. Jesus was not only telling Peter that he would die for Jesus, but Jesus was clearly offering His approval of this act of love Peter would one day offer. Most often when we love someone, we would do all we can to keep them from any such fate. In fact, when a loved one suffers, we often will do all we can to look for a way to relieve them of that suffering. So which approach is most loving?

Clearly, Jesus sees suffering differently than most of us. For Jesus, suffering is not opposed to love when the suffering is freely embraced for a higher purpose. Suffering in and of itself is of no value. But when suffering is embraced sacrificially out of love for another, it is able to take on tremendous power. And when Jesus offered His clear support to Peter who would one day die out of love for Jesus, Jesus was focusing upon the eternal merit that would be won by Peter’s cross. The fact that Jesus did not shy away from Peter’s future sacrificial suffering is one of the clearest signs of Jesus’ more perfect love for Peter.

Reflect, today, upon your attitude toward the sufferings that your loved ones endure. Do you find that your primary goal is to rid them of their sufferings? Or do you understand that even their sufferings have the potential to become a source of their own holiness and the source of grace for others? Strive to see suffering as Jesus sees it. Look at the sacrificial love that is made possible when your loved ones unite their sufferings to the Cross of Christ and try to commit yourself to the mission of helping them embrace that sacred gift of love.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/05/16/true-love-3/

John 21:18-19 Read More »

Saint Simon Stock

Daily Saints

Profile

Little is known of his early life. Legend says that at age twelve, Simon began to live as a hermit in a hollow oak tree; the name Stock is believed derived from the old English for tree trunk. He was an itinerant preacher. He was a pilgrim to the Holy Lands, but left when invading Muslims chased out Christians. He joined the Carmelite Order soon after its arrival in England.

Simon lived and studied for several years in Rome, Italy and Mount Carmel. He was elected sixth general of the Carmelites in 1247 around age 82. He helped the Order spread through England, southern and western Europe. He founded houses in Cambridge, England in 1248, Oxford in 1253, Paris, France in 1260, and Bologna, Italy in 1260. He revised the Rule of the Order to make them mendicant friars instead of hermits.

Regardless of these successes, the Order was oppressed on all sides, including by the clergy and other orders. The friars took their woes to their patroness, the Virgin Mary. Tradition says that in answer, she appeared to Simon bringing him the brown Scapular of Mount Carmel. “This shall be the privilege for you and for all the Carmelites,” she told him, “that anyone dying in this habit shall be saved.” On 13 January 1252, the Order received a letter of protection from Pope Innocent IV, protecting them from harassment.

Born

c.1165 in Aylesford, County Kent, England

Died

16 May 1265 in the Carmelite monastery at Bordeaux, France of natural causes while on a visit
skull transferred to the Carmelite friary in Aylesford, England in 1951

Canonized

never formally canonized
venerated by the Carmelites since at least 1564
the Vatican has approved Carmelite celebration of his feast

Patronage

Aylesfort, England
Bordeaux, France

Representation

Carmelite friar holding a scapular
Carmelite friar receiving the scapular from the Blessed Virgin
Carmelite friar surrounded by and praying for souls in purgatory
elderly man in a Carmelite habit in prayer

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-simon-stock/

Saint Simon Stock Read More »

John 17:20-21

Daily Reflections, Verse

Gestures of Love

“Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: ‘I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.’”

Reflection:

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been continually reading from Chapter 14–17 of John’s Gospel. These chapters contain Jesus’ Last Supper Discourses and provide us with Jesus’ last sermon, so to speak. Chapter 17, which we have been reading this past week, presents us with Jesus’ final prayer for His disciples and for all of us “who will believe” in Him through the preaching of the disciples. Each time we read from Chapter 17, the Lectionary begins the reading with the phrase “Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying…” That line is an adaptation of Chapter 17:1 but is used to introduce the various parts of the prayer of Jesus each time it is read at Mass.

It’s interesting that Jesus would look up to Heaven when He prayed. Of course, Heaven is not physically in the sky, because Heaven is a spiritual reality. The Father is not located in some place in the sky but is omnipresent, meaning, present all places and all times. And yet, Jesus raises His eyes upward when He prays to the Father. There is a great lesson in this.

Our physical disposition is important, at times. For example, when someone we owe respect to enters a room, we usually rise and greet them. It would be disrespectful to remain lounging on a bed or sofa in that case. And at Mass, we do not sit back with legs crossed during the Consecration; rather, we kneel in adoration. And when we greet someone for the first time, we do not look at the floor; rather, we look them in the eyes.

Jesus’ act of “Lifting his eyes to heaven” was not done because He thought He might see the Father in the sky; rather, it was done out of respect and love and as a way of acknowledging the dignity of the Father. This should teach us about our own bodily disposition and the message we communicate to others, especially to God in prayer.

When you pray, what do you do? Though you can pray at any time and while in any disposition, it is an excellent practice to speak to God not only by your words but also by the disposition you take. Kneeling, raising hands in prayer, falling prostrate before your Lord, sitting upright with attentiveness, etc., are all ways in which you communicate to God your love.

Reflect, today, upon this image of Jesus praying. Gaze at how attentive He would have been as He lifted His sacred eyes upward as a physical gesture honoring the glorious, all-powerful Father in Heaven. Try to imagine Jesus’ devotion, intensity, respect and burning love. Imitate this holy gesture of prayer and attentiveness to the Father and remind yourself of the importance of expressing your love in bodily form.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/05/15/gestures-of-love-3/

John 17:20-21 Read More »

Saint Isidore the Farmer

Daily Saints

c. 1070–c. 1130; Patron Saint of Madrid, farms, farmers, bricklayers, and rural communities; Invoked against the death of a child; Canonized by Pope Gregory XV, March 12, 1622

Saint Isidore, whom we honor today, is often called Isidore the Laborer, or Isidore the Farmer. He was an ordinary man, husband, and father who lived a humble and simple life working the fields for a landowner. His extraordinary faith, by which he always sought first the Kingdom of God, sets for us an excellent example of achieving extraordinary sanctity in the ordinary grind of daily work.

Isidore was born into material poverty in Madrid. His parents, however, were rich in virtue and fostered in him a deep faith. At his baptism, he was given the name Isidore, after Saint Isidore of Seville, the great Spanish scholar and bishop of Seville who lived about 500 years earlier. Because of the family’s poverty, Isidore the Laborer did not receive an education. Instead, from a young age, Isidore worked as a hired hand for a wealthy landowner. The landowner grew very fond of Isidore and treated him as a son, even entrusting him with the management of his estate. It is believed that Isidore lived for sixty years as a laborer, but other speculation is that he may have died around the age of forty.

What is it that elevated this humble and simple man to the ranks of the saints of the Church? To begin, Isidore is said to have been exceptionally generous to the poor. Though poor himself, he and his wife regularly distributed the little they had to those who were in even greater need. He is also said to have been a man of deep prayer. He would regularly attend daily Mass before work, putting God first every day. And as a result of his intercession, miracles abounded, not only during his life but also after his death.

Isidore and his wife had one son. One legend states that their infant child fell into a large pit. Isidore and his wife prayed fervently, and suddenly, the water in the pit began to rise. Very soon, the water had carried the boy to the surface, and Isidore and his wife were then able to pull him out.

Another legend states that because Isidore attended Mass each morning, he showed up later to work than the other hired hands. When the landowner received complaints that Isidore was late for work, he decided to investigate. Sure enough, the landowner discovered that Isidore was regularly later than the others. When the landowner went to confront Isidore about this, he was met with a great surprise. As he walked toward Isidore plowing in the field, he saw that there were others plowing alongside him who looked like angels, using angelic-looking oxen. Thus, God rewarded Isidore with the help of angels to accomplish even more work than the others because Isidore put God first every day.

Isidore also cared for all of God’s creatures with great concern. According to one legend, on a winter day, when Isidore was carrying a sack of grain to be milled, he saw some hungry birds and shared some grain with them, prompting criticism from a coworker. But after Isidore’s diminished sack of grain was milled and returned to him, he had twice as much flour as the others.

Other legends describe Isidore as bringing his landowner’s daughter back to life, raising a spring of water in a dry place to give drink to the thirsty, and producing a full pot of food to feed poor, hungry visitors.

Isidore’s wife, Maria, was also believed to be quite saintly. When their only son died at a very young age, the couple made a promise of celibacy and jointly dedicated themselves solely to God. In Spain, Maria is referred to as Santa María de la Cabeza (Saint Mary of the Head). Miracles have been attributed to her, and to this day, the relic of her head is carried in procession. It is believed that, through her intercession on multiple occasions, rain has fallen in the countryside during droughts.

After Isidore’s death, the miracles continued. Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, during a battle with the Muslims, reportedly had a vision of Saint Isidore who directed him and his army down a path of victory in 1212. That same year, after a flood, Saint Isidore’s body was miraculously exhumed from his grave and found to be incorrupt. Centuries later, when Phillip III, King of Spain, touched Saint Isidore’s body, he was miraculously cured of a serious illness. In all, there have been more than 400 miracles attributed to Isidore’s intercession throughout the centuries.

Another great honor given to this simple, poor, and humble farmer came at his canonization by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. He was canonized at the same time, in the same ceremony, with some of the most recognized and beloved saints in the history of the Church: Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila, and Philip Neri.

Saint Isidore is the patron saint of Madrid, and his feast is widely celebrated in that town and throughout Spain. He is also honored in many rural communities in Chile, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, and the United States. Saint Isidore is a saint for the working man. While at work, he prayed continuously, offering his work as an act of love to God. Saint Isidore’s life magnifies the dignity of work, and shows the common laborer the path to sanctity. Daily work and toil have the potential of being a way of honoring God. Saint Isidore put God first in his life. From his faith and love of God, his work, charity, and dignity shone forth.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-15—saint-isidore—usa-optional-memorial/

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John 17:14-15

Daily Reflections, Verse

Rejecting the evil one

“I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One.”

Reflection:

Unfortunately, the evil one is real. He is the highest of the fallen angels who retain their natural spiritual power given them at their creation. God created all angelic creatures with the purpose of serving His holy will. The Scripture reveals that there are nine levels or “choirs” to which these angelic creatures belong. Among the fallen angels, the highest of them directs the others, and he is traditionally given the name Lucifer or “the devil.”

One of the natural spiritual powers that these fallen angelic creatures retain is the power of influence and suggestive thought. They were created to be messengers of God’s truth to us; but, in their fallen state, they seek to communicate confusion and lies instead. Therefore, it is very helpful to understand the way the evil one and the other fallen angels communicate to us so that we can reject their lies and listen only to the voice of God.

In his rules for the discernment of spirits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola explains that when a person is going “from mortal sin to mortal sin,” the evil one and the other demons continually propose to their imagination the “apparent pleasures” and “sensual delights” that they obtain from their sin as a way of keeping them firmly controlled by that sin. However, when a person is “intensely cleansing their sins and rising from good to better,” the evil one and the other demons act in a contrary way. They will “bite, sadden and put obstacles, disquieting with false reasons, that one may not go on” in their pursuit of holiness. God and the good angels will act in the opposite way. For those immersed in sin, God and the good angels will use “the opposite method, pricking them and biting their consciences through the process of reason” so as to draw them away from sin. And when a person is, in fact, growing in holiness, God and the good angels will “give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and quiet, easing, and putting away all obstacles, that one may go on in well doing” (See mycatholic.life/ignatius).

These spiritual lessons on the discernment of spirits are of great value and will assist you on your daily struggle with sin and your daily pursuit of holiness. Understanding the deceptions of the evil one and discerning the promptings of grace given by God bring clarity to our daily lives and direction to all of our actions. The good news that is revealed by the Scripture passage above is that our Lord is fully aware of the working of the evil one, has prayed for you and will assist you as you seek to combat these lies and deceptions in your life.

Reflect, today, upon the importance of learning how to discern both the voice of God and the lies of the evil one. Work to discern the voice of God so that you may follow Him more faithfully. And seek to discern the lies of the evil one so that you will not be influenced by him and can directly reject him. Commit yourself to a more rigorous discernment of these spiritual experiences in your life and allow this prayer of Jesus to direct you into His holy will.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/05/14/rejecting-the-evil-one-3/

John 17:14-15 Read More »

Saint Matthias the Apostle

Daily Saints

First Century; Patron Saint of alcoholics, carpenters, and tailors; Invoked against smallpox Pre-Congregation canonization

Very little is known about Saint Matthias, whom we honor today. He was most likely living in Galilee at the time that Jesus began His public ministry because he fits the description as “…one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us…” (Acts 1:21–22). He certainly was among Jesus’ first followers.

After Judas betrayed our Lord, the Gospel of Matthew says that Judas “went off and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). In the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Peter describes Judas’ death this way: “…falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his insides spilled out” (Acts 1:18). Regardless of how Judas died, he was one of the Twelve. Twelve is an important number in the Bible because there were twelve sons of Jacob (later given the name Israel) and those twelve sons established the twelve tribes that made up the people of Israel. Therefore, when Judas died, Peter recommended that someone be appointed to replace him so that the Apostles would once again number twelve. Peter quoted Psalm 109 that prophesied, “May another take his office” (Acts 1:20).

In order to pick a suitable successor, the approximately 120 disciples who were gathered together at that time in Jerusalem, perhaps in the upper room where the Last Supper had been celebrated, elected two who had been with Jesus from the beginning. Most likely these men were among the seventy-two disciples that Jesus had sent out on a mission of evangelization during His public ministry. The Acts of the Apostles describes it this way: “So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, ‘You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.’ Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:23–26).

Even though there were about 120 disciples gathered together, the Twelve were singled out as Apostles. This election of Matthias took place prior to Pentecost, so when the Holy Spirit came, it came upon Matthias as an Apostle, and the Twelve as a united body, along with the rest of the disciples.

One significant theological point to consider is that because it was Peter who organized the elevation of a disciple to the responsibility of Apostle, it is clear that the Apostles did not not believe that Jesus intended the role of Apostle to end with the deaths of the Twelve. Jesus intended their ministry to continue and even to expand beyond twelve as the Church expanded beyond Jerusalem. The appointment of Matthias as an Apostle clearly teaches us that the pope, the successor of Saint Peter, has the authority and responsibility to appoint new Apostles—bishops—as needed.

After this mention of Matthias in the Acts of the Apostles, nothing more is said about him. We know nothing for certain about his life and ministry after his becoming one of the first bishops of the Church. According to various traditions, Matthias traveled north to Cappadocia, modern-day central Turkey, and then east to the Caspian Sea, modern-day Georgia. He is believed to have died a martyr by crucifixion or may have even been stoned and then beheaded. Other traditions state that he traveled south to modern-day Sudan and Ethiopia.

The Church Father from a century later, Saint Clement of Alexandria, quotes Saint Matthias as follows: “It behooves us to combat the flesh, and make use of it, without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.” This quote reveals the deep spiritual knowledge Saint Matthias had regarding the importance of the mortification of the flesh and the spiritual necessity of faith. There is little doubt that the three years he spent as a disciple of Jesus prepared him for his ministry as a bishop. And there is little doubt that his ministry as a bishop brought about the conversion and sanctification of many.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-14—saint-matthias-the-apostle/

Saint Matthias the Apostle Read More »

John 15:16

Daily Reflections, Verse

Bearing Fruit for the Kingdom

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.”

Reflection:

After Judas betrayed our Lord, the Apostles gathered together to pick someone to succeed him. They decided it should be someone who had been with them from the beginning. They prayed for guidance and cast lots “and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles” (Acts 1:26).

Little is known about the ministry of Saint Matthias. Being chosen as one of the Twelve makes him a bishop of the early Church. Various traditions state that he preached in the territory of either modern-day Ethiopia, Turkey or Georgia—perhaps all of these territories. He is thought to have been killed for his faith, either by stoning or by beheading or both, which is why he is today honored as a martyr.

As we honor Saint Matthias, we honor more than just a man who became an Apostle and preached the Gospel with His life, we also honor the divine plan by which God has chosen to use weak and humble instruments to further His Kingdom. The Gospel passage above certainly applies to Saint Matthias, as well as to all of us to one extent or another. It was God who “chose” Saint Matthias, as well as each and every one of us, for the purpose of going forth to “bear fruit that will remain.” But this form of good fruit, the fruit that has eternal consequences, can only be produced when we ask for it from the Father in the name of His Son Jesus.

Asking the Father to produce good fruit through us in the name of Jesus His Son does not mean that we get to choose what we ask of the Father. Rather, asking “in Jesus’ name” must be understood to mean that we ask the Father only what the Son has asked. We choose to share in the one eternal prayer of the Son that the will of the Father be fulfilled. And in praying this way, we commit ourselves to unity with His holy will.

Sometimes we can all find ourselves asking God for this favor or that. We can place before Him our preference and our will. But if we want to be used by God, to become an instrument of His grace so as to bear an abundance of good fruit, then we must humbly set aside our own will and allow God to be the one Who chooses our mission and appoints us to His holy task. Detachment from our own will and humble submission to the will of God is the only way to bring forth God’s Kingdom.

Reflect, today, upon God’s choice to call you to share in His divine mission. How He calls is up to God, but you can be certain that He does call you and invites you to share in His mission. Be open to any way that God appoints you to bear good fruit and humbly seek to conform your will to the Father’s plan as you pray in Jesus’ holy name.

Source: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2024/05/13/bearing-fruit-for-the-kingdom-2/

John 15:16 Read More »

Our Lady of Fatima

Daily Saints

Three Portuguese shepherd children named Lúcia (age nine), Francesco (age eight), and Jacinta (age six), received three apparitions from the Guardian Angel of Portugal in 1916 and six apparitions from Our Lady of the Rosary in 1917. Lúcia later became a religious sister and received several more apparitions from Our Lady and Jesus Himself. These apparitions and their messages are among the most inspiring spiritual events to occur in modern times.

The first apparition took place in the spring of 1916 while the children were tending their sheep. While taking refuge in a cave during a storm, the children had eaten their lunches and prayed the rosary. They were playing games when they saw an angel in the form of a young boy on a cloud, who was whiter than snow, yet transparent and radiant with the sun. The angel said, “Do not fear! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.” With that, the angel bowed to the ground with the children and prayed three times: “My God, I believe in Thee, I adore Thee, I hope in Thee, and I love Thee. I ask pardon for all those who do not believe in Thee, do not adore Thee, do not hope in Thee, and do not love Thee,” and then disappeared.

During the summer of 1916 the angel appeared to them again, almost chastising them, saying, “What are you doing? Pray, pray a great deal! The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer unceasingly prayers and sacrifice yourselves to the Most High.” When Lúcia inquired how they were to sacrifice themselves, the angel replied, “Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners…”

During the fall of 1916, the angel appeared again, this time with a chalice and the Blessed Sacrament before which he bowed and prayed, “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences by which He, Himself is offended. And I draw upon the infinite merits of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that You might convert poor sinners.” Afterwards, the three children received Holy Communion from the angel.

On May 13, 1917, the children, once again in the fields, received a visit from a lady from Heaven. She conversed with them and told them to return to that spot on the 13th of every month for six consecutive months. In their conversation she asked, “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all the sufferings He wants to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and for the conversion of sinners?” To which the children replied, “Yes.”

On June 13, 1917, the lady appeared again, this time with about fifty others from the town present. After they all prayed the rosary, the lady appeared to the children as before and conversed with them. In part, she said, “I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you, Lúcia, are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you in order to make me known and loved. He wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation; those souls will be cherished by God, as flowers placed by me to adorn His throne.”

On July 13, 1917, a crowd of about 5,000 accompanied the children. They prayed the rosary, and the lady appeared as before. This time she gave the children a horrifying vision of hell and then spoke about the need for prayer and sacrifice to end World War I. She also warned that a worse war would come if her message was not heeded. She said, “To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.” Then she asked them to add this prayer to each decade of the rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need of Thy mercy.”

On August 13, 1917, as many as 20,000 people had gathered, but on that same day the children were arrested, detained in prison for a few days, and interrogated about their visions. The crowd, however, did see a phenomenon in the sky. On August 19, after the children were released, the lady appeared to them once again in the field.

On September 13, 1917, with a crowd of 30,000, the lady appeared and asked the children to continue to pray the rosary. She promised that if they did, the war would end. She then promised “In October, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.”

On October 13, 1917, about 70,000 people gathered in the pouring rain. This time the lady revealed her name, saying, “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” She asked for a church to be built on that spot and promised that the war would soon end if they kept praying the rosary every day. When she left the children, everyone in the crowd saw the promised miracle. The sky opened, and those gathered were able to look directly at the sun as it glowed and danced. The sun then plummeted to earth, causing panic, but returned to the sky. Suddenly, everything—including the ground and everyone’s clothing—was completely dry.

Within a few years, Francesco and Jacinta died and went to Heaven as promised by the Lady of the Rosary. Lúcia entered religious life and received an apparition in 1925 during which Our Lady fulfilled her promise that she would return to ask for “the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.” In 1929, Our Lady appeared to Lúcia again, stating, “The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart.”

Above all, the messages of Fátima reveal the ongoing need to make reparation for the sins and sacrileges committed against the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and to pray for the conversion of poor sinners. Daily sacrifice and penance, offered with prayer and profound faith, do more good than we could ever imagine. As we honor these most glorious apparitions today, reflect upon your own willingness to make reparation for the sins of the world through your daily sacrifices. “Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God…” Doing so will not only appease the Justice of God, it will also bring about the salvation of many souls.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-13—our-lady-of-fatima/

Our Lady of Fatima Read More »

Author name: Sani Militante

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John 21:18-19

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John 17:20-21

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John 15:16

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