Fatima Angel Apparitions

Transcription

1 2016 Centenary of the Rev. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. Fatima Angel Apparitions This year my series of articles for Soul magazine will focus on the apparitions of the Angel who appeared in the year 1916 at Fatima, Portugal, to three children, Lucia dos Santos, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto; 2016 is the centennial year. Many people are familiar with the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima in 1917, because these apparitions have become the focal point for Our Lady s promised intervention to obtain for us world peace and the salvation of souls. However, many who know of Our Lady s apparitions know little, and in some cases even nothing, about the apparitions of the Angel who called himself the Angel of Peace and the Angel of Portugal. These apparitions played a very important part in preparing the children for the role God gave them in His plan for our salvation. We can learn a great deal from them since they would help us also better prepare 4 Soul Fall 2015 to fulfill the mission we ourselves have received in the light of the Fatima message. First Angel Apparition Spring of 1916 Let us start off with the question: Why did God send an angel to the three little shepherd children? I think we can safely say that this is something we can observe in the Sacred Scriptures as a standard element of God s revelation in times of great importance. Angels were used by God in His dealing with His people frequently as messengers or guides. For example, God said: Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared [Exodus 23:20]. At other times God sent angels to prepare His people either for CNS Blue Army Archives 1 Soul Signature.indd 6 10/28/ :33:13 PM

2 the coming of a great person or to announce the coming of an event that would manifest His power or mercy. An example of announcing a great person was the angel who announced the birth of Samson, one of the judges of Israel who helped deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Philistines [cf Judges 13:2-5]. The classic example of an angel who brought a message from Heaven was the Archangel Gabriel who announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive Jesus, the Son of God [Lk 1:26-38]. The message that would be entrusted to the children of Fatima was also one of profound importance because it dealt with God s plan for world peace, the conversion of sinners, and the role the three young children would play in all of this. Therefore, God prepared them so that they might respond freely and generously to what He would ask of them. spots. It had rained earlier in the day, but the sky had cleared. After lunch, the children prayed the rosary together, since they came from devout families who encouraged this practice. However, they prayed the rosary as quickly as possible using an abbreviated form of the Our Father and Hail Mary so they could get to playing their games as soon as possible. That day, however, things would be different. As soon as they started to play a game, a strong wind shook the treetops. Lucia later described what they saw in her memoirs: A young man, about 14 or 15 years old, whiter than snow, transparent as crystal when the sun shines through it, and of great beauty. The Angel of Peace Comes CNS Blue Army Archives The three visionary children were the youngest members of the dos Santos and Marto families. As such, they were given charge of the family flock of sheep. We do not know the exact day in 1916 that the Angel first appeared to the children, but when Lucia later wrote about the apparitions she said it took place some time in the spring of The young shepherds had brought their family flocks to a place called Cabeco, one of their favorite grazing The children were astonished! The Angel spoke to them: Do not be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me. This beautiful greeting reminds us of the Archangel Gabriel s greeting at the Annunciation when he told Mary: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God [Lk 1:30]. The Angel then invited the children to pray with him. He taught them a special prayer, usually referred to as the Pardon Prayer. Then the Angel knelt down Soul Fall Soul Signature.indd 7 10/28/ :33:41 PM

3 and bowed until his forehead touched the ground. The children were so moved that they knelt with their foreheads to the ground as well. This was a profound example of reverence to God as they prayed. However, it is not something that everyone should try to imitate. Such profound bowing is, then, not a sign of fear before God, but of reverent recognition of the infinite majesty and holiness of God. He is the One Who loves us so greatly! Certainly the Angel would not want to disturb the childlike trust the children had in God and in His love and mercy! My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You! The Pardon Prayer This is the beautiful Pardon Prayer the Angel of Peace taught to the children and which he made them repeat three times: My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You! Let us reflect on this beautiful prayer in order to gain great insight from its meaning. The prayer first outlines four basic actions we must all do in order to have a proper relationship with God, namely, keep faith by believing, worship by adoring, trust by hoping, and love by doing His Will. In the second part of this prayer, we ask God to pardon those who are neglecting these same duties toward Him. This prayer introduced the children to a powerful mission Our Lady would ask of them by praying for the conversion of sinners. As she told the children in her August 1917 apparition: Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners. For many souls go to hell because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them. 6 Soul Summer 2015 Looking More Closely At This Prayer I believe for those who do not believe St. Paul tells us that faith is the initial source of eternal life: The just person lives by faith [cf Romans 1:17]. The Council of Trent taught that faith is the beginning, the foundation and the measure of the Christian life. Again, to quote St. Paul: Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for anyone who approaches God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him [Hebrews 11:6]. Today we hear of many in our rapidly secularizing, atheistic society who are abandoning all belief in God. Even among our Catholic population we hear of many who call themselves Catholics but no longer believe in major teachings of the Church, such as the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, the need for Confession and the existence of Hell. This is the result of the increase of sin in our society, such as abortion, same-sex marriages and violence. Jesus had warned: Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold [Matthew 24:12]. This is why it is so important to pray in reparation for the sins of disbelief today and for the conversion CNS Blue Army Archives 1 Soul Signature.indd 8 10/28/ :34:58 PM

4 of the hearts of many men and women back to God by renewed faith! I adore for those who do not adore I love for those who do not love If we do not love the God Who made our hearts for Himself, our love becomes disfigured by seeking to love creatures that can never satisfy that infinite heart-hunger. As St. Augustine put it so well: God, You have made our hearts for Yourself and they are ever restless until they rest in You! The Angel Departs If people no longer believe in the true God, they will ultimately create idols of their own which they will adore, such as money, power, pleasure or whatever else they choose to worship. Constant intercessory prayer is needed to move them to praise God once again in their lives. I hope for those who do not hope After the children repeated the Pardon Prayer three times, the Angel rose and directed them: Pray in this way! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplication. This first apparition of the Angel had an extraordinary impact on the children. As the Angel left, the three children were enveloped in a supernatural atmosphere so intense that for hours they were scarcely aware of their own existence. They remained in this same state for some time, continually repeating the prayer of the Angel. They did not even speak to one another. This spiritual effect only gradually began to disappear. Despite this wonderful beginning, however, the children would need a reminder to pray the Pardon Prayer more ardently. This would come with the Angel s second visit! CNS Blue Army Archives Hope is the virtue by which we trust in God s promises to give us eternal life and all the graces and assistance we need to reach that life. Because many have turned away from God, they have lost all hope of eternal life. They no longer consider Heaven as the destination of eternal happiness God has promised them, and so live in a state of endless despair. We need to pray for hope to be restored as well as trust in God s infinite mercy for those who approach Him sincerely. Soul Fall Soul Signature.indd 9 10/28/ :35:23 PM

5 Rev. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R Centenary of the Fatima Angel Apparitions Second Angel Apparition With the passing of months, the spring of 1916 turned into summer. The children did not keep accurate dates of the Angel apparitions, but Lucia remembers it had to be in the summer. The reason was that during the hot summer months the children would take the sheep out to graze early in the morning and bring them back to their little village before noon, to the safety of a small barn that provided shade for the sheep from the blazing afternoon sun. During the summer siesta hours the children remained in the shade of trees at a well, located in the back yard of Lucia s 4 Soul Winter 2016 family home. It was called Aneiro s Well. As usual, during the siesta time, the children were playing their games. All of a sudden the Angel appeared again. He had a gentle rebuke for them: What are you doing? These words must have made a deep impression on the children because after this second visit of the Angel they became more faithful in responding to his requests. The Angel said: What are you doing? Pray, pray very much. The most holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs 1 Soul Signature.indd 6 1/29/2016 1:40:42 PM

6 of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High. CNS Blue Army Archives Wikimedia Once again the Angel directed the children to pray very much. He had already requested that of the children in his first apparition, especially when he taught them the Pardon Prayer. Now he adds a new element to his request, that of sacrifice to God. So Lucia in responding to this request of the Angel focuses in on sacrifice. She asks: How are we to make sacrifices? The Angel responds: 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. You will thus draw down peace upon your country. I am its Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you. There is an immense amount of spiritual wisdom found in these words of the Angel of Peace. First of all we notice that he reveals further his identity, namely as the Angel of Portugal, its Guardian Angel. We know that God appoints Guardian Angels for individual people as well as for cities and countries and probably for special groupings of people. So the Angel has come to request many forms of prayer that will lead to peace beginning with peace in the children s own country. Actually, the Angel requested four different forms of piety that the children could practice in order to obtain peace, not only for their own country but also for the world. Let us look at these four acts of piety. Sacrifice As children we were often taught to make sacrifices, especially during Lent. Maybe we gave up our favorite dessert like ice cream or our favorite candy. The first request of the Angel was for sacrifice, and Lucia responded by asking How are we to make sacrifices? The meaning of sacrifice here would be giving something up that is significant or a surrendering of something we hold dear or desire. So the Angel responded to Lucia s question by saying: Make everything you can a sacrifice. As children we were often taught to make sacrifices, especially during Lent. Maybe we gave up our favorite dessert like ice cream or our favorite candy. At other times we gave up watching our favorite TV programs. In other words, our sacrifice cost us something, either a pleasure we would like or something which has special meaning and delight for us. These sacrifices, which can be very simple in themselves, become rather significant when joined with the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of the world. St. Therese, The Little Flower, became known for her Little Way of spiritual childhood. She always felt she could not do the penances and sacrifices she read about in the lives of great saints. However, she became an expert at making many sacrifices that no one detected. She said holiness was not measured by doing great things, but by doing the ordinary things with great love. In the book A Pathway Under the Gaze of Mary, the biography of Sister Maria Lucia, we read this description of how the children began to respond to the request for sacrifice: From this second apparition, the three shepherds found new ways on many occasions to make sacrifices of everything that gave them pleasure and offer them up for peace and for the cross they would soon receive. There was among them a natural co- Soul Winter Soul Signature.indd 7 1/29/2016 1:50:34 PM

7 operation, and they eagerly embraced a sacrifice as something sweet, but always with the utmost discretion so no one realized anything. [pg 47] Reparation had already been introduced to the mission of intercession by the Angel when he taught them the Pardon Prayer. That prayer asks God specifically to grant pardon to those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Him. Our Lady said at the end of her August 1917 apparition, Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them. When a person offers some good deed or act of self-denial as reparation to God, he is saying God, I love you... The Angel taught the children to offer their sacrifices to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended. Reparation is an act of love to God to atone for or make up for sins either by oneself or by others, or for failures and refusals to love God. As I wrote in my book Fatima for Today, When a person offers some good deed or act of self-denial as reparation to God, he is saying God, I love you in order to make up for an offense against Him by which someone else said God, I do not love you. [pg. 28] When Jesus died on the cross, for example, He offered His very life as a reparation or sacrifice to make up for our sins. By our sacrifices, we are being asked to join with Christ in making reparation for all the sins of the world. Intercession for the conversion of sinners The Angel told the children that their sacrifices and acts of reparation would have the effect of beseeching God for the conversion of sinners. They 6 Soul Winter 2016 They spent a lot of time praying there, especially in the first few weeks after the Angel s second apparition. The children responded ardently to this request for prayer. Sometimes they prayed in the woods while they were grazing the sheep. At other times they found a little cave which they turned into a hermitage. They spent a lot of time praying there, especially in the first few weeks after the Angel s second apparition. We, too, must respond by prayer as well as sacrifice and the spirit of reparation, so that many souls will be saved. Jesus and Mary want us to share with them in the work of the salvation of souls. As Saint Francis of Assisi put it: Nothing should take precedence to the work of the salvation of souls for which Christ shed His Precious Blood. 1 Soul Signature.indd 8 1/29/2016 1:50:52 PM

8 CNS Blue Army Archives Wikimedia Bearing Sufferings Humbly St. John of the Cross, tells us that there are two aspects to purification from sin. The great spiritual writer, St. John of the Cross, tells us that there are two aspects to purification from sin. The first aspect he calls active purification. This includes our prayers, our sacrifices, and the acts of reparation which we choose to make to God. The second aspect he calls passive purification. This aspect is more difficult and often involves greater suffering. It includes the trials, temptations, persecutions, misunderstandings, and other forms of suffering that God allows to come to us. They are often things we would not have chosen for ourselves to do. Therefore, they have a more intense spiritual power for they unite us more closely to the will of God and embracing the cross in our own lives. This is why the Angel said to the children, Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you. This is an aspect of the children s spirituality that amazes us. They would quickly grow to be more loving toward God because they were doing His will more intensely, and more loving toward others because they were willing to embrace the crosses God sent to win the graces of salvation for many. This is not an easy grace to attain in the spiritual life. In fact, most people would not even dare to ask to suffer. Most people would simply struggle and bear the crosses when God would decide to send them. The children were heroic in their spirit of sacrifice and at such a young age. Making Peace Through Sacrifice The reparation the children made and the message they spread to others helped bring peace in their time... The Angel of Portugal told the children, You will thus draw down peace upon your country. In one of her private revelations to little Jacinta, Our Lady told her that war is a punishment for sin. A terrible world war was going on when Our Lady appeared to the children at Fatima. World War I was called the war to end all wars. The reparation the children made and the message they spread to others helped bring peace in their time, but we need to bring peace in our volatile times. The plan that the Angel directed the children to do is the one we should also follow, as well as the messages Our Lady would later give regarding devotion to her Immaculate Heart. The Angel s message was preparing the children for their mission from Jesus and Mary. If we follow all that the Angel of Peace taught the children, we too will be prepared to promote peace in the world through the Fatima message of hope. The children would need one more visit from the Angel to complete their preparation for the apparitions of Our Lady in That message would come in the fall of Soul Winter Soul Signature.indd 9 1/29/2016 1:53:57 PM

9 Rev. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R Centenary of the Fatima Angel Apparitions Third Angel Apparition One of the saints who foretold the great religious events of the 20th century was Saint John Bosco, the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He was very devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially under her title Mary Help of Christians. He was known for his prophetic dreams in which God revealed things that would happen in the future. Probably the most famous dream foretold the great struggle that the Catholic Church would endure in the 20th century. In this dream he saw the Catholic Church represented as a great wooden ship caught in a tremendous storm at sea with wind and waves pounding against it, threatening to destroy it. Surrounding the ship of the church were smaller boats that represented the faithful who were loyal to the Holy Father. In addition, opposing the ship of the Church was a large enemy fleet whose ships had canons and battering rams that attempted to destroy the ship of the Catholic Church. In this desperate moment of storm and battle, all of a sudden two columns emerged from the sea. At the top of the higher column was the Blessed Sacrament. At the top of the lower column was the Blessed Mother. When Saint John Bosco, who lived in the 19th century, explained his dream to others he commented: I foresee that some of the greatest trials in the Catholic Church s history await her in the next century (20th century which recently ended). God is giving only two means to defend His Church. The first is devotion to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The second is devotion to Our Blessed Lady. The six apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima focus in a general way on devotion to her Immaculate Heart. But it was in the third angel apparition that emphasis was given to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. This Eucharistic element of the Fatima message in a way 4 Soul Spring Soul Signature.indd 6 4/27/2016 8:50:15 PM

10 CNS Blue Army Archives Wikimedia completes it in terms of the prophetic vision Saint John Bosco saw for our times. Let us look closely at this very important third angel apparition. Fall of 1916 As we pointed out earlier in our articles on the angel apparitions, the children did not remember the exact dates the angel had appeared. However, this apparition occurred at the Cabeco where the angel had appeared to them for the first time in the spring of The children were praying, with their heads to the ground, the Pardon Prayer that the angel had taught them. When they looked up they saw the angel again. He was holding in his left hand a chalice, and over it was a Eucharistic Host. Drops of Jesus Precious Blood were falling from the Host into the chalice. Then, leaving the chalice and Host suspended in the air, the angel knelt down beside the children. They all bowed profoundly before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with their foreheads to the ground. It was then that the angel taught the children another prayer called the Angel s Prayer. Oh most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. After this time of Eucharistic Adoration the angel rose and took the Host and chalice into his hands and he offered the Eucharist to the children as Holy Communion. He gave the consecrated Host to Lucia who had already received her First Holy Communion. He then allowed Francisco and Jacinta to drink directly from the chalice and this was their First Holy Communion. As he gave them Holy Communion, the angel spoke these powerful words: Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God. After giving Holy Communion to the children, the angel once again bowed down to the ground profoundly repeating three times the prayer he had taught them. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly Even the children were overwhelmed by a supernatural atmosphere so that they, too, prostrated themselves and repeated the prayer three times. Lucia commented that this experience was quite intense, so much so that the souls of the children were filled with peace and happiness. After praying, the angel left the children. The mission of the Angel of Peace to prepare the children for the apparitions of Our Lady was now over. Learning From the Third Angel Apparition This relatively brief apparition can teach us much to help us in our own Eucharistic devotion, whether it be to help us assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass more fervently, or to thank Jesus after receiving Him in Holy Communion with greater personal love, or adoring Him as our God, our Savior, and our Friend when we spend time with Him during Eucharistic Adoration. What the angel taught the children should inspire us greatly. When the Angel taught the children the Pardon Prayer in his first apparition, the children learned to make intercession and plead for God s pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Him. Soul Spring Soul Signature.indd 7 4/27/2016 8:50:51 PM

11 Now in this Angel Prayer of the Third Apparition, the children learn to make reparation for offenses against the Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Reparation is important because by it we tell the Lord we love Him and that we want to make up for the offenses that He endures in His Eucharistic Presence. The angel specified three such offenses. First, there were outrages which occur when people desecrate the Blessed Sacrament by acts of dishonor, disgrace, and ill treatment towards Jesus presence in the Eucharist. An example of such an outrage would be profaning Jesus presence in a Black Mass. Next the angel mentioned sacrileges which occur when we receive the Lord in the state of mortal sin which makes us unworthy to receive Him into our hearts. Indifference occurs when people show disrespect in Church by neglect of the Lord s presence through our own fault. 6 Soul Spring 2016 The prayer ends with a statement of hope, namely that through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the abundant merits of the Immaculate Heart of Mary we plead for the conversion of those who commit these sins. We can also learn from the words the angel spoke to the children when he gave them Jesus in Holy Communion. He told them that the Eucharistic Body and Blood of the Lord had been horribly outraged by ungrateful men. We have seen some examples of these outrages. He goes on to encourage them to make reparation for these sins which is necessary so that these sinners may receive God s pardon and be brought back to the state of Sanctifying Grace. This would be absolutely necessary for their salvation. Finally he tells the children: Console your God. These words should inspire us. We want to make reparation to God who has shown us an infinite love in giving us Himself in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Since these sins of outrage, sacrilege, and indifference have offended God s love, we should want to love Him even more. God looks for those who will console Him for the offenses of those who hurt Him. The bible tells us that at the time of Sodom and Gomorra, if there were ten holy people, those cities would have been spared from destruction. That is how important reparation is in our times. As the Blessed Mother told the children at the end of her apparition in October 13, 1917: Do not offend the Lord our God anymore, because He is already so much offended. Reparation atones for these offenses. Our love for Our Eucharistic Lord should move us to want to make reparation for all He suffers so that He could remain with us by His Eucharistic Presence and we could receive Him in Holy Communion. 1 Soul Signature.indd 8 4/27/2016 8:51:17 PM

12 Rev. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R Centenary of the Fatima Angel Apparitions Learning from the Angel s Messages It is a characteristic of God s interacting with His people that He often would send individuals to prepare His people for a powerful message. For example, Saint John the Baptist called himself a voice of one crying out in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord [Lk 3:4]. His father, Zechariah, said at the time of the Baptist s birth in the Canticle he spoke, filled with the Holy Spirit And you, child, will be called prophet of the most high, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins [Lk 1:76-77]. Even the Apostles went before Our Lord into every town and village that Jesus was going to visit. They prepared the people for His coming so that they would be ready to receive His word and believe in 4 Soul Summer 2016 the truths of salvation that He taught. Finally we know that before the Second Coming of Christ Elijah the prophet will return and his mission will be to prepare the people to receive Christ at His Second Coming. The Angel of Peace had to prepare the children for their mission. He told them in his First Apparition, in the spring of 1916 after teaching them the Pardon Prayer, that the hearts of Jesus and Mary were attentive to the voices of their supplication. In the summer apparition he encouraged them to pray: Pray very much! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High. After giving them Holy Communion, he said to the chil- 1 Soul Signature.indd 6 7/28/ :41:11 PM

13 CNS Blue Army Archives Wikimedia Jim Champion dren: Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God. The children learned much and responded by living the Angel s instructions with great devotion. These apparitions prepared them for the message of Our Lady. They learned well and responded to Our Lady s request with great enthusiasm and generosity. Do I Make Intercession for Those In Spiritual Need? One of the most important requests that Our Lady would make during her apparitions would be to use prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners. This is something she asked for frequently and with utmost urgency. She said many souls were lost from God because there was no one to offer prayers of intercession on their behalf. Our prayers are also needed as intercession for those who are not praying for themselves. This is causing the faith of many of them to wither and die leaving them far from God and often in the state of serious sin. Just as the Angel requested prayers so these people would not be lost, we must take the Angel s message into our own hearts and respond as the young visionaries did. This is key to God s plan for the salvation of souls throughout the world. As we have entered into the Centenary of the Angel (2016) and approach the Centenary of Our Lady s apparitions (2017) do we believe and have a deep conviction that we are called to a personal mission of prayerful intercession? There are probably many many souls who will be dependent on our prayers, so let us pray with earnestness in imitation of Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. What Should We Pray For? No doubt we should pray for people who have lost their faith to be renewed by the Holy Spirit. This is the first and fundamental act leading to conversion. We should also pray for those whose lives have drifted far from God and particularly who are now immersed in lives of great sin and selfishness, especially in purity through fornication, masturbation, and pornography. Remember that Jesus told the Apostles, when they could not drive out an unclean spirit (probably a demon of lust), that particular demon could only be driven out by prayer and fasting [Mk 9:29]. We should also remember in prayer those who are trying to live a good life but fall occasionally into sins against charity such as anger, impatience and gossip. There are many people in need of prayer. The best approach is to leave it up to God to choose who He wants to receive the benefit of your prayers. The list of sins is endless, so the list of those in need would also be endless. Our prayers will no longer be needed when the final sinner has turned back to God. Do You Offer Sacrifice? Sacrifice seems to have gone out of the practice of many Catholics today. In past years the Church gave us Lent when we had an obligatory fast. The Church also gave us abstinence [not eating meat] on Fridays. These obligations are now minimal for the average Catholic, at least in terms of obligations. For example, fasting is required on only two days of the year, namely, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Abstinence is required on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent. On the other Fridays of the year, the individual Catholic can substitute another act of penance. How many remember to do that? Archbishop Sheen used to say that lukewarmness is love without sacrifice, because it is love that requires very little generosity on our part. In his Second Apparition to the children, the Angel told Lucia to make many sacrifices. When she asked him what that meant, he answered, Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. The children responded very generously Soul Summer Soul Signature.indd 7 7/28/ :41:40 PM

14 to the Angel s request. For example, they gave away to poor children the nice lunches their parents had made them and were satisfied to eat bitter fruit instead. They also endured thirst in a land where the heat of summer can be very intense. What Sacrifices Can We Make? To prepare ourselves to enter more deeply into the message of Our Lady for our own salvation and sanctification and that of the world, little sacrifices of any kind will bear much fruit. We can think of depriving ourselves of a dessert we may like or an extra cup of coffee that we might not really need. What might be a really great sacrifice is to give up our favorite TV program and use the time to read a good spiritual book or spend time in prayer or Adoration. Remember it is a basic law in the spiritual life, according to St. Paul, that the flesh and the spirit are at odds. If we give the flesh too much in terms of enjoyments and personal satisfaction, the spirit often grows more slothful; but when we deny ourselves the enjoyments of the flesh, we often experience a new vitality of the spirit [cf Gal 5:17]. This will help us grow in virtue by overcoming the temptations that the flesh often brings by being freer to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This is a perfect way to prepare for the centenary of Our Lady s apparitions at Fatima. 6 Soul Summer 2016 How Do You Respond To Suffering? In his Second Apparition, the Angel of Portugal encouraged the children Above all, accept and bear with submission, the suffering which the Lord will send you. Everyone has suffering of one kind or another in life. This is what Jesus taught in the Gospel to be His disciple, namely, that we must deny ourselves (these are our sacrifices), take up our crosses each day (these are our sufferings, even if just carrying out our daily duties), and follow Me (these are our efforts to imitate Christ each day) [cf Mt 16:24]. Our Lady would later ask the children: Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended? The children enthusiastically responded Yes, we are willing. Our Lady then told them: Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort. The children did undergo many forms of suffering, particularly from people who ridiculed them or considered that they had made up the whole story about an apparition of a beautiful Lady from Heaven. Probably hardest of all was the fact that Lucia s own mother never believed that the apparitions her daughter spoke of were true. That was a most difficult cross for Lucia. She was even somewhat ignored by her brothers and sisters. How Do We Handle Suffering? It has been said that suffering can make a person either better or bitter. It makes us better when we see it as coming from God and are willing to accept it from Him. Many lessons in life come through suffering especially the building of character and the strength of enduring with perseverance. On the other hand, we know that suffering can make people bitter. This happens when they resent them and refuse to accept them. Many people become angry at God when crosses come their way. They resent it because these sufferings 1 Soul Signature.indd 8 7/28/ :41:55 PM

15 to make reparation that the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady will come as she promised. CNS Blue Army Archives Wikimedia take away their ability to live a happy life according to their own hopes and desires. Yet it is only when we embrace the cross in our hearts that we find the peace that comes in doing God s will, even in adversity. In our Christian faith the cross is no longer a tragedy; God turned it into a source of blessings and eternal happiness. The Angel would encourage us to accept our sufferings with patience and trust. Abundant fruits will follow! Do We Ever Think of Making Reparation? Reparation is the offering of our prayers and sacrifices to atone for our sins and for the evil effects our wrongdoing has had in the world. Sin has offended God who is infinitely good and deserving of all our love. Reparation is the atonement by prayer, or sacrifice, or works of mercy that make up for the wrongs we or others have done. When Our Lady in her first Apparition asked the children if they would bear the sufferings that God would send them, she said that these sufferings would be an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and of supplication for the conversion of sinners. It is so important that we atone to God for the wrongs by which He is offended and intercede for those who have offended Him, especially those who are neglecting to do this themselves. God is offended constantly in our world today. I believe it is by the prayers of intercession and reparation of those who love Him that we obtain God s mercy and the hand of His chastisement is held back. We all need Are We Making Reparation? In the Old Testament when the people of Nineveh were warned by the prophet Jonah that God would destroy their great city for their many sins, the people at the order of the King put on the penitential garb of sackcloth and ashes and prayed for forgiveness and they were spared. Sodom and Gomorrah would have been spared if they could only have found ten just men who could make reparation for the sins of those cities. We do not know if God will send a chastisement upon the world St. John Paul the Great thought there might be some chastisement for our sins, but he also said we could mitigate it by prayer and penance and reparation. This is why it is important for all of us to heed this message of Our Lady because she came to help us avert any chastisement and lead us all to Heaven. It is not too late to respond because Our Lady told Lucia that when enough people do as she has asked, the triumph of her Immaculate Heart would come and this would bring peace and conversion into the world. Let us heed the message of the Angel so we can fully respond to the message of Our Lady. Soul Summer Soul Signature.indd 9 7/28/2016 2:30:51 PM