Fatima : Living the Message

During the night of 12-13 October it had rained throughout, soaking the ground and the pilgrims who make their way to Fátima from all directions by the thousands. By foot, by cart and even by car they came, entering the bowl of the Cova from the Fátima-Leiria road, which today still passes in front of the large square of the Basilica. From there they made their way down the gently slope to the place where a trestle had been erected over the little holm oak of the apparitions. Today on the site is the modern glass and steel Capelhina (little chapel), enclosing the first chapel built there and the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima where the holm oak had stood.

As for the children, they made their way to the Cova amid the adulation and skepticism which had followed them since May. When they arrived they found critics who questioned their veracity and the punctuality of the Lady, who had promised to arrive at noon. It was well passed noon by the official time of the country. However, when the sun arrived at its zenith the Lady appeared as she had said she would.

"What do you want of me?"
I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.

"Yes. Yes."

"Will you tell me your name?"

I am the Lady of the Rosary.

"I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them? "

Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!

"And is that all you have to ask?"

There is nothing more.

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft spinning disk of silver.

"Look at the sun!"

From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs.

After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia would see the later, presaging her entrance into Carmel some years later.]

This would be the last of the apparitions of Fátima for Jacinta and Francisco. However, for Lucia Our Lady would return a seventh time, in 1920, as she had promised the previous May. At that time Lucia would be praying in the Cova before leaving Fátima for a girls boarding school. The Lady would come to urge her to dedicate herself wholly to God.

An Eyewitness Account by Dr. José Maria de Almeida Garrett, professor at the Faculty of Sciences of Coimbra, Portugal

"It must have been 1:30 p.m when there arose, at the exact spot where the children were, a column of smoke, thin, fine and bluish, which extended up to perhaps two meters above their heads, and evaporated at that height. This phenomenon, perfectly visible to the naked eye, lasted for a few seconds. Not having noted how long it had lasted, I cannot say whether it was more or less than a minute. The smoke dissipated abruptly, and after some time, it came back to occur a second time, then a third time
"The sky, which had been overcast all day, suddenly cleared; the rain stopped and it looked as if the sun were about to fill with light the countryside that the wintery morning had made so gloomy. I was looking at the spot of the apparitions in a serene, if cold, expectation of something happening and with diminishing curiosity because a long time had passed without anything to excite my attention. The sun, a few moments before, had broken through the thick layer of clouds which hid it and now shone clearly and intensely.

 "Suddenly I heard the uproar of thousands of voices, and I saw the whole multitude spread out in that vast space at my feet...turn their backs to that spot where, until then, all their expectations had been focused, and look at the sun on the other side. I turned around, too, toward the point commanding their gaze and I could see the sun, like a very clear disc, with its sharp edge, which gleamed without hurting the sight. It could not be confused with the sun seen through a fog (there was no fog at that moment), for it was neither veiled nor dim. At Fatima, it kept its light and heat, and stood out clearly in the sky, with a sharp edge, like a large gaming table. The most astonishing thing was to be able to stare at the solar disc for a long time, brilliant with light and heat, without hurting the eyes or damaging the retina. [During this time], the sun's disc did not remain immobile, it had a giddy motion, [but] not like the twinkling of a star in all its brilliance for it spun round upon itself in a mad whirl.

"During the solar phenomenon, which I have just described, there were also changes of color in the atmosphere. Looking at the sun, I noticed that everything was becoming darkened. I looked first at the nearest objects and then extended my glance further afield as far as the horizon. I saw everything had assumed an amethyst color. Objects around me, the sky and the atmosphere, were of the same color. Everything both near and far had changed, taking on the color of old yellow damask. People looked as if they were suffering from jaundice and I recall a sensation of amusement at seeing them look so ugly and unattractive. My own hand was the same color.

"Then, suddenly, one heard a clamor, a cry of anguish breaking from all the people. The sun, whirling wildly, seemed all at once to loosen itself from the firmament and, blood red, advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge and fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was truly terrible.

"All the phenomena which I have described were observed by me in a calm and serene state of mind without any emotional disturbance. It is for others to interpret and explain them. Finally, I must declare that never, before or after October 13 [1917], have I observed similar atmospheric or solar phenomena."

Fatima Prayers

Decade Prayer (After 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 in most need of your mercy.

Pardon Prayer
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I implore Your pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You. Amen.

Angel's Prayer
Most Holy Trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit - I adore You profoundly and offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He Himself is offended. And by the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and those of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer
Most Holy Trinity, I adore you! My God, my God, I love you in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Sacrifice Prayer
O my Jesus, it is for love of you and in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and for the conversion of poor sinners.

Penance Prayer
O My Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
[Said when offering up personal sacrifices, sufferings and penance.]

CONGREGATION 
FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH   

THE MESSAGE 
OF FATIMA 

THE TRUE STORY OF FATIMA Father John de Marchi, I.M.C,

Heaven's Weapons : First Five Saturdays

Read this doc on Scribd: The Message of Our Lady of Fatima

The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

Our Catholic Faith teaches that in the Eucharist Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly and substantially present under the species of bread and wine. The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is "real' not in the sense of excluding all other types of presence as if they were 'not real' but because it is a presence in the fullest sense: a substantial presence whereby Christ, the Man-God, is wholly and entirely present... the consecration of the bread and wine effects the change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. And the Holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called this change transubstantiation" (Ecclesia de Eucharista n. 15)

"The Eucharist is a mystery of presence, the perfect fulfillment of Jesus' promise to remain with us until the end of the world (Mayne nobiscum Domine, n.16)"

Reflection The Lord is present in many diverse ways. At Mass, he is present when his Word is proclaimed, he is present in the congregation that gathers to celebrate the Mass, he is present in the person of the priest who represents him during the celebration, but above all, Christ is present in the Eucharist, when after the words of the consecration, the bread and wine become His very Body and Blood: "Take this, all of you and eat it. This is my Body... This is the cup of my Blood." How much do we appreciate the fact at Mass, Jesus is truly and really present to us, by the way we comport ourselves and participate at Mass? People run to shrines or alleged apparition sites to experience the presence of the divine, forgetting that at Mass, we have Jesus with us in a most intimate and real way. Do we really show respect and reverence to Christ's presence at Mass? It is because Christ is truly present whenever we celebrate Mass that the Mass is the most precious treasure that we, as a Church possess. What can be more important than Jesus whenever we celebrate the Mass? Our cell phones? Our cars? Our comfort? Do we really believe in the Lord's real presence at Mass that we make an effort to be in Church in time to dispose ourselves properly for mass to encounter Him? 

  Prayer 

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of yourself in the Eucharist. Increase my love and devotion to your abiding Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Come Lord Jesus, be the center of my life... now and forever. Amen

Divine Mercy Sunday

St. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun who died on October 5,1938 at only 33 years of age. She had lived a very simple life proclaiming an extremely simple message: the Heart of Jesus is overflowing with divine mercy towards sinners and wants all to come to him with trust-filled love. This invitation is powerfully expressed in the classic painting of the Risen Christ, which an artist executed under the guidance of Sr. Faustina herself who, on February 22, 1931 had seen Him with red and pale rays of light emanating from His chest.Those rays of light recalled the blood and water that flowed down from the pierced heart of Christ on the cross and symbolized the inexhaustible richness of his merciful love made present and available to all through the Sacraments.

Jesus himself had instructed Sr. Faustina to have the sentence "JESUS I TRUST IN YOU" written at the bottom of that painting. this sentence expresses the response of humble faith on the part of the sinner to the endless mercy with which God views mankind and constantly brings about the salvation of the world.

This is the mercy that brought God's son to become a human being and to give his life on the cross for all sinners. This is also the same mercy that led the Risen Christ to go in search of His disciples the very day He rose from death, to reassure them of His forgiving love. No revenge for having been deserted by them right when he needed their allegiance most, but only the gifts of His peace and comforting presence. No bitterness against the doubting Thomas who persisted in rejecting the witness of his companions, but only patient understanding for his weakness and a tender desire to arouse in him faith in the Resurrection.

"My Lord and my God!" exclaimed the bewildered apostle as he felt himself inundated by the love of the Man-God who had only words of mercy and forgiveness for him.

"Jesus, remember me when you enter into your reign!" had been the earnest plea of the man being executed with Him on calvary as he viewed his life as a total failure and Jesus' mercy as his only hope. And he was not disappointed.

"Jesus have mercy on me, I trust in You!" is the expression of complete self surrender which all of us should address to our Savior as we realize our unworthiness and our need to be forgiven. What can save us from the devastating consequences of our sins is only God's merciful love.

And this is what we implore, in all humility and confidence, not only on the Second Sunday of Easter, but throughout our lives, until our last moments. Like the repentant thief dying on a cross, side by side with the Innocent Victim, we place all out trust in Jesus, the King of Divine Mercy.
The Divine Mercy Novena

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:
"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

How to Recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. The Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.

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