The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

(Sharing during the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 21 September 2013)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

Today, I would like to share on a devotion that contains one of my favourite prayers. Although I did not fully understand the purpose of this devotion then, I took to it because of the meaningful prayer. This devotion relates specially to Christ’s passion and death, two of the central elements of our faith. It is the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady.

In this devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, we meditate on the seven sorrows of Mary while praying one Our Father and seven Hail Mary’s for each sorrow. At the end of each cycle, we pray, “My Mother, share thy grief with me; let me bear thee company, to mourn thy Jesus’ death with thee.” This sums up the devotion’s purpose, that is, to share in Mary’s sorrows and unite ourselves with the Passion of Christ and His holy Mother. Thus, we are led to enter into Jesus’ Heart and honour Him, more so because we have honoured His Mother by revering her sorrows.

As written by Scott P. Richert (About.com Catholicism, n.d.), by uniting ourselves to Mary in her sorrow, we hope to one day also share her joy in the triumph of her Son. Accordingly, the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on 15 September, one day after the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross.

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are events in Jesus’ life, taken from the Scriptures. They are:

1)    The prophecy of Simeon

2)    The flight into Egypt

3)    The Child Jesus lost in the Temple

4)    Mary meets Jesus carrying the cross

5)    Mary at the foot of the cross

6)    Mary receives the body of Jesus

7)    The burial of Christ

As Fr. William Saunders (Arlington Catholic Herald, 10 October 2000) wrote, the key image is our Blessed Mother standing faithfully at the foot of the cross with her dying Son, as recorded in St. John’s Gospel. The Lumen Gentium document wrote: ”…  She stood in keeping with the divine plan, suffering grievously with her only-begotten Son. There she united herself, with a maternal heart, to His sacrifice, and lovingly consented to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth” (#58). Through her sufferings with Christ, she plays a part in our redemption.

The Calvary event is also seen as Mary’s spiritual martyrdom. Fr. Saunders cited St. Bernard thus, “Truly, O Blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart.... He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since His” (De duodecim praerogatativs BVM).

Indeed, throughout the centuries, Our Lady has shown her love for us, her children, given by Christ at the foot of the Cross, by her visitations to us. Twenty centuries after Christ’s resurrection, Our Lady still weeps in sorrow, at her apparitions at La Salette, Akita, and Kibeho, among others. Why? At Kibeho, Rwanda, in her most recent and famous apparitions as Our Lady of Sorrows, she told us why.

“The world conducts itself very badly.” “The world hastens to its ruin, it will fall into the abyss.” The Mother of God was very saddened by people’s unbelief and lack of repentance. She complained of our bad way of life. “Faith and unbelief will come unseen”, referring to apostasies.

In her urgent appeal for repentance, she exhorted us, “Convert while there is still time.”  

“No one will reach heaven without suffering.” Suffering helps us compensate for the sins of the world and participate in Jesus’ and Mary’s sufferings for the world’s salvation.

“Pray always and single-heartedly”. Mary begs us to pray with greater zeal and purity of heart.

Marian devotion should be expressed through sincere and regular praying of the Rosary.

She asks for the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Mother of God to be renewed and spread in the Church, but not replacing the Holy Rosary.

She asks to pray always for the Church, when many troubles are upon it in the times to come. Her messages are for the whole world, for all times.

Upon reflexion, the call for repentance, while there is still time, applies to all of us, who face our own inevitable deaths. Indeed, there is a prayer in preparation for death, in the devotion; it is the one that caught my fancy.

In this Year of Faith, let us with greater zeal pray for conversion and daily prepare ourselves for our inevitable deaths. Only then would we progress into our heavenly Father’s kingdom. Our Lady of Sorrows, intercede for us. Amen.

Faith of Hope

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 27 Apr 2013)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ

During this Year of Faith, the Nicene Creed is our central prayer. Rightly so, as it tells us and others of our faith. Have you ever wondered why we bow profoundly at the Incarnatus, i.e. the phrase “...and by the Holy Spirit, was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man”? On the solemnities of Christmas and the Annunciation, we even genuflect at this moment. Father Daniel Schomaker[1]wrote,

(I quote) “As God comes down to earth, we too go down to the earth and touch our knee to the ground. ...God, in the person of Jesus Christ, emptied himself of all that he was and, putting on flesh, became one like us,”

while maintaining fully his divinity.

Such profound gestures show how central the doctrine of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is in our faith. The Incarnation is the beginning of our Christian faith. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (# 463) states, belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is what marks us apart as Christians. The person who gave our God a body, so that we can be redeemed, is none other than Mary. That is why she is called the Mother of God. As award-winning Catholic writer, Kathy Coffey, highlighted, the crucial moment that led to the Incarnation, the Annunciation, must have been the most unforgettable in Mary’s life. Today, I would like to share Kathy Coffey’s thoughts on the Annunciation, and its applications to us.

Coffey painted Mary’s background as such. Immersed in the Torah, Mary, who probably could not read, would have memorised sections of it. The story of God’s fidelity to His people ran in her veins. She would have lighted the Sabbath candle every week, and sung the psalms regularly, reminding of God’s goodness. On the other hand, there was the Roman oppression. She had friends who were sold as slaves with their children when Romans killed Israel’s two thousand men. Admist these two powerful forces, she received a most puzzling message from the Archangel Gabriel, that turned her life upside down. No agenda was given; she did not have any clue of what to expect after the startling visit.

Mary’s dilemma is like ours, moving between two worlds: the promises of our faith, and the sad realities of our culture. If we hope in our faith, we may be accused of ignoring reality. If we focus on people’s inhumanity, we may despair and ask where God is. Coffey boldly wondered about God’s seemingly bad sense of timing. Could the news of the pregnancy not waited till Mary was safely and respectably married to Joseph? Could the birth not have happened when they were settled at home with family and friends’ support? Could God not have struck Herod with a simple lightning bolt, and spared the besieged family the difficult trip? Coffey then wrote that we balk at hardship and inconvenience because we cannot see into the future.

How could Mary have so easily answered “yes”? Ladislas Orsy, S.J., a Jesuit professor, says that human hopes name future expectations and then cling fast to them, whereas divine hope means immersion in God’s plan. “God guarantees a good outcome but without telling us what it will be.” Mary’s participation (I quote) “...was perfect; she never said, ‘I had hoped.’” (unquote) Mary participated actively in her own drama, without knowing how it would unfold. She did not try to hide her fear or uncertainty, but she knew the cure for our human failure to see: blind trust. She could praise God in the Magnificat thereafter, because she knew God’s constancy and fidelity. Mary’s way was divine hope.

According to Coffey, Mary can help us here, because she understood the kind of tensions we face. Living with the dramatic contrasts, she made her peace with disparate worlds. Throughout her life, she would help her friends remember God’s goodness, especially through her son. She directed Jesus’ disciples towards hope when they despaired. We, who have been baptized into Mary’s same gift of faith, must also live on hope, trusting in God’s promise. Like Mary, we have been called to participate in the fullness of God’s life and bring Christ into our worlds.

As we prepare for the coming general elections, let us keep this hope alive for our nation by praying and fulfilling our duty to vote, guided by the Holy Spirit. By our faith, may we show others the reason for our hope. Mary, our Mother, show us the way and pray for us. Amen.

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[1] An associate director of the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy of Covington, Kentucky, the USA

The Miraculous Medal

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 16 Mar 2013)

•    The Year of Faith is a command to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the world (Benedict XVI, 2011, Porta Fidei, #6).

•    We, the Church, have the mission to faithfully proclaim the mystery of our Lord until it is finally manifested in full light.

•    The call to conversion is not new. The mystery of our salvation has been filled with God’s seeking out mankind who often strayed, calling him to return to the Creator in heart and mind.

The Miraculous Medal

•    The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Catherine (Zoe Labore) three times in 1830 at the Mother House of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul in Paris. On the second occasion, 27 November 1830, Sister Catherine records that the Blessed Virgin appeared as if standing on a globe, and bearing a globe in her hands. As if from rings set with precious stones dazzling rays of light were emitted from her fingers. These, she said, were symbols of the graces which would be bestowed on all who asked for them. 

•    Around the figure appeared an oval frame bearing in golden letters the words "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee"; on the back appeared the letter M, surmounted by a cross, with a crossbar beneath it and, under all, the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the former surrounded by a crown of thorns, and the latter pierced by a sword. (Catholic Tradition webpage, n.d.)

•    In the image of Her Immaculate Heart pierced by a sword, we see the heart of the Blessed Virgin stabbed for all of those who have lived – and died – by the sword, and by sin. 

•    Jesus said, “Put your sword back, for all who have lived by the sword, die by the sword.” (Mt 26:52)

•    At the second and third of these visions a command was given to have a medal struck after the model revealed, and a promise of great graces was made to those who wear it when blessed. After careful investigation, M. Aladel, the spiritual director of Sister Catherine, obtained the approval of Mgr. de Quelen, Archbishop of Paris. Sister Catherine Laboure was canonized by Pope Pius XII on 27 November 1947. (Catholic Tradition webpage, n.d.)

•    The Miraculous Medal is a sacramental, a physical manifestation of the gift of grace that perpetually exudes from Our Lady. It was originally called the Medal of the Immaculate Conception but because so many miracles were reported by those wearing it, the sacramental became known as the Miraculous Medal. (Catholic Tradition webpage, n.d.)

•    Marie-Alphonsus Ratisbonne, who had resisted the calling to the Church, wore the medal and prayed a simple prayer to Mary out of respect for his friend. Our Lady appeared to him and brought about his conversion. He later became a priest and, together with his converted priest brother, founded the Institute of Our Lady of Sion. The Pope inaugurated the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on 27 November.

•    In this Year of Faith, let us like trustful children place our faith in our Blessed Mother’s guidance to prayer, sacrifice and penance so that we, too, would be conveying to the world the mystery of our Lord. Then, we would have fulfilled the command of the Holy Father for this grace-filled Year. 

•    Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we unite ourselves to you under your title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

May this medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your motherly affection for us and a constant reminder of our filial duties towards you.

While wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son.

Most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Saviour, keep us close to you every moment of our lives so that like you, we may live and act according to the teaching and example of your Son.

Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death so that in union with you we may enjoy the happiness of heaven forever. Amen.

References:

•    Benedict XVI. (11 October 2011). Porta Fidei.

•    Catholic Tradition webpage. (n.d.). The Miraculous Medal. Retrieved from http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/miraculous-medal.htm

St Rita of Cascia (1381-1457)

Feast day:- May 22

Patron Saint for Impossible Cases and Hopeless Causes

St Rita was born as Margarita in Roccaporena near Spoleto in Italy. At the age of 12, she married a nobleman named Paolo Mancini. Rita remained loyal to her spouse for the entire 18 years of their marriage. She was also a devoted mother of two boys.

Rita’s religious and spiritual convictions so frustrated and angered her husband that he often flew off into a fit of rage. Sixteen years into their marriage, her consistency and persistence finally paid off; she converted her husband from a life of debauchery and vendetta to her way of life but 2 years later he was murdered in what was believed to be a politically motivated assassination.  Knowing this, Rita’s two teenage boys immediately began to scheme to avenge their father’s murder with the influence of their uncle Bernardo Mancini.

Rita exhausted all efforts to convince her boys not to go forward with their plans but she did not succeed.  Fearing for her boys’ souls, as a last resort, she prayed to God asking Him to bring her children to forsake their misguided path. One day while in deep prayer, she became certain with a new and penetrating awareness that her desire for her sons’ welfare could not be greater than that of God Himself whose sons they also were. She therefore entrusted them completely to His wisdom and providence; thereby putting aside her own plans.

Less than a year later, a deadly disease afflicted Roccaporena.  Among its many victims were Rita’s sons Paolo Maria and Giangiacomo.

After losing the entire family, Rita asked to join the local convent in Cascia but she was rejected simply because she was a widow and the nuns were afraid of being associated with her due to the scandal of her husband’s violent death; even though she was acknowledged to be of good character and deeply admired by the entire community for her gentle and religious spirit and held in even greater esteem ever since the triple tragedy in Rita’s family. St Rita felt the call of God was too strong after the first refusal. She requested two more times to enter the convent but was denied.

Rita did not give up but persisted in her prayers especially to St John the Baptist, St Augustine of Hippo and Blessed Nicholas of Tolentino for whom she had a very strong devotion. Eventually they came and visited her in answer to her petitions and showed her the way through the barred doors of the convent. She was to share the gift of peace that she has received from God freely to all. With the help of God and her three Patrons, one of whom who was about to be canonized; she was able to resolve the conflicts and enmity and reconcile her husband’s family with the family of her husband’s murderers. 

St Rita was thirty six years old when she finally entered the convent.  As a first test of her obedience, her superior ordered her to water the dead trunk of a barren vine.  St Rita complied faithfully day after day until finally to everyone’s amazement especially her superior’s, the vine began to flower and bear fruit. St Rita remained at the convent living by the Augustinian Rule.  She is well known as the Patron Saint of impossible or hopeless causes/cases due to the many miracles and impossible events that happened as a result of her intercession.

During the remaining years of her life, St Rita prayed to join with Jesus in His suffering and was given the stigmata gift of a thorn in her forehead.  The thorn was not visible to anyone except her but the wound was.  The wound festered and exuded a horrible stench which remained with her for the rest of her life and made her a recluse within the convent. 

In the year 1446, Friar Nicholas of Tolentino was to be canonized a Saint. As he had been one of St Rita’s special patrons for much of her life, she wanted very much to make the pilgrimage to Rome for this happy and solemn event. Her superior did not allow her initially because of the wound but it healed inexplicably. St Rita was able to go and on her return to Cascia , the wound reappeared.

On one occasion, several months before she died, St Rita was visited by a cousin from Roccaporena. Upon leaving, the cousin asked St Rita whether she could do something for her. St Rita requested her to bring a rose from the garden of her former home in Roccaporena. Thinking it would be impossible to find even a single stalk of rose during the height of winter in January but to the cousin’s astonishment, she saw a single fresh rose on an otherwise dry and barren bush in the snow covered garden. She immediately returned to the convent with the rose.  St Rita received the rose with quiet and grateful assurance understanding it to be a sign from God that through her prayers her family members were brought to eternal life. 

At the time of her death in 1457, the revolting smell that emanated from her wound became a sweet pleasant odour and a bright light filled the room.

St Rita is also known to be a patroness for abused wives and mourning women.

Excerpts taken from:-

    1)  www.catholic.org/saints

    2)  www.etwn.org

    3)  The Precious Pearl (the Story of St Rita of Cascia) by Michael Di Gregorio, OSR

The Four “Mary’s” of St. Ignatius Loyola – Part II

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 24 Nov 2012)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

In our last sharing, walking through St. Ignatius Loyola’s life in our Santa Maria della Strada Chapel, we stopped at the image of Our Lady of Montserrat. Let us continue our ‘journey’.

After Manresa, Ignatius went to the Holy Land. However, he was compelled to return to Europe for his safety, as the Turks were ruling there then. Ignatius then realised that to help others, he had to study. So at 33, he went back to studies. Circumstances forced him to move from Barcelona to Alcalá, Salamanca and finally Paris. He attracted many students. Six of them, which included St. Francis Xavier, eventually became his closest companions. In 1534 in the chapel of Montmatre, they took vows of perpetual chastity and poverty and upon completing their studies, to be of service to the Pope.

In 1537, all of them except for Peter Favre, who was already a priest then, received the Holy Orders. Still unable to go to the Holy Land, the seven companions went to Rome to offer their services to the Pope. On the way, at La Storta, Ignatius had a vision of God the Father “placing him with His Son”, Jesus Christ, as he had asked Mary to obtain for him. This was the most significant affirmation for him and later on, the Society of Jesus. On 27 September 1540, Pope Paul III approved the formation of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was unanimously chosen general on 7 April 1541. On 22 April, the same year, the Friday of Easter week, at the basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls, before the Theotokos Hodigitria icon, the friends pronounced their final vows in the newly formed Order. The icon is the third stained glass image from the back of our chapel.

Sometimes called “Our Lady of the Way”, or Queen of the Society of Jesus, it is among the most classical, most ancient and permanent of Marian icons^[1]. According to legend, St. Luke painted the first Hodigitria, which means 'Pointer of the Way' or 'Guide of the Church.' In the icon, Our Lady points to her Child as if to say, look at him, not me.^[2] “This is the way, he is your life, way and truth.”^[1] Mary leads us to Christ, she herself is “the Sign” of the way^[3]. The simple and beautiful Marian way teaches that our existence, lived in faith, hope and charity, is for others, leading them to Christ^[1]. The Pope reminded us of this, too, in the Year of Faith.

Later, Pope Paul III gave the newly approved Society a small church after its former pastor and owner, Peter Codacio, became a Jesuit. This was the church of Santa Maria della Strada, erected by the Astalli family in the 5^th century in Rome. In it was the original fresco of the Madonna della Strada, painted likely in the 13^th to 14^th century^[4]. The Jesuits built their house beside the church, which was their urban missionary headquarters. In 1568, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese erected the Jesuits’ mother church, the Church of the Gesù, over this church. 

Following the tradition, to commemorate the original church, a chapel dedicated to Santa Maria della Strada was built in the new church. The icon became the main alterpiece in this chapel and venerated as miraculous and very dear to St. Ignatius. In our chapel, the stained glass image nearest to the altar is modeled after this icon.

Santa Maria della Strada, or Our Lady of the Way, is the patroness of the Society of Jesus. Her intercession was claimed to have protected Ignatius during battle as a soldier. In the Church of the Gesù, the icon is strategically placed between the altar dedicated to St. Ignatius and the main altar dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The chapel location shows Mary’s intercessory role.^[5] Also called “Our Lady of the Wayside”, and in Western Europe “Our Lady of the Street”, the icon is sometimes used to symbolize poverty, the homeless, etc.^[6]. Overall, the image evokes trust in the Son and the Mother’s intercession with him^[4].

The Society of Jesus became the largest religious order that won over multitudes of souls to Christ, making their mark in diverse fields, especially education. The Jesuits played a vital role in countering the Protestant Reformation, keeping the Church of Christ intact. Imitating St. Ignatius’ fervour and placing our prayers in Mary’s hands while contemplating the Lord in our Chapel, we could perhaps find strength to answer the Pope’s call – “to rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith”. Then, we can be credible life-giving witnesses of Christ.^[7]

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[1] Marian Icons -- A Way to Devotion. (n.d.) In Mary in Catholic Teaching: Session 4: Growing in Knowledge. Retrieved 2 Sept 2012 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/buby/session_4.htm)

[2] Vinie, M. (n.d.). [Course material]. Retrieved 2 Sept 2012 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/icon3.html

[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2674

[4] Chapel of Our Lady of the road. (17 May 2010). Retrieved 17 Nov. 2010 from http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/html/d_cappella_madonna_della_strada_it.html

[5] Bonacci, L.A. (n.d.) [Q&A]. Retrieved 13 Nov 2010 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq115.html

[6] [Part of Q&A]. Retrieved 17 Nov. 2010 from http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/questions/yq/yq15.html.

[7] Benedict XVI. (11 Oct 2011). Porta fidei. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html, n. 9.

The Four “Mary’s” of St. Ignatius Loyola – Part I

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 10 Nov 2012)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

To help us answer our call for the Year of Faith, that is, to share with others Christ Jesus, the Redeemer of mankind^[1], one of the Church’s pastoral advice is to have a special devotion to Mary^[2]. In response, we would like to suggest contemplating the Lord in the Santa Maria della Strada Chapel.^[3] Among the features in the Chapel that may help in prayerful reflexion are the four stained glass images of Our Lady. Have you ever wondered their significance?

 They are the 4 Mary’s significant to St. Ignatius of Loyola. Remember our sharing on Our Lady in St. Ignatius Loyola’s life? The images walk us through the most important stages of his life. Today, I will share briefly on something about two of the images.

When Ignatius Loyola was converted while recovering from the Pamplona battle injury, he had a vision of Our Lady with the Holy Child Jesus, which confirmed his decision. It was believed to be that of Our Lady of Aranzazu. This is the first image as you enter the back door of the chapel. Aranzazu is about 55 km from Loyola, Ignatius’ ancestral home, in Gipuzkoa. According to tradition, in 1498, while rounding up his flock, a shepherd, Rodrigo de Baltzategi, heard a cowbell calling him. He followed the sound, and came upon an image of the Virgin Mary. Considered a miracle, the site became a pilgrimage shrine. In Ignatius’ mother tongue, the Basque language, Aranzazu means “a place full of hawthorn bushes”, thus the name Our Lady of Aranzazu. It was also believed that she was so named because the shepherd Rodrigo, who discovered her on top of a hawthorn bush, exclaimed, “Arantzan zu?!” meaning, “You, on a hawthorn bush?!” Today, the Sanctuary of Aranzazu is maintained by the Franciscans. The feast of Our Lady of Aranzazu, patron saint of Gipuzkoa, is celebrated on 9 Sept.

The vision of the Virgin and the Child filled Ignatius with hatred for his past life of impurity. He wanted to go to the Holy Land via Montserrat. On his way, in 1522, he stopped at Aranzazu and spent a night in vigil before Our Lady of Aranzazu, promising to live in chastity.

He then went on to Montserrat, then already a famous pilgrimage destination. Rulers, church leaders and canonized Saints had visited the famous Black Madonna of Montserrat at the Benedictine monastery there. This is the second image from the back of our Chapel. St. Ignatius became among its most famous visitors. According to legend, the image of the Virgin of Montserrat was first known as La Jerosolimitana, or the native of Jerusalem – it is believed to have been carved in Jerusalem by St. Luke during the Church’s beginnings. It was brought to Montserrat in 718, to hide it from the invading Saracens. For almost 200 years, it remained hidden and the location was forgotten. Then in 890, tradition holds that while tending their flocks one night, some shepherds saw lights and heard singing coming from the mountain. After the second time, they reported it to their priest. Upon investigation, he also saw the mysterious lights and heard the singing. So he informed the Bishop, who also witnessed these phenomena. Finally, they discovered the statue of Our Lady in the cave; they brought it out and placed it in a small church that was soon built and later developed into the present church that was completed in 1592.

Various miracles were attributed to the Virgin of Montserrat, resulting in the present statue being made in the 12^th or 13^th century. It has always been considered one of the most popular images in Spain and is classified as one of the Black Madonnas in the world. Why black? No one knows for sure, but one possibility was that the countless candles and lamps that have burned day and night before it had turned it black.

At Montserrat, Ignatius Loyola exchanged his rich clothes for a beggar’s, laid down his sword and dagger at Our Lady’s altar and kept a vigil. The next day, intending to continue to the Holy Land, he ended up stopping at nearby Manresa. Here, he composed the Spiritual Exercises that helped so many souls till today.

Dear brothers and sisters, thus far, we have gone through St. Ignatius’ time of conversion. In a fortnight, we will learn more about the other two stained glass icons of Our Lady. Meanwhile, let us ask her to help us live out the Pope’s invitation to true and renewed conversion during this grace-filled Year of Faith. “Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. Amen.”

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[1] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. (6 Jan 2012). Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20120106_nota-anno-fede_en.html.

[2] Ibid., n 13.

[3] Why? Because she can help us to know Him better and thus be His living witnesses.

Faith of the Children at Fatima

(Sharing at the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on 20 October 2012)

1.   The Year of Faith is a command to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the world.

2.   We, the Church, have the mission to faithfully proclaim the mystery of our Lord until it is finally manifested in full light.

3.   The call to conversion is not new. The mystery of our salvation has been filled with God’s seeking out mankind who often strayed, calling him to return to the Creator in heart and mind.

4.   After the New Testament, God’s messenger has been Our Lady herself, for conversion has been the “golden thread” that links her many apparitions throughout the world.

Mary’s faith, hope and love for humanity has sustained humanity’s faith, hope and love in God’s salvation in spite of man’s sinfulness.

And yet, Mary’s call to humanity in different continents throughout the centuries to… 

5.   …follow a different path and a different world than the tragic, materialistic, de-Christianised, sinful society, which is so close to all of our lives today, remains unheeded by too many.

6.    It is a call that has gone unheeded again and again. Our Lady is seen as weeping, weeping for the world… 

7.   …and pierced to the Heart. In the image of Her Immaculate Heart pierced by a sword, we see the heart of the Blessed Virgin stabbed for all of those who have lived – and died – by the sword, and by sin. Jesus said, “Put your sword back, for all who have lived by the sword, die by the sword.” (Mt 26:52)

8.   In this month of the Rosary, let us recall her message at Fatima, one of the most famous apparitions approved by the Church.

9.   The year was 1917. Three shepherd children, Francisco (aged 9), his sister Jacinta (aged 7) and Lucia dos Santos (aged 10) were tending their flocks at a field, the Cova da Iria.

10. The Lady appeared in a very bright light above a green oak tree by its own in the field. A conversation ensued between her and Lucia. They were told to go to the same spot on the 13^th of each month, at the same hour. The Lady would only reveal her name in the last month, that is, October.

11. They were told to go to the same spot on the 13^th of each month, at the same hour. The Lady would only reveal her name in the last month, that is, October.

12. She asked them to pray the Rosary daily for peace, to make reparations for the conversion of sinners. She taught them to pray the Fatima prayer after each decade of the Rosary. They were also shown a vision of hell.

13.  The core of the Fatima message was the call to prayer, sacrifice and penance – prayer for peace, for sinners and for the Pope; the penance of fulfilling one’s daily duty well, obeying God’s commandments, avoiding the near occasions of sin and acting according to God’s will in all things.   

14.  It was at Fatima that Our Lady drew devotion to her Immaculate Heart, surrounded with thorns.

15.  On the last day of her apparition to the children, the 13^th of October, the Lady revealed her name as the Lady of the Rosary. She requested for a chapel to be built there and asked them to continue praying the Rosary every day. She asked people to amend their lives and repent, for God was already much offended.

16.  Then, the crowd that gathered with the children witnessed the miracle of the dancing sun, while the children saw a vision of the Holy Family. These symbols of air and fire prepare for Christ’s second coming at the Last Judgement.

17. What can we draw from the Fatima episode, apart from the messages of prayer, sacrifice and penance? Perhaps we could emulate the faith and obedience of the children in carrying out faithfully the requests of Our Lady. Just as Bernadette in the Lourdes apparition, Our Lady had used simple children to convey the mysteries of our salvation. Lourdes pointed to Baptism and the first coming of Christ, while Fatima opens perspectives of the end times. If not for their simple and steadfast faith, the world would not have received the warnings and messages that were meant to stem the downfall of humankind.

18.  In this Year of Faith, let us, like the trustful children, place our faith in our Blessed Mother’s guidance and carry out the call of Fatima to prayer, sacrifice and penance so that we, too, would be conveying to the world the mystery of our Lord. Then, we would have fulfilled the command of the Holy Father for this grace-filled Year.