Indwelling Part Five

Two small blesseds, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reveal to us lives centered on the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity. These children are not called "blessed" because Our Lady of Fatima visited them, but because they responded to her request for prayer and mortification. How was this so without grace and the awareness that God dwelt within?

Jacinta became totally committed to the salvation of souls who were possibly going to hell. She had experienced the love of Christ through the Eucharist, the love of the Father through her own surety of salvation, and the love of the Holy Spirit through her choice of accepting suffering. A true intercessor, she took strength not only from her love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, but from Mary's message of the justice and mercy of God.

Jacinta shared with Our Lady the urgency of prayer and sacrifice because this little saint knew the love of God through Our Mother. Jacinta had two desires only-to save souls, and to be with God and Mary totally in heaven.

Simplicity, as John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila note, is the mark of purity of heart. Those with purity of heart, "see God". And, this means now, not only in fullness in heaven. The Indwelling of the Trinity is perceived, "seen" by the pure in heart.

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Francisco, likewise, turned to penance and suffering in order to join with Christ on the Cross and enter heaven. He moved away from venial sin into a state of purity unknown to most boys his age. When he was dying, he asked Jacinta to tell him of any sins she remembered. After saying he was sorry for those venial sins, he said that if he did not die, he would never sin again. This could only be said by a person in the advanced state of being purified of even venial sins and the tendency to sin. This grace comes with Illumination and Union. His dedication to suffering was a joining of his own sufferings to Christ's sufferings. Only love could spur such a child on to deeds and prayers of intercession. Only an awareness that God was with him constantly could give such a boy courage, temperance, justice and prudence in the face of criticism and pressure to deny Our Lady had come to him and the two girls.

The Indwelling of the Trinity would have become more real to these children, whose way of salvation included seeing Mary, Our Mother. Mary visited them not only to have them share her message to the world, but for their own salvation. Like another visionary saint, Bernadette, their way was denial of self which flowered from their growing awareness of the God within, allowed them to grow in sanctity.

Simplicity is key. I am letting St. Teresa have the last word in this short series to which I shall return in the future, as the topic is inexhaustible.

“Each of us has a soul, but we forget to value it. We don’t remember that we are creatures made in the image of God. We don’t understand the great secrets hidden inside of us."

Let Us Get This Straight

The Orthodox Church in the United States, and most Russian and Greek Orthodox people, disagree with the status of Original Sin and the status of Our Lady, Mary, with regard to sin.

This came up because of a comment on whether the Russian churches need "conversion" regarding teachings concerning Mary, as well as the acceptance of the Pope as the Head of the Universal Church.

Here are some bullet points where the teaching on Mary in the Orthodox Church does not agree with the true teaching found in the Catholic Church.

We need to pray for the conversion of those who hold these opinions.

• According to the Orthodox, we only suffer the consequences of Original Sin, but are not actually born in Original Sin. This is a serious departure from the true teaching of the Church, which is that we are all born with Original Sin--hence the urgent necessity for baptism.
• Mary was not born without Original Sin, but freely willed not to sin. This is a huge departure from the Catholic Teaching that Mary is the Immaculate Conception. She was born without Original Sin, exempt as the Mother of God selected from all time to be the New Eve.
• From this knowledge, it is clear to me that Russia needs conversion, as this important dogma, clarified here, on December 8, 1854 by Pope Pius IX, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
• A good history may be found on this website.
• We cannot pretend that the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches are not in schism, and, therefore, we cannot attend services regularly or in lieu of our Sunday obligation. Those who do are in disobedience to Holy Mother Church and risking losing grace through the serious sin of disobedience. Only in emergencies, when a Catholic Church cannot be found in order for one to make one's Sunday obligation, can one attend Sunday Divine Liturgy in any Orthodox church.
• Lastly, this fact of the nonconformity of so many Orthodox peoples to a major teaching of the Church may be seen in connection with the need for Russia to be consecrated to the Immaculate Conception. I may be changing my position on this fact, judging from the fact that those following Orthodoxy must be brought wholly into the Church, and the awareness of new problems in Russia, and old problems resurfacing. I am looking at all the evidence clearly again. However, as a lay person, it is only my position to pray for the Pope and bishops in this regard, as the message of Our Lady was not for the Laity--unlike heresies, which are our job to help clarify and teach against, as members of the Church Militant.

Perfection Series VI:VII Reparation

Too many people tell me they are too busy to pray, much less do penance.

As Fulton J. Sheen once said, if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy.

One must come to the realization that certain other activities and interests must be sacrificed in order to make time for reparation. Here is Pope Pius XI on this point.

19. And for this reason also there have been established many religious families of men and women whose purpose it is by earnest service, both by day and by night, in some manner to fulfill the office of the Angel consoling Jesus in the garden; hence come certain associations of pious men, approved by the Apostolic See and enriched with indulgences, who take upon themselves this same duty of making expiation, a duty which is to be fulfilled by fitting exercises of devotion and of the virtues; hence lastly, to omit other things, come the devotions and solemn demonstrations for the purpose of making reparation to the offended Divine honor, which are inaugurated everywhere, not only by pious members of the faithful, but by parishes, dioceses and cities.

Do Catholics understand the real reason for the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart? Do you want the current crisis in the Church to abate? Honor the Sacred Heart. Do you want changes in your governments? Honor the Sacred Heart. Do you want conversions among the lapsed Catholics in your own families? Honor the Sacred Heart.

20. These things being so, Venerable Brethren, just as the rite of consecration, starting from humble beginnings, and afterwards more widely propagated, was at length crowned with success by Our confirmation; so in like manner, we earnestly desire that this custom of expiation or pious reparation, long since devoutly introduced and devoutly propagated, may also be more firmly sanctioned by Our Apostolic authority and more solemnly celebrated by the whole Catholic name. Wherefore, we decree and command that every year on the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, - which feast indeed on this occasion we have ordered to be raised to the degree of a double of the first class with an octave - in all churches throughout the whole world, the same expiatory prayer or protestation as it is called, to Our most loving Savior, set forth in the same words according to the copy subjoined to this letter shall be solemnly recited, so that all our faults may be washed away with tears, and reparation may be made for the violated rights of Christ the supreme King and Our most loving Lord.

One of the problems is that people, even Catholics, do not understand just how transcendent God is. We have, as a society, as Western cultures, "dumbed-down God". One of the messages of Fatima, especially seen in the life of Blessed Jacinta, is the need for suffering in order for souls to be saved.

This young holy girl puts us to shame with her courage and determination to follow Mary's call for reparation.

21. There is surely no reason for doubting, Venerable Brethren, that from this devotion piously established and commanded to the whole Church, many excellent benefits will flow forth not only to individual men but also to society, sacred, civil, and domestic, seeing that our Redeemer Himself promised to Margaret Mary that "all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces." Sinners indeed, looking on Him whom they pierced (John xix, 37), moved by the sighs and tears of the whole Church, by grieving for the injuries offered to the supreme King, will return to the heart (Isaias xlvi, 8), lest perchance being hardened in their faults, when they see Him whom they pierced "coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matth. xxvi, 64), too late and in vain they shall bewail themselves because of Him 
(Cf. Apoc. i, 7). 

Absolutely, now is the time for reparation to the Sacred Heart. The time for wasting opportunities must be seen as over. The Pope here sensed an urgency. Are not these times more urgent?

to be continued...

Thinking of Fatima

In three years, we shall celebrate the 100th anniversary of Fatima. Our Lady of Fatima remains one of the most popular of all apparitions in the world.

What I have been ruminating on today is the world then and the world now of Portugal. Portugal has a Catholic "membership" of 81% of the entire population, but only 19% or so attend Sunday Mass. Same sex marriage and abortion are legal in Portugal. The government is socialist. The apparitions are being forgotten in the very place where Mary appeared.

I have thought for a very long time that Medjugorje takes attention away from Fatima, which is the key set of apparitions for our time. The revelations from Mary are not "nice",  not "comforting". 


The discussion on purgatory and who is in it and for how long bothers many modern Catholics.

But, Fatima haunts our collective consciousness, especially in Europe and America, where more and more people are returning to prayer, fasting, mortification, all asked for by Mary Our Mother.

At Fatima, we hear clearly the voice of Authority, of the Theotokos challenging us to get ready for tribulations, some of which have already occurred and some of which are to come.

Today, stop and think of Fatima, of Portugal, the apostate nation, of the youth who no longer pay attention, as did Blessed Jacinta and Francisco, to the voice of Our Lady.

Fatima remains a sign for these times.

October 13th, 1917 MIracle of the Sun

Thanks to Wikimedia

On False Seers And Saints, Again

Blessed Jacinta and the other seers of Fatima have been used by false and disobedient groups. Never in the history of the Church have there been so many groups claiming to have the real stories about Fatima, ignoring what the Church has taught or revealed, written by lay people full of innuendo.

Pride is behind these websites and newspapers. These saints are being used for the agendas of certain groups.

Just stick with the official biographies and avoid groups which have been denounced. Avoid Fatima sites which are sede.

Protect your imagination from serious sin.

Tomorrow and Fatima

Fatima is my favorite apparition. Tomorrow is the memorial of the Miracle of the Sun. That is the day on which Our Dear Lady showed thousands of people that the apparitions were true, and when Jesus, through her intercession, healed many people.

God does not always use magnificent signs in order to convince people something is true and good. But, too many Catholics do not expect miracles, and therefore, do not ask for such.

St. Teresa of Avila states that when we do not ask God for specifics and when we do not believe he will answer, we insult Him.

Recently, I have developed a love and honor of Blessed Jacinta of Fatima. I suggest you read a biography of her, as I did this summer. She experienced horrific pain, both physical and existential. She is one of the modern small saints, who also demonstrates a great capacity for suffering for the souls of others.

Part of my job is to pray for the souls in purgatory, and for some to convert. We need to take intercessory prayer seriously and offer up penances, as well as prayers, for others. Blessed Jacinta was told by Mary, Our Mother, that she would suffer. The little girl accepted this suffering, and it was intense. She was operated on and had ribs removed because of pleurisy and she did not have proper anesthetics.

One cannot imagine pain at this level. Now, she is part of my list of personal patrons. And, for some reason, only God understands why, she intercedes for me.

Choose patrons to pray for you and with you. The three seers of Fatima seem to be good choices for our world. They lived in turbulent times and underwent persecution.

What better patrons can we have today?