BEADS OF JOY 05-13-17
“Our Lady of Fatima”
©2017 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s Gospel: John 14:7-14 (Last Supper Discourse)
“If you had known me, you would
have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him." Philip
said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." Jesus
said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me,
Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the
Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The
words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who
dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father
in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. "Truly,
truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do;
and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. Whatever
you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if
you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”
Reflection:
100 years ago today on May 13, 1917 three children took their flocks out to pasture in the small town known as Cova da Iria. After they had lunch and they prayed their rosary they suddenly saw a bright flash that looked like lightning, followed quickly by another flash in the clear blue sky. This most magnificent incredible day was truly about to begin.
The
Fatima Timeline
13
May 1917
"Do not be afraid, I will
not harm you."
"I come from heaven."
"I have come to ask you to
come here for six months on the 13th day of the month, at this same hour. Later
I shall say who I am and what I desire. And I shall return here yet a seventh
time."
Lucia then asked if they would go
to heaven and she was told yes, she and Jacinta would go to heaven, but
Francisco would need to say many rosaries first.
Lucia asked about two young women
who had died recently, and was told that one was in heaven and the other, her
friend Amelia, would be in purgatory "until the end of world."
"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 conversion of sinners?"
"Then you are going to have
much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort."
13
June 1917
"Say the Rosary every day,
to bring peace to the world and the end of the war."
"I want you to come on the 13th of next month, [July] to pray the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Later, I will tell you what I want."
"I want you to come on the 13th of next month, [July] to pray the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Later, I will tell you what I want."
"If he is converted, he will
be cured during the year." (reference to a sick person)
"I will take Jacinta and
Francisco shortly; but you will stay here for some time to come. Jesus wants to
use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to My
Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces
it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his
throne."
"No, my daughter. Are you
suffering a great deal? Don't lose heart. I will never forsake you. My
Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to
God."
13
July 1917
"I want you to come here on
the 13th of next month, [August] to continue to pray the Rosary every day in
honour of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and
the end of the war, because only she can help you."
"Continue to come here every
month. In October, I will tell you who I am and what
I want, and I will perform a miracle
for all to see and believe."
Lucia made some requests for sick
people, to which Mary replied that she would cure some but not others, and that
all must say the rosary to obtain such graces, before continuing:
"Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially when you
make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of
sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart
of Mary."
"You have seen hell where
the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the
world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls
will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people
do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate
of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this
is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its
crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy
Father.
"To prevent this, I shall
come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the
Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded,
Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her
errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The
good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various
nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The
Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted, and a
period of peace will be granted to the world."
Mary specifically told Lucia not
to tell anyone about the secret at this stage, apart from Francisco, before
continuing: "When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: 'O my
Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven,
especially those who are most in need.' "
Lucia asked if there was anything
more, and after assuring her that there was nothing more, Mary disappeared off
into the distance.
August
1917
"Go again to the Cova da
Iria on the 13th and continue to say the Rosary every day.
Mary also said she would perform
a miracle, so all would believe, and that if they had not been kidnapped it
would have been even greater. Lucia then asked how the growing shrine should be
administered, and requested cures for the sick, being told that some would be
cured during the year.
"Pray, pray very much, and
make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none
to sacrifice themselves and pray for them."
13
September 1917
"Continue to pray the Rosary
in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well
as Our Lady of Dolours and Our Lady of Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with
the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He
does not want you to sleep with the rope on, but only to wear it during the
daytime."
Lucia then began to put forward
the petitions for cures, to be told: "Yes, I will cure some, but not
others. In October, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."
13
October 1917
"I want to tell you that a
chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue
always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers
will soon return to their homes."
Lucia made some requests, being
informed that people must amend their lives and ask forgiveness of their sins
if they wanted healings or conversions. "Do not offend the Lord our God anymore,
because He is already so much offended."
Later Apparitions to Sr. Lucia
By 1925 Lucia, who was now 18,
had become a postulant with the Sisters of St. Dorothy at Pontevedra in Spain,
and on Thursday 10 December, the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by the Child Jesus
on a little cloud, appeared to her in her cell. Lucia recounted that Mary
rested her hand on her shoulder, while showing her a heart encircled by thorns
in her other hand.
The Child Jesus spoke first:
"Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with the
thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one
to remove them with an act of reparation."
Then Mary said: “My daughter,
look at My Heart surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at
every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to
console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all the
graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five
consecutive months go to confession and receive Holy Communion, recite five
decades of the Rosary and keep me company for a quarter of an hour while
meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making
reparation to me."
The Child Jesus again appeared to
Lucia in February 1926 to encourage her to propagate this devotion, and
additionally on the night of 29-30 May 1930; as she was praying before the
Blessed Sacrament, she received an interior locution explaining why it was
necessary to have a communion of reparation on five Saturdays.
She explained later that she had
been given to understand that this related to the five main types of
blasphemies and offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary: that
is against the Immaculate Conception; against Mary's Virginity; against her
Divine Maternity and her spiritual motherhood of mankind; for the offences of those
who encourage in the hearts of children indifference, contempt and even hatred
of her, and finally as reparation for those who outrage her in her holy images.
On 13 June 1929 Lucia saw another
important apparition involving Mary as she was making a Holy Hour in the
convent chapel at Tuy in Spain, as was her custom on Thursday nights from
eleven to twelve. She was alone, praying the prayers of the Angel in the dim
light of the sanctuary lamp when,
"Suddenly the whole chapel
was illumined by a supernatural light, and above the altar appeared a Cross of
light, reaching to the ceiling. In a brighter light on the upper part of the
Cross, could be seen the face of a man and his body as far as the waist; upon
his breast was a dove of light; nailed to the Cross was the body of another
man. A little below the waist, I could see a chalice and a large Host suspended
in the air, onto which drops of blood were falling from the Face of Jesus
Crucified and from the wound in His side.
These drops ran down onto the
Host and fell into the chalice. Beneath the right arm of the Cross was Our Lady
and in her hand, was her Immaculate Heart. (It was Our Lady of Fatima, with her
Immaculate Heart in her left hand, without sword or roses, but with a crown of
thorns and flames). Under the left arm of the Cross, large letters, as if of
crystal clear water which ran down upon the altar, formed these words: 'Grace
and Mercy.' "
At this point, Lucia explained
that she understood the apparition was a representation of the Holy Trinity, as
she heard Mary speak to her: "The moment has come in which God asks the
Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops in the world, to make the
consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this
means. There are so many souls whom the Justice of God condemns for sins
committed against me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself
for this intention and pray."
Lucia told all this to her
confessor who ordered her to write it down, and she also said that later on
Jesus had spoken as follows to her: "They did not wish to heed My request.
Like the king of France, they will repent and do it, but it will be late.
Russia will have already spread her errors throughout the world, provoking wars
and persecutions of the Church; the Holy Father will have much to suffer."
Sources: Kondor, Fatima
in Lucia's own words; cf. De Marchi, Fatima from the beginning;
Martins & Fox, Documents on Fatima; Fox, Fatima Today.
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Today is Saturday: We pray the Joyful Mysteries:
The Joyful Mysteries
1. The Annunciation (Humility) – Luke 1:26-28
2. The Visitation (Love of Neighbor) – Luke 1:39-45
3. The Birth of Jesus (Poverty of Spirit) – Luke 2:1-20
4. The Presentation (Purity of Mind and Spirit) – Luke 2:22-38
5. Finding in The Temple (Obedience) –Luke 2:41-50
I simply love Saturday mornings, because Saturday like every other day of the week -begins with the Rosary.
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
Today is Saturday: We pray the Joyful Mysteries:
The Joyful Mysteries
1. The Annunciation (Humility) – Luke 1:26-28
2. The Visitation (Love of Neighbor) – Luke 1:39-45
3. The Birth of Jesus (Poverty of Spirit) – Luke 2:1-20
4. The Presentation (Purity of Mind and Spirit) – Luke 2:22-38
5. Finding in The Temple (Obedience) –Luke 2:41-50
I simply love Saturday mornings, because Saturday like every other day of the week -begins with the Rosary.
Rosary Man Jim’s Joyful Reflection: http://beads-of-joy-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-joyful-mysteries_10.html
