In our psalm today, it is declared: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power….The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.” The Lord’s saving power was revealed in a new covenant with his Son Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, born of the Virgin Mary. Mary took an important role in salvation history in becoming the mother of our Lord. She continues have an important role as our mother and the mother of the Church. She also continues to be sent to us throughout history in apparitions to carry special messages from God to his people
Today we celebrate Mary in a special way in the feast of our Lady of Fatima, one of the great Marian celebration in our Church that falls in the middle of the month of May, Mary’s month. On this day in the year 1917, the Blessed Mother appeared to three humble shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. The children, aged 7 to 10, were named Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia. The Blessed Mother appeared to them once a month from May through October of that year. Mary asked these children to pray the rosary for world peace, for an end to WWI, for sinners, and for the conversion of the country of Russia. The feast of Our Lady of Fatima was approved by the local bishop in Portugal in 1930 to mark the date of the first appearance to these children. The feast has been at part of our Church's worldwide calendar since 2002. The main message of Fatima is for us to constantly pray. Having visited Fatima back in 2018, I can tell you it is amazing place of faith for the faithful to visit. Pope John had a very special devotion to Fatima, having popularized this devotion to the faithful.
It is so amazing how Mary has appeared in different forms throughout history. Each time, she has brought converts to the faith, has brought a message of reconciliation and love, and has tried to bring the faithful ever closer to her son. We celebrate Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, in a special way today, and together with her, may we come to the Lord with joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment