fatima triduum, 1st day: pray!
Today
we start our triduum in preparation for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima on
Saturday as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of her apparition to
the three children. Our Blessed Mother
has basically 3 messages in Fatima – the first is prayer especially the rosary
and the first Saturday Devotion. Second
is to make acts of reparation for our sins and the sins of the whole
world. And lastly, the third message is
to make an act of consecration to her immaculate heart.
On
the first day of our triduum let us reflect on the first message – to pray, to
pray especially the rosary and to celebrate mass on First Saturdays.
Appropriately at a time when the world was at war, at a time when religious
fervor was waning, at a time when family life was no longer as important, Our
Lady appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal and asked them to
pray. The image of three children praying
reminds us of our reality, the reality that the we are powerless against the
forces of evil in the world, the reality that left on our own devices we cannot
do much, in fact we can do more harm than good, the reality that we need God's
help. That's the first message of
Fatima, pray. Put prayer back into your
life, in our homes, in our places of work.
Teach people to pray. Give people
time to pray.
Fatima
however is specific. It asks us to pray
the rosary. The rosary is a powerful
prayer. Why? Because by praying the rosary we are
reminding God that Jesus has done so much for us – he became man and was born
for us in the joyful mysteries, he preached the kingdom in the luminous
mysteries, he suffered and died in the sorrowful mysteries, and he rose from the
dead and sits at his right hand in the glorious mysteries. By praying the rosary we are reminding the
Father that Jesus has already done so much for us. It's like saying "Father don't punish us
otherwise you will put to waste what Jesus has done for our salvation, kanugon
sang tanan." That is why in Fatima the Blessed Mother was specific on what to pray.
She's telling us, remind the Father what his Son has done, pray the
rosary, so that he will not destroy what he has created and saved in Jesus.
And
lastly, she asked us to go to mass every first Saturday. Again, our devotion to Mary must lead us
always to Jesus, to listen to his word, to be converted by his word, to receive
Jesus in holy communion so that we may be transformed and become like him.
In
the responsorial psalm today we ask the Lord to let his face shine upon us. In the book of Ezekiel God promised that he
will never again hide his face from his.
God's face shining upon us is his loving care and this is what Mary is
leading us back into.
Comments