October 13, 2004
Today is the anniversary of the last apparition of Our Lady at Fatima and the great miracle of the sun. The messages of Fatima and other Marian apparitions were a big help to me when I was an eighteen-year-old struggling to make my faith “my own.” I figured that if there was a message so important that God would miraculously send his mother to deliver it, I should pay attention!
A part of the Fatima message is a warning to shape up (spiritually speaking)! This message is confirmed by the Scripture readings for Mass today. Saint Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God”. In the Gospel Jesus offered a few “woes” to the Pharisees and Scribes. Mysteriously, God’s mercy and justice are complimentary, not contradictory. He really wants everyone to make it to heaven, but hell remains a real possibility. If God is a faithful Father, he will warn us about things which are wrong (sins).
The Church teaches that God gives everyone sufficient grace to make it to heaven; yet, He will not force His mercy on us if we do not want it! I write this because I recently heard about a young man who considers himself a Catholic, yet needs some prayers (don’t we all?!). He says that he is happy with where he is in life. He is not interested in changing, growing in his faith or repenting of certain sins he is attached to. I will only say that this sort of attitude, if entrenched in a soul, is very dangerous. Such people are most in need of God’s mercy. This is the context in which our Loving Lord warns us, “Shape up!”
The Fatima prayer to be said at the end of every decade of the Rosary, “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of your mercy. Amen.”
Fr. Luke Mary Fletcher, CFR
Vocations Director, Saint Joseph’s Friary, Harlem, New York
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