Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25th Mt. 22: 34-40 Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Sometimes it seems easier to love God who is perfect – all knowing, all loving, all forgiving and all merciful – than to love our neighbor who isn’t perfect. Fully conscious that our neighbor feels the same way about us!
- We offer two reflections that can help us grow both in love of God and love of neighbor! The key to success is wishing the greatest good for our neighbor, as well as ourselves. Today, we will learn more about this “greatest good” from Saint Catherine of Siena and from Fr. Ed Broom, OMV in his exposition of subsequent messages of Our Lady of Fatima to Saint Jacinta Marto. Let us embrace and apply these messages to ourselves and bring them to our neighbor, that all may be saved!
- One final point… who is our neighbor? Every human being that our good God has ever created and ever will create!
Part 1: Love of God Means Love of Neighbor… by Saint Catherine of Siena
Part 2: JACINTA MARTO AND SUBSEQUENT FATIMA MESSAGES! By Father Ed Broom
Love of God means love of neighbor… by Saint Catherine of Siena (+1380)
I want you to understand that we can neither love God nor be virtuous without the mediation of our neighbors, because it is in our neighbors that we find love and virtue. How so? I’ll tell you. I can’t show my Creator my love for Him directly, because I can be of no service to God. So I have to use God’s creatures as intermediaries, and do for them the service I cannot do for God.
The virtues of charity and humility are discovered and acquired only in loving our neighbors for God’s sake, because those who are humble and peaceable banish anger and hatred for their enemies from their heart. And charity will banish self-centeredness and expand their hearts in a familial charity that loves enemies and friends alike as they love themselves, for the sake of the Lamb who was consumed and slain. It will give them patience in the face of any injurious word or deed, and gentle strength to know how to endure and bear with their neighbor’s shortcomings.
Those, then, who have so pleasantly acquired virtue by following in the footsteps of their Savior take all the hatred they had for their neighbors and turn it against themselves by hating their own sins and wrongs and vices against their Creator, who is infinite Goodness. End of Reflection
JACINTA MARTO AND SUBSEQUENT FATIMA MESSAGES!!! By Father Ed Broom, OMV
Jacinta Marto was born in Portugal March 11, 1910, daughter of Manuel and Olimpia Marto. Her older brother Francisco was born June 11, 1908. Jacinta and Francisco were first cousins of Lucia de los Santos. Jacinta would die of pleurisy in February of 1920—not quite ten years of age! Despite her short span of years, Jacinta soared high as an eagle in her spiritual life, making her one of the youngest saints in the Roman Catholic Church.
In this short essay we intend to transmit some of the subsequent messages that Our Lady gave to Saint Jacinta Marto, and we would like to make a brief commentary on these short but extremely important messages. In total, these messages are seven. Hopefully upon reading them, meditating on them, and assimilating them in your mind, heart, and soul, you will apply these messages to your own personal life. We would strongly exhort all to share these messages with others. Indeed, one of the best ways to grow in our own personal faith is to be ready and willing, with joy and enthusiasm, to share the Faith with others. In a word, what we have received freely, we should be ready to give freely!
OUR LADY’S SUBSEQUENT MESSAGES TO JACINTA:
1. MORE SOULS GO TO HELL BECAUSE OF SINS OF THE FLESH THAN FOR ANY OTHER REASON.
Jesus said in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” (Mt. 5:8) This being the case, let us be aware of the many temptations pervading our culture and society—for the young, the middle-aged, as well as the old—that could place in danger or jeopardy our eternal salvation. Never forget, our primary goal in life is unequivocal and clear: to save our souls and to be with the Blessed Trinity and Mary, the angels and saints, in heaven forever and ever. Let us give a list of the possible dangers of falling into the sins of the flesh: TV, radio, movies, billboards, ads, commercials, immodest dress (we will talk about this in the next segment), parties, and most important the ubiquitous presence of the internet via the cell phone foremost, the computer, tablet, and various other internet streaming devices. Examine your conscience to perceive any dangers for you in this area, and if you have a family, dangers for your family at large. You might have to make some changes in life style. Jesus calls all of us to conversion. His first public preaching was: “Be converted, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mk 1:15)
2. CERTAIN FASHIONS WILL BE INTRODUCED THAT WILL OFFEND OUR LORD VERY MUCH.
Try to make a comparison between the way that people dressed 50-100 years ago and now!!! What a marked contrast, to say the least; it is almost as clear and obvious as the difference between night and day! If you like, to understand how striking the contrast truly is: compare the movie starring Jimmy Stewart, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), with any modern movie today. In that movie, as a whole, women dressed modestly and were respected. Unlike today, where the woman is seen as a mere physical object to be utilized, exploited, and discarded, almost as if she were a Coca Cola bottle. Never forget that our body is the living Tabernacle of God, the Sanctuary of the Blessed Sacrament after receiving Holy Communion, and is destined for glory. Saint Pope Leo the Great in his Christmas homily message cries out: “Christian, remember your dignity!” If we recognize both our dignity and our destiny, we will radically change our lives! Dignity? Temples of the Blessed Trinity, once we are baptized! Destiny? Arriving safely in heaven to be enveloped in the loving embrace of the Holy Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Therefore, we should dress in such a way that we are glorifying Almighty God and edifying our neighbor—who also is endowed with dignity and eternal destiny.
3. MANY MARRIAGES ARE NOT GOOD; THEY DO NOT PLEASE OUR LORD AND ARE NOT OF GOD.
Sad to say, most marriages end up with quarrels, fights, separations and divorce, with the unfortunate victims being the innocent children. Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen gives us the reason in his famous book on marriage that all those who are preparing for marriage should read: “Three to Get Married.” Those three are? The husband, the wife, and Jesus!!! From the start, if God is not placed in the very center of the marriage, there will be problems and very quickly! In concrete, the famous words of the Rosary-priest, Father Patrick Peyton, offers us the solution: “The family that prays together, stays together.” Our Lady of Fatima, whose official title is Our Lady of the Rosary, in every one of her six appearances told the children and the entire world to pray the Rosary.
She also said that if the world did not pray enough then a worse war would break out. At that time World War I had been raging for three years. What happened 22 years later? World War II!!! Husbands should love their wives and children, but they should LOVE GOD FIRST. Wives should love their husbands and children, but they should LOVE GOD FIRST! If this is done, families will be strong, persevering, and wholesome for the growth of the children!
4. PRIESTS MUST BE PURE, VERY PURE. THEY SHOULD NOT BUSY THEMSELVES WITH ANYTHING EXCEPT WHAT CONCERNS THE CHURCH AND SOULS. THE DISOBEDIENCE OF PRIESTS TO THEIR SUPERIORS AND TO THE HOLY FATHER IS VERY DISPLEASING TO OUR LORD.
Very clear and to the point is this message for priests on the two virtues and the vocation that priests must embrace with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength! (Lk 10:27) First, a total purity of heart, mind, body, soul, and intention; then, the paramount importance of the indispensable virtue of obedience. May priests and Bishops take the words of Our Lady of Fatima seriously to heart! Furthermore, with respect to the vocation and the mission of priests, Our Lady expresses herself with utmost clarity and transparency: priests should love the Church and have an insatiable love for what God loves most—the salvation of immortal souls. The motto of the great priest, Saint John Bosco, resonates loud and clear: GIVE ME SOULS AND TAKE ALL THE REST AWAY!!! The last words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola to the great missionary, Saint Francis Xavier, also resonate forcefully: GO SET ALL ON FIRE!!! In a word, Our Lady most earnestly desires that priests be holy; that they pursue holiness of life, and the salvation of immortal souls above all else!!!
5. THE BLESSED MOTHER CAN NO LONGER RESTRAIN THE HAND OF HER DIVINE SON FROM STRIKING THE WORLD WITH THE JUST PUNISHMENT FOR ITS MANY CRIMES.
Two reflections parallel to Our Lady’s sad but powerful words! The first is the Biblical passage of Moses who perched himself on the top of the hill overlooking the battle of the Israelites against the Amalekites. When Moses had his hands elevated, raised on high, then the Jewish army with Joshua as Captain and leader prevailed. However, when the arms of Moses drooped and dropped due to weariness, the enemy camp prevailed. Brilliant idea! Hur and Aaron, who were present with Moses, decided they would seat him on a rock and together they would sustain his arms on high. This done, Joshua and the Israelite army mowed down the Amalekites and won the battle!
The second can be found in the Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul of Saint Maria Faustina #39. In this powerful number, Jesus says that He is about to destroy their most beautiful city, most likely the city of Warsaw, due to their sins. However, as a result of the prayers of one person—Saint Faustina, this city was spared! What can we learn from these two examples? Very clearly: the power of two holy souls, Moses and Faustina. Jesus is calling us to individual and personal holiness so as to hold back and stay the chastising hand of God upon the world at large!
We might even add a third: the arms of the priest elevated in every Mass. Indeed, more than anything else, it is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the perfect prayer and sacrifice of Jesus Himself, that can placate, appease, hold back, and restrain the chastising justice of God the Father upon all of humanity. “My child, unite yourself closely to Me during the Sacrifice and offer My Blood and My Wounds to My Father in expiation for the sins of that city. Repeat this without interruption throughout the entire Holy Mass. Do this for seven days.” (Words of Jesus to Saint Faustina, Diary #39)
6. IF THE GOVERNMENT OF A COUNTRY LEAVES THE CHURCH IN PEACE AND GIVES LIBERTY TO OUR HOLY RELIGION, IT WILL BE BLESSED BY GOD.
With these words of Our Lady, we must pray fervently for all of our political officials—the President, Vice-President, Congress, Senate, local officials and all who are elected and engaged in political and governing positions. They indeed wield much power and will be judged more severely and strictly by God. First and foremost, we should pray for those in authority that they will defend the rights of the innocent—most especially, the rights of the unborn children. In a word, abortion is the number one evil in our country, as well as in the entire world. As our Founding Fathers so clearly emphasized: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta understood this so clearly with respect to world peace, that she stated we will not attain world peace until we defend the rights of the innocent unborn babies. Abortion is violence against the smallest, most helpless, and most innocent. If their lives are not defended, then peace will never become a reality in the world at large!
7. Tell everybody that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask graces from her, and that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Ask them to plead for peace from the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Lord has confided the peace of the world to her.
The Hearts of Jesus and Mary work in harmony. Indeed, Mary formed the Sacred Heart of Jesus within her most pure womb during the course of nine months. Mary is never an obstacle to Jesus, but rather a bridge to union with Him. The last words of Our Lady recorded in Sacred Scripture, in the context of a wedding, the Wedding Feast of Cana, were: “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5) This advice is excellent! If only it would be obeyed! As Saint Louis de Montfort reminds us: “Mary is the quickest, shortest, and easiest path to Jesus.” In a word, in the midst of the trials, storms, temptations, and tempests of our daily lives we must find our sure refuge in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As in the time of Noah, when he and his family, with all the animals, sought and found refuge in the Ark, so we must find our refuge in the modern Ark of the Covenant, and that Ark is the presence of Mary, most especially, in the depths of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! In the Immaculate Heart of Mary we find a sure refuge.
Furthermore, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary we encounter pure and tender MERCY. As at the end of the recitation of the most Holy Rosary, we pray: “Hail Holy Queen, MOTHER of MERCY, our life, our sweetness, and our hope…” Finally, the greatest and most ardent desire of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is that the whole world will say NO to sin, and YES to loving fully and totally the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in imitation of her Immaculate Heart. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Sweet Heart of Mary, be our salvation!
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
