https://fatherbroom.com/blog/2023/02/examination-of-conscience-2/

OUR LADY OF FATIMA’S IMPORTANT MESSAGE

(Three important warnings…)

Our Lady appeared in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 and she revealed important messages to the children and to the whole world. Even after 1917, she revealed other serious, but extremely important messages that we should take to heart now. In fact, our eternal salvation could depend on listening attentively, heeding dutifully, and obeying promptly these messages.

Three of these poignant messages relate to the 6^th and 9^th Commandments. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (6^th Commandment) “Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s wife.” (9^th Commandment)

Also, the serious warnings of Our Lady made clear reference to one of the Sacraments—the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. This is one of the two Sacraments of service. Matrimony is designed for the couple to be at the service of both human life and the formation and sustenance of the family. The other Sacrament of service is that of Holy Orders or the Priesthood—designed as an offering of service to the Church.

Therefore, let us lay out with utmost clarity the prophetic messages and admonitions of Our Lady of Fatima. She is indeed the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and she is our dear and loving Mother. In fact, the two greatest desires of Mary are the following: 1) That God be known, honored, praised, obeyed and loved; 2) That we all attain to eternal happiness in Heaven.

In a word, these three warnings or admonitions serve as clear and convincing signposts to help us avoid the eternal loss of our immortal souls in the stark reality of Hell.

FIRST, the July 13^th Apparition of Our Lady to the three children: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. This shocking and frightful Apparition manifested the reality of Hell. Our Lady purposely desired the children, as well as us, to reflect seriously on the reality of Hell. The blazing fire, the tormented and tortured souls, the loud cries of utter despair, and the ugly animals trans-piercing the damned souls caused the children to almost faint. Later on, they admitted that if it were not for the presence of Our Lady of Fatima with them during the vision, they might have died of fear. Despite the terror that this vision caused, due to the vision these three children underwent a radical change of life. Their passion for God and their desire for Our Lady had no limits. Their prayers were fervent and constant. The thought of Hell motivated them to never flag or weary of praying not only the Rosary, but many Rosaries.

Our Lady stated clearly that most souls go to hell because of the sins committed against the 6^th and 9^th Commandments—the many sins that are committed against the virtue of purity.

The children would not only pray to prevent souls from cascading into the fiery pit of Hell, but they also offered many sacrifices to bar the gates of Hell for so many souls.

Jacinta, the youngest of the three children, offered countless sacrifices, and even her very life, for the conversion of the many sinners immersed in the muddy pool of impurity. We will mention just a few of the heroic sacrifices of this little girl:

• THE ROPE. Jacinta wore a rough rope around her waist that caused her considerable discomfort during the course of the day.
• FOOD.  She purposely sacrificed her favorite food—the sweet grapes of the Portugal hillsides, replacing them with bitter nuts and berries.
• FUN: DANCING.  She loved to dance! This would be honest and innocent dancing. But no more, for the love of God and to prevent souls from plunging into the fires of hell.
• ROSARY.  Not one Rosary, but as many as possible, trusting in the most powerful intercession of Mary, who loves God and loves souls.
• EVEN DRINKING WATER.  On one of the hot and humid days in summer, Jacinta was offered some cold and refreshing water to drink, but she refused it. Why? For the salvation of poor sinners.
• OPERATION IN THE HOSPITAL WITH LITTLE ANESTHESIA. Yes, when she had to undergo an operation with barely any anesthesia, the noble and brave Jacinta accepted it and offered it up to prevent souls from precipitating themselves into the fiery pit of hell.

Indeed, how important it truly is for the world at large to understand the supreme importance of the virtue of purity. How important it is for all of humanity, and each of us individually, to live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the pure of heart; for they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8) Remember the stark warning of Our Lady of Fatima: “Most souls go to hell due to the sins against the virtue of purity.“

SECOND, Our Lady revealed to Jacinta another serious but stark truth. MANY MARRIAGES ARE NOT PLEASING TO GOD. These messages were given close to 100 years ago. Since then, the state of both Marriage and the family is definitely in a scary free-fall, a real vortex. Way more than 50% of Catholic marriages end in divorce, leaving wounded and scarred children. The innocent have to suffer for the sake of the guilty. To make matters worse, many couples, who even call themselves Catholics, decide to sidestep receiving the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and instead just live together in free-union, cohabitation, a trial-marriage, to see, as they say today, if they have chemistry and are compatible.

THIRD, Our Lady stated bluntly: “There will be many fashions (modes) that will enter into the world that will gravely offend God.” How often today, even in the context of the Church itself, do we encounter blatant and flagrant immodesty in dress??? In the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism, as well as the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, many come into the Church as if it was a beach-party, a night-club, or simply a fashion-show!!! Pope Benedict stated with utmost clarity that in our Churches today we are losing the sense of the Sacred!!!   

Indeed, the Church is the House of God. Jesus, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, lives in the Church. His Home is behind the Tabernacle door; the red-burning Lamp signals His Real-Presence. Would we come improperly dressed into the presence of an earthly King or Queen? Out of the question! But how easily we can disrespect the Presence of God in our Churches!!!

Of great importance, also, is the respect we should have for the dignity of our own body. Saint Paul asserts: “Glorify God in your bodies; your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. You have been redeemed at a high price: the Blood of the Lamb of God.” (1 Cor. 6, Heb. 9: 11-14)

The way we clothe our bodies should reflect the knowledge we have of our innate dignity being created in the image and likeness of God and being sons and daughters of God at the moment of our Baptism. Our dignity is exalted, our destiny is sublime: to be united with God forever in Heaven.

Therefore, once we have learned the supreme and sublime importance of who we are, where we are heading, and our eternal destiny, then we can take very seriously these three warnings of Our Lady of Fatima, messages directed not only to the three innocent Shepherd children, but also to us right now. So let us strive with the help of God’s grace and our own human effort to take heed of Our Lady’s admonitions; indeed our salvation is at risk!

First, let us strive to attain an ever greater purity of eyes, mind, emotions, heart and body. “Blessed are the pure of heart; for they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)

Second, those who have chosen the Sacrament and vocation of Holy Matrimony, may they make a constant effort to grow daily in love of God and a pure love for each other, and the children that God often does send.

Third, MODESTY!  May we come to a keen awareness of both our dignity and our eternal destiny. Our Dignity? We are living Tabernacles of the Blessed Trinity through Baptism; we are, in the words of Saint Paul: Ambassadors of Christ.” (2 Cor 5:20) Before leaving home, present yourself before an image of Our Lady, Jesus, and good Saint Joseph, as their representative, and see what they think! Do nothing in word, nor deed, nor dress that would make them ashamed of you. You are called to be their honor and prize, now and for all eternity!

https://fatherbroom.com/blog/2023/02/65691/

The family is the basic building block of society. It is of such great importance that the history of one’s country and civilization depends in large part upon the wholesome character of the family. In fact, world history has proven that powerful empires and civilizations crumble and disintegrate in direct proportion to the weakening of the family.

Many modern trends militantly oppose the stability of the family. It also must be specified that a truly authentic family as seen from the eyes of God consists of the union of man and woman blessed and sanctified through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. And the primary purpose of the union of man and woman through Holy Matrimony is the procreation of children.

Once children are conceived and born, it is the serious obligation of the father and mother to instill in these children the presence of God, starting with Holy Baptism. Then fathers and mothers must do all in their power to foster the growth of knowledge and love for God. This is done principally by teaching their children to pray. Also, parents must provide for the proper instruction and preparation for the reception of the Sacraments—especially Confession, Holy Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Confirmation.

To express the concept with the utmost clarity, the primary duty of parents on a supernatural plane is to pave the way so that their children will one day be permanent residents of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Therefore, we would like to offer a few, ten in number, concrete suggestions on how a husband and wife can grow in their love for God, their love for each other, their love for their children, and their ardent desire to form wholesome, holy and exemplary families from which their children can cross, as if it were a bridge, from earth to heaven. In fact, without clear guidelines, proper instruction and constant education, the formation of exemplary and holy families is very difficult. May these ten concrete suggestions be a positive springboard from which a husband and wife can ascend on high and bring their children on eagles’ wings to the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.

1. PRAYER.  Pray for your spouse, as well as your family, on a daily basis. Offer Mass for your spouse at least twice a year: on their birthday and your anniversary. But the more Masses, the better. For the 25^th Anniversary of my priesthood, my Mom had 25 Masses offered for my intentions. One Mass has greater value than the whole world. It is the Precious Blood of Jesus offered to the Father for the salvation of the world.

2. SPECIAL WORDS TO BE SAID CONSTANTLY TO YOUR SPOUSE.  This is my advice that I very often give on their Wedding day: “I love you; forgive me; I forgive you!”

3. ANGER/RESENTMENT.  The Bible admonishes us: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” (Eph. 4:26)  If you have a quarrel, disagreement, discord with your spouse, make sure you never go to bed angry at each other. If you do, the anger turns into resentment, coldness and bitterness, and even at times into hatred. Remember what Jesus says: “If someone has something against you and you are about to offer your gift at the altar, leave your gift at the foot of the altar and go and be reconciled, then return to offer your gift.” (Mt. 5: 23-24) Jesus said: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36) and “…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Mt. 6:12) The Catholic English poet, Alexander Pope, added: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”

4. AN ACT OF CHARITY/KINDNESS EVERY DAY.  Every night before retiring, plan that very night to do some little act of charity to make your spouse happy the following day. Here are some possible acts of charity or kindness that you might carry out…

a) SMILE.  Sometimes a simple smile can radiate the sunshine of joy to the life of your spouse. One of the clearest signs of a true follower of Christ is joy manifested through a smile. Try it, the frown is contagious, but so also is the smile!

b) KISS.  A kiss before leaving for work; then a kiss upon arriving home from work. I remember seeing this among my parents as a child. This was a concrete sign of a small gesture of love and concern.

c) A FLOWER.  Giving a flower, maybe a rose, can brighten the day and emanate the fragrance of love. Saint Paul says: “You are the fragrance of Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:15)

d) A HOLY CARD/PICTURE.  As Catholics, we all like holy cards, pictures of Jesus, Mary, the angels and saints.

e) CLEAN HOUSE.  You might plan this for tomorrow: “I will clean the house for my spouse as a sign of love, concern and hospitality.”

f) JOKE BOOK.  Learn a few good jokes and use them. It is hard to be angry at each other when there is wholesome, honest humor. Saint Philip Neri quipped these words: “Tristeza y melconcolia fuera de casa mia.” In English: “May sadness and a melancholy spirit get out of my house!”

5. INVITE YOUR SPOUSE TO GO OUT ONCE A MONTH: RENEW YOUR HONEYMOON.  As spouses, you must work constantly on communication skills. Why not once a month go out to a Restaurant, leaving the kids with a baby-sitter, so that you will have time to talk, share, organize, and simply enjoy each other’s company. When I go out with a couple of friends for a meal, I usually end by saying: “The meal was great, but the company was even much better.”

6. FULTON SHEEN’S ADVICE.  His Book: “THREE TO GET MARRIED”… The husband, the wife, and God! Never can we emphasize enough the importance of praying together as a couple and praying together as a family. The immortal words of Father Patrick Peyton, the famous Rosary-priest, resound so true: “The family that prays together, stays together.”

7. COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER OFTEN.  We live in a world with constant negativism, constant criticism, constant attacks both physical and verbal. We must go in the opposite direction: try to offer words and expressions complimenting each other by pointing out the good qualities that are definitely present in your spouse. How easy it is to allow an excellent meal that the spouse has been preparing for hours without even one word of recognition. How easy it is for the husband to be working day and night, sweating and even suffering so as to pay the bills, and very rarely does he hear a word of compliment. In a word, how easy it is to take each other for granted. How easy it is to be blind to the good that the spouse is doing, is carrying out on a daily basis.

8. MONTHLY FAMILY DAY OF RETREAT.  Why not set aside an evening once a month to recharge the spiritual batteries of the whole family. How you might ask??? Quite simply the following: set aside one day/evening with the following spiritual and then social activities. Line up for confession— the whole family, then Mass and Holy Communion, and afterwards pray the Holy Rosary together for family love and unity. After completing this family time of retreat, then the social part—off to POLLO LOCO!!! Try to kill two birds with one shot, the spiritual and the social—Sacraments and prayer, and then the meal time and conversation. (No cell phones!)

9. FAMILY MEETING TIME ONCE A MONTH.  Another practice that I would warmly encourage, and it could possibly be done in the context of the monthly retreat (mentioned above), would be a family meeting. This might be hard but it is very efficacious for maintaining communication and understanding in the family unit. Here is the order or method perhaps to follow: Prayer, then the parents start by complimenting their children on the good they have done in the past month. Then the parents humbly ask the children what they think the parents should change to improve their family life. Next the parents intervene and point out areas that their children have to work on so as to improve in their personal and family life. This requires much humility, honesty and fortitude but it can be a very efficacious tool to improve communication and comprehension in the family. Many times suffering comes about for lack of communication and misinterpreting actions, as well as motives and intentions, of the family members.

10. BE A GOOD SAMARITAN TOWARDS YOUR SPOUSE AND OTHERS.  Jesus is the Good Samaritan who lifts up and helps the man lying half-dead on the roadside. However, the real Good Samaritan right now must be both husband and wife, both of the spouses. Instead of always looking to be served, helped, the center of attention, you be the protagonist, the Good Samaritan, striving to be of help and service to your spouse and other family members. Indeed, a true GOOD SAMARITAN strives to live out the Last and Greatest Commandment of Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn. 13:34)

May the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph, be a model for all families. May their example and inspiration motivate all who have chosen the vocation of Holy Matrimony and the raising of a family to strive for holiness in this life and the eternal goal of Heaven! Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph, we entrust our families to your loving care.

A reflection on the Annunciation and the priesthood.

Not through our own merits but due to the will of God, in His loving and Divine Providence, we have been called to a most lofty and sublime vocation—that of the holy priesthood. As we pray in the Psalm: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps 110:4)

If God has called us to the Holy Priesthood, then God will never be lacking in bestowing upon us sufficient, efficacious, and even abundant graces to carry out such a sublime mission. The key to living out our priesthood is that of corresponding generously to the graces that God so willingly showers upon His beloved priests who are docile, humble, open and responsive to His Divine will.

One of the most prevalent and pernicious traps that the priest can be prey to and succumb to, especially today, is that of Activism, also termed by Saint John Paul II as Horizontalism. 

When Jesus visited Mary and Martha in Bethany, Mary received Jesus and sat at His feet. She is a model for contemplation. Mary sat at His feet, listened to Him, spoke to Him, contemplated Jesus’ Holy Face and loved Him. Martha, worried about the many concerns of hospitality, was gently rebuked by Jesus: “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things. Mary has chosen the better part and she will not be deprived of it.” (Lk. 10:41-42)

To truly bless, enrich, and sanctify our priesthood let us turn and lift our gaze to another Mary—the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our heavenly Mother.

In the year 2017, I published my second book: “Total Consecration through the Mysteries of the Rosary—Meditations to Prepare for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary” (Sophia Press). Having consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary through the path designed by Saint Louis de Montfort, “True Devotion to Mary” which has been, is and always will be a Marian classic and model for consecration, I felt inspired to write a different version.

Why not take the classical Mysteries of the most Holy Rosary (the Luminous Mysteries included) and offer another means by which we can give ourselves totally to Jesus through His Beloved Mother. Behold, my book written on how we can consecrate our lives to Jesus through Mary by taking a mystery at a time and meditating upon it, and then choose a Marian Feast day to make the formal consecration.

As a missionary, I have gone from Parish to Parish preaching and teaching on this Consecration Program with incredible blessings and success. As Saint Louis de Montfort clearly stated: “The quickest, easiest, and most efficacious path to Jesus is through Mary, most holy.”  Why not take this spiritual short-cut to happiness, holiness and heaven?

Therefore, as priests—beloved sons of the Father, of Holy Mother Church, and beloved sons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us spend a few minutes upon the starting point in our journey through the lives of Jesus and Mary. Many graces will flow through this short meditation/contemplation. My humble and sincere prayer will be that through the powerful presence of Mary in your lives, as priest-sons of Mary, her prayers will ignite in your souls a fiery love for God, love for the salvation of immortal souls, and an ardent desire for your own personal sanctification.     

At the end of the life of the holy Cure of Ars, Saint John Marie Vianney, the devil appeared complaining that if there were another five priests like this priest, his kingdom would be destroyed. How many souls can be converted, sanctified and saved by the holiness of a priest. This being said, no doubt a priest who has a sincere, loving and dynamic devotion to Mary will arrive at true holiness of life, and this holiness will spread like a deluge on the many souls placed in our path.

Therefore, let us take the First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, also known as the Incarnation of the Son of God, and delve into this infinite gold-mine of graces, gold nuggets ready for our taking. Please carefully read and prayerfully meditate upon the Gospel of Saint Luke 1:26-38. You might even strive to find an appealing painting, picture, or statue of Our Lady in the Annunciation to foster your depth into this world-changing event, the Yes of Mary that changed all of humanity!

The following will be several points to lead us into a prayerful meditation on how devotion to Mary, starting with the Annunciation, can be a most powerful means, a jumping board into the vast ocean of holiness that every priest should pursue all of his life, with every fiber of his being.

1. THE SILENCE OF MARY.  Classical contemplations depict Mary in the silence of prayer in her humble home in Nazareth. Priests, today more than ever before, are being bombarded by so much noise; we might even term it Noise-pollution! Silence is indispensable for the priest, the man of God, so that he can hear the gentle but insistent voice of God who so ardently wants to speak to his heart. When Pope Benedict XVI made a visit to the USA, to Dunwoody Seminary in New York, one of the most poignant messages the Pontiff enunciated was that today it is extremely difficult for young men to hear the voice of God because they are bombarded by so many different noises, so many different voices. May Our Lady in the Annunciation teach us to truly appreciate the indispensable value of silence. With the young Samuel in the Temple, may we listen to God’s voice in prayer and respond: “Speak, O Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:10)

2. MARY’S PRAYER: DIALOGUE WITH GOD THROUGH THE ANGEL.  Of course silence is not an end in itself but a means or a bridge to arrive at a greater good: union with God through deep prayer. Mary had a deep prayer life, a deep union with God, as every priest should strive for on a daily basis! God chose to communicate His message through an angel, the Archangel Gabriel. Mary listened attentively, reflected and responded positively to the Word of God and the Will of God. God invited Mary to say YES to the Incarnation, to becoming the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God. After pondering in the depths of her Immaculate Heart Mary gave her consent, her total YES to God with the words: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk. 1:38)  With Mary’s generous consent, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she conceived in her most pure womb the Son of the living God. Mary teaches us as priests the critical importance of finding time on a daily basis to enter into a deep and personal dialogue with God. In a word, the more profound our relationship with God through constant and dynamic prayer, the more holy we will become as priests, the more joy we will experience in the depths of our souls, and the more power that will flow from our very beings to sanctify the flock, the sheep that God has assigned to our loving care. The well-known Tele-Radio Evangelist and world-wide missionary and prolific writer, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, whom millions of people viewed on television, attributed his success not to himself but to his Holy Hour. In more than fifty years as a priest, Sheen never missed one daily Holy Hour of prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He called it his famous HOUR OF POWER! The secret of the success of the Cure of Ars, like that of Sheen, was a deep union with God through prayer. Our Lady in the Mystery of the Annunciation teaches us to listen attentively through pondering of the Word of God in the depths of our hearts and responding generously to God’s will—whatever He may ask of us!

3. MARY’S YES AND THE HOLY EUCHARIST.  When Our Lady gave her total and unreserved consent to the will of God in the words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word”, Jesus descended from Heaven to earth into the most pure womb of Mary.  Mary can help us in many ways to live out our priesthood to the full! The very heart of our lives must be the Holy Eucharist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as Vatican II describes it “the source and summit of the Christian life.” In a very real sense, as priests, we imitate Mary on a daily basis every time we celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In this sense: Mary’s YES brought down Jesus, the Son of God, from heaven to earth descending into her womb. In a parallel but very real sense, the same happens in the Sacramental Reality every time we celebrate Holy Mass. How sublime, astounding, august, but true! By the words we pronounce in the moment of consecration: “Take and eat this is my Body… take and drink this is my Blood… Do this in memory of me… Jesus descends from Heaven to earth in the hands of the priest. Then as true sons of the Church, sons of God, and sons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we consume the Body and Blood of Jesus, that Mary gave us through the Incarnation and His birth in Bethlehem. Then, like Mary in the Visitation and the Presentation in the Temple, as priests we give Jesus in the Eucharist to the people that God has placed in our care to bring safely to Heaven. In a word, one of the most positive fruits of cultivating a tender, deep, loving and filial devotion to Mary will result in us priests coming to a deeper awareness of the infinite value of every Holy Mass that we celebrate. One Mass has greater value than the whole created universe! Our Lady of the Annunciation and Our Lady of the Eucharist, through her most powerful intercession, will help us to plumb the depths on a daily basis of the sublime Mystery of Holy Mass. On the day of our ordination, the Bishop exhorted us to imitate the One whom we handle daily—that is to say, to imitate Jesus Christ, our model as Priest Victim, as well as our dear and Faithful Friend.

Therefore, friends of Jesus and Mary and friends in the Holy Priesthood of Christ, let us renew our commitment to pursue a life of true holiness. Let us daily recharge our spiritual batteries through daily prayer. Let us renew our promise and commitment to God, ourselves, and the many souls that God has placed in our hands. Many of these souls and their eternal salvation depends upon our holiness of life and apostolic zeal. May Our Lady of the Annunciation through her Immaculate presence, her most powerful prayers, and her loving Maternal presence inspire us to become the holy priests that God has called us to be from the dawn of eternity. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us priests, poor sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”