We now recall the Second Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. On that 13th day of June, a hundred years ago, through the three visionary-children, namely, Lucia dos Santos, and siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto, Our Lady conveyed important messages for all of us:
1. Pray the Rosary everyday.
Mary specifically asked the children to pray the Holy Rosary everyday, right from her very first apparition on May. She repeated this to the children on her second apparition. It was a significant instruction, which she would reiterate in each one of her succeeding visits.
The Rosary is considered a private devotion. No matter how many times you pray it in a day, it can’t be a replacement for going to Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation. So then, if our salvation doesn’t depend on private devotions, why do we need to pray the Rosary daily? I can say a few reasons. First, meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary everyday is a way for us to get to know the life of Jesus and Mary deeper, and that makes us even closer to them, and love them more. Second, don’t get mistaken that it’s ‘only’ a devotion. Private devotions greatly help us in becoming holier. It’s hard enough to move forward in holiness with all the worldliness around us. Without the devotions, then holiness is even harder to accomplish. One of the best aids in attaining salvation is through private devotions, because God gives us graces by praying them. The most important among private devotions is the Rosary. Third, we need to pray it daily- because Mary says so. (See previous post: The Rosary can save you from Hell) What more can convince you than the loving request of Our Blessed Mother to pray the Rosary everyday?
By the way, I always say this: I find it hard to understand when a person who claims to be religious or pious says that he or she doesn’t have the time to pray the Rosary everyday. I literally pray the Rosary daily. And I rarely miss a day; because it just takes 15-20 minutes of your day! A lot of people spend more time watching tv or using the social media. For me, not being able to pray the Rosary everyday due to lack of time, or finding it difficult to do, is just a mere excuse. I guess, the only understandable times that you miss a day is when there are very important family matters, occasions or extremely stressful job or school days. But the irony is that, it’s during those stressful times that we need the guidance and protection of Our Lady so much more. It is recommended to pray it with your family or loved one. There’s a good feeling of being connected to each other when you do that. Like what Father Patrick Peyton, an Irish priest and staunch promoter of the Rosary in the Philippines and Latin America, famously used to say, “The family that prays together stays together.” Of course it can be quite difficult to find a common time altogether. Though by intentionally making sacrifices, it can be achieved. But to be praying by yourself, there isn’t much excuse for you not to pray it.
I must admit though, that before I turned my life back to God, it was a real challenge for me to pray the Rosary everyday. What I did was to start to pray it daily as a goal, until it became a habit, which sooner formed into a mindset. Now it’s all effortless for me, because I do it for the love of God and Mary.
2. Healing of the sick person requires conversion.
Lucia asked the Blessed Mother, in this second apparition, if a person she knew would be cured of sickness. And Our Lady said that the person would be cured “if he would be converted.” A few priests told me that at times, the total healing of the body is not attained because the spirit is not yet healed, for the body and the spirit are connected. When the spirit is sick, from the effects of sins, or from negative emotions like anger and unforgiveness, even those rooted from wounds way back in childhood, they manifest in the body as illnesses. While some sicknesses of course are biological in nature, some are brought about by the sickness of the spirit.
In various apparitions of Our Lord and Our Lady to many Saints, they said that at times, God does not heal the infirmities of the body because the person is sanctified or made holy through his sufferings. The sick are like the chosen ones of God to partake in His Passion through their pains of the body and the spirit, if they offer those sufferings to God. Sometimes, they might be ‘bad’ persons. But through their illnesses, miseries, pains, and heartaches, they learn humility, they learn what it is to be humble before the Lord; they begin to see that we are nothing; that it’s only God we can cling to during our most sorrowful desolation. Personally, I’ve had a lot of share in this. While others have the blessing of being healed right away, and others too, get their healing from demonic powers and occult practices (in exchange of their souls), others go through an ascent to holiness before they get healed of their illnesses. I’m a witness to those cases that the body can’t completely be healed without healing the spirit first; and spiritual liberation can only be achieved until your sins and weaknesses in character are revealed to you, and until your conversion is perfect.
3. For the first time, Mary spoke of her Immaculate Heart.
When Lucia asked Our Lady of Fatima if she would take them to Heaven, she replied, “Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon.” Then Our Blessed Mother told her that she would have to stay longer on earth, “since Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on earth. He wishes also for you to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.” Hearing this, Lucia wondered if that meant she would be alone in this world. But Our Lady assured the young Lucia that she would never abandon her, saying, “I will be with you always, and my Immaculate Heart will be your comfort and the way which will lead you to God.” We know that this promise of Our Lady of Fatima to Lucia is for all of us too. And we know that Our Lady continues to assure each and everyone of us who devotedly rely on her that we have refuge and guidance in her Immaculate Heart.
What makes June 13 more special, along with the Second Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, is the Memorial or Feast Day of Saint Anthony of Padua. In her “Memoirs of Sister Lucia,” she wrote about that joyous day:
The 13th of June, feast of St. Anthony, was always a day of great festivities in our parish. My mother and my sisters, who knew how much I loved a festa, kept saying to me, “We’ve yet to see if you’ll leave the festa just to go to the Cova da Iria, and talk to that Lady!” On the day itself nobody said a single word to me. Insofar as I was concerned, they acted as if they were saying, “Leave her alone; and we’ll soon see what she’ll do!”
I let out my flock at daybreak, intending to put them back in the pen at nine, go to Mass at ten, and after that, go to the Cova da Iria. But the sun was no sooner up than my brother came to call me. He told me to go back home, as there were several people there wanting to speak to me. I found some women, and men too, who had come from such places as Minde, from around Tomar, Carascos, Boleiros, etc. They wished to accompany me to the Cova. I told them that it was early as yet, and invited them to go with me to the 8 o’clock Mass. After that, I returned home. These good people waited for me out in the yard, in the shade of our fig tree.
Around 11 o’clock, I left home and called at my uncle’s house, where Jacinta and Francisco were waiting for me. Then we set off for the Cova.
As soon as Jacinta, Francisco and I had finished praying the Rosary, with a number of other people who were present, we saw once more the flash reflecting the light which was approaching (which we called lightning). The next moment, Our Lady was there on the holmoak, exactly the same as in May.
Saint Anthony of Padua is known as a miracle-worker and patron saint of lost articles, not only of lost things or people, but also lost souls and spiritual goods. He is popular in various countries of the world, particularly in Portugal, the same country as Fatima, where he was born as Fernando Martins in its capital city of Lisbon in 1195. Although his family was wealthy, Fernando desired to become a priest in order to serve the poor and the sick. At age fifteen, he started learning theology and Latin. Years later, he joined the Franciscan Order and changed his name to Anthony. He was best known to his contemporary Franciscans and even to Dominicans for his eloquence in preaching “the grandeur of Christianity,” as one historian put it and knowledge of the Scriptures by preaching through the use of allegories and symbolisms.
Invoking his help for finding lost things could be traced from a story, which happened in Bologna. It was said that Saint Anthony had a book of Psalms that was very important to him as it contained his written notes and comments useful in teaching his students. It was a time when printing press had yet to be invented, making it all the more valuable. A novice who had decided to leave the hermitage took the book with him, however. Knowing it was missing, Saint Anthony prayed that it be found or returned. His prayer moved the thief not only to return the book, but also to return to the Order. It is said that the book is preserved in the Franciscan friary in Bologna. Saint Anthony is often depicted holding Baby Jesus, along with a book and a stalk of white lily, as symbol of purity.
Saint Anthony served as provincial superior in northern Italy in later years. He died on his way back to Padua, Italy at the age of thirty-six and in less than a year was canonized by Pope Gregory IX, which made him one of the most quickly-canonized saints in church history. His body, exhumed about three hundred years later was corrupted, except for his tongue, which remained incorrupt, a holy sign of his gift of preaching. In the year 1946, Saint Anthony was declared a Doctor of the Church, for his beautiful writings and sermons on the Gospels.
When we struggle to remain in the faithful path, or when our loved ones are feeling lost or in search of the righteous path, let us seek refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and let her guide us in holiness that leads to God, and ask for the intercession of Saint Anthony of Padua to help us find our way once more.
Saint Anthony of Padua, pray for us!
Sister Lucia, Servant of God, pray for us!
St. Francisco Marto, pray for us!
St. Jacinta Marto, pray for us!
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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