Recap of our Fatima Holy Hour....

This is a picture of our "Lady of Fatima" statue in our dining room, along with the candle we used for the "Candle-Lighting."  This statue, like our outdoor statue, shown in the "May" post, has an interesting history, also mysterious in nature.  Again, too long of a story to get into right now.....but to make a long story short, it was in our home when I was a child, given away to the Catholic school I had attended, and made its way back to me about 25 years later.  The little plaque on the bottom of the statue unfortunately was gone-it was in memory of my father, who passed away from a heart attack when I was 7 years old-he loved the story of Fatima.  The head had broken off as well, but some wonderful person repaired it.  They could have disposed of the statue and I would never have seen it again, but whoever it was, took the time to lovingly repair it with great care.  I am so grateful!  I cherish this statue with all my heart.  She is wearing a pink mantilla of mine, which I am privileged to share with her.  I felt for the Fatima Centennial, that she deserved some special ornamentation.

The candle, I recently bought at a dollar store in a Latino neighborhood, and the dish it is on was given to me as part of a set, as a wedding gift by my godmother, whose name was Mary (may she rest in peace).  I just wanted to share this with all of you.  You could make your own similar set-up for our next Holy Hour, June 13th!

Speaking of the next Holy Hour, I am re-thinking the promotion of it and some of the details of how it will work.  The format will remain the same.  I do hope to have more comments next time, but if not, even if we don't get any, I know at least 2 people will have prayed the Holy Hour-me and my husband!  We actually completed it in a half-hour, but "Fatima Holy Half-Hour" just doesn't have a great ring to it!  I don't really want to make it much longer-I want it to be easy for people and if you want to take the ball and run with it, adding or subtracting, that is fine.  Nomen Christi seeks to empower people, not to dictate to them.  Also, you really could do this at ANY time.  The Fatima Centennial lasts all year.

See you next month, and please contact us if you would like email reminders.  I felt very enriched by doing this and I hope that it will be a blessing to others as well over the next 6 months!

First Fatima Holy Hour for World Peace

Image courtesy https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/five-prayers-taught-at-fatima-by-mary-the-angels/

Thank you for joining our First Fatima Holy Hour!  Please read the introduction on our Home Page.  If you are participating, please add your voice to our comments.  IN ORDER TO MAKE A COMMENT, PLEASE CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THE POST & SCROLL DOWN.  IF YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY, PLEASE CONTACT US.  Following is tonight's Holy Hour Format.  May God bless you and may Our Lady shower graces upon you on this glorious 100th Anniversary of the Fatima Apparitions!

Candle-Lighting for Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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O Jesus, we thank Thee for this beautiful Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and 100th Anniversary of her appearance to the three holy children in Fatima, Portugal.  We thank Thee for our togetherness today all over the world in this joyful celebration.  We light this candle for the intention of reparation to Thy Mother's Immaculate Heart, which so grieves over the sins of the world at this present hour.  We especially wish to console her for the terrible injustice to unborn children, for she is Mother to all.  May these little lights of ours ascend to her Queenly throne in Heaven and show her that indeed, there is still love for her on earth.  Love for Thy Mother always directs us to Thee, O Jesus, our Savior, Whom she holds up to the world in her loving arms.  Forgive us our sins and let us enter into this Holy Hour in a spirit of contrition and spiritual communion with Thee.  We offer as well, all the intentions of those participating.  Amen. 

All Ye Holy Angels & Saints, Rejoice!

Saint Joseph, Pray for Us!

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Hymn:  "Immaculate Mary"

(Brian Foley, Jeremiah Cummings)

Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing
You reign now in Heaven with Jesus our King

Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!  Ave, Ave, Maria!

In Heaven the blessed your glory proclaim
On earth we your children invoke your sweet name

Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!  Ave, Ave, Maria!

We pray for the Church our true mother on earth
And bless Holy Mary, the land of our birth

Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria!  Ave, Ave, Maria!

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Fatima Reading & Prayer

The First Apparition ~ May 13th, 1917

...the three children took their flocks out to pasture in the small area known as the Cova da Iria. After lunch and the Rosary, they suddenly saw a bright flash of something like lightning, followed quickly by another flash in the clear blue sky. They looked up to see, in Lucia’s words, “A lady, clothed in white, brighter than the sun, radiating a light more clear and intense than a crystal cup filled with sparkling water lit by burning sunlight.” The children stood there amazed, bathed in the light that surrounded the apparition, as the Lady smiled and said: “Do not be afraid, I will not harm you.” Lucia, as the oldest, asked her where she came from.

The Lady pointed to the sky and said: “I come from Heaven.” Lucia then asked her what she wanted. “I have come to ask you to come here for six months on the 13th day of the month at this same hour. Later I shall say who I am and what I desire." Lucia then asked if they would go to Heaven and was told yes, she and Jacinta would go to Heaven, but Francisco would need to say many Rosaries first. The Lady then said: “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you as an act of reparation for the conversion of sinners?” Lucia, as spokesman for all three, readily agreed. “Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort.”

Lucia recounted that at the same moment as she said these words, the Lady opened her hands and streamed a “light” upon the children which allowed them to see themselves in God. The Lady finished with a request: “Say the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and the end of the war.” [She was referring to World War I.] With that, she began to rise into the air, moving towards the east until she disappeared.

The children...tried to think of ways they could make sacrifices as the Lady had asked, resolving to go without lunch and to pray the full Rosary. Francisco and Jacinta received more support from their parents than Lucia...the attitudes of the local inhabitants ranged from skepticism to utter contempt, and the children thereby suffered many insults. They would have much to suffer, just as the Lady had told them.

Text courtesy World Apostolate of Fatima, USA, slightly edited.

The first apparition of Our Lady to the children was not their first encounter with Heaven.  An angel appeared to them previously, three times, and gave them two prayers, as follows:

"My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee!  I beg pardon of Thee for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee!"

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly.  I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He is offended.  By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners."

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Joyful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary

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Litany of Our Lady of Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for our dear country.
Our Lady of Fatima, sanctify our clergy.
Our Lady of Fatima, make our Catholics more fervent.
Our Lady of Fatima, guide and inspire those who govern us.
Our Lady of Fatima, cure the sick who confide in you.
Our Lady of Fatima, console the sorrowful who trust in you.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who invoke your aid.
Our Lady of Fatima, deliver us from all dangers.
Our Lady of Fatima, help us to resist temptation.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us all that we lovingly ask of you.
Our Lady of Fatima, help those who are dear to us.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring back to the right road our erring brothers.
Our Lady of Fatima, give us back our ancient fervor.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain for us pardon of our manifold sins and offenses.
Our Lady of Fatima, bring all men to the feet of your Divine Child.
Our Lady of Fatima, obtain peace for the world.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Let Us Pray:  O God of infinite goodness and mercy, fill our hearts with a great confidence in Thy dear Mother, whom we invoke under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary and our Lady of Fatima, and grant us by her powerful intercession, all the graces, spiritual and temporal, which we need.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Nomen Christi Apostolate Prayer for World Peace

O Most Holy Trinity, look upon the work of Thy Hands with mercy and give us the peace we so desperately need.  Shower Thy graces upon us like the rain, like a great flood engulfing us and end these many sorrows.  Sorrow from disrespect for human life, terrorism, unrest, fear, disaster, impurity, blasphemy, occult activities, persecution of the holy, leading the innocent astray, drug addiction, people thinking they can re-order the perfect creation Thou hast made.  We live in unprecedented times, uncertain times.  Deliver us from all evil, visible and invisible and from all fear.  Help us to prepare for the days to come and to extricate ourselves from this inauthentic culture.  We pray for the triumphalism of Holy Mother Church and the salvation of all souls.  Give us peace in our hearts and courage to face the future and win our Heavenly reward.  Our Lady of Fatima, we love you!  Pray for us!  In the Holy Name of Christ, Nomen Christi.  Amen.

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Closing Hymn:  "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above"

(Contractus Hermannus)

Hail, holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria.
Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.
Triumph, all ye Cherubim,
Sing with us, ye Seraphim,
Heav'n and earth resound the hymn,
Salve, Salve, Salve, Regina.

The cause of joy to all below, O Maria.
The spring through which all graces flow, O Maria.
Angels, all your praises bring,
Earth and heaven, with us sing,
All creation echoing,
Salve, Salve, Salve, Regina.

O gentle, loving, holy one, O Maria.
The God of light became your Son, O Maria.
Triumph, all ye Cherubim,
Sing with us, ye Seraphim.
Heav'n and earth resound the hymn,
Salve, Salve, Salve, Regina.

Thank you for joining us!  See you next month!

Online Fatima Holy Hours For World Peace....RIGHT HERE! TOMORROW!

Let us re-live the extraordinary events which took place at Fatima, Portugal, 100 years ago!  Let us walk together across the US and the world, in the footsteps of the three children-Lucia, Francisco & Jacinta!  Join us in this joyful time of prayer, solidarity & celebration!

Please see the Home Page for more info and please spread the word!  Thank you!

PS-Can't you hear the angels tuning their instruments like an orchestra before a concert, on this eve of this glorious anniversary?

The Ultimate Lenten Exercise

How much does God love us?  What is the Father's most precious possession?  His Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Whom He gave to us.  Whom He sacrificed for us.  In a most terrible way.  Not only that.  He keeps sacrificing Him....until the end of time....in the Holy Eucharist.  Christ literally is held within people's hands.  You may or may not agree with Communion in the hand, but the fact is, the Church allows it.....so He allows it.  Complete vulnerability.  His Body, Soul and Divinity.  Its difficult to even comprehend.

So the point is...what is your most precious possession?  Think about it.  Meditate on it.  It may not take you long.....or it may take a few minutes.  Would you be willing to offer this to God?  Would you be willing to appropriately reciprocate His love?  This is the ultimate Lenten exercise, the real proof of your love for God.  Better than giving up some worldly pleasure.  Better than any prayer or devotion.  Better than spending all day on Good Friday in church. 

Will you give Him your most precious, prized possession?

And it doesn't mean He will even ask for it.  That's not the point.  Would you give it if He asked for it?  Can you do this?

Random Thoughts.....

Sometimes, by the time I get around to writing about something, it's already old news.  Its amazing these days, how a big event could take place and literally a week later, no one is talking about it.  So, what's the stupid old news I want to provide a random thought about?  The Oscars.  Yes, stupid and old.  The night they were on, I was sitting in a booth in an Italian restaurant waiting for my veggie pizza and there it was, on the big screen right in front of me.  For a moment, I had a macabre fascination, like rubber-necking when you pass a car accident.  You just can't help yourself, even though you know you might see something you don't want to.  When I finally came to my senses, I moved to the other side of the booth and felt a great sense of relief, like I had just been dangling off the edge of a cliff and someone rescued me.  After all, why would I be interested in watching a bunch of creepy people giving themselves awards?  They don't have the great sacrament of Penance.  All they can do to assuage their guilt is praise themselves.  When we don't worship God anymore, we make men our gods.  Do they know how foolish they look?  Grown women posing in their princess dresses like 4-year-olds, our modern-day clowns and jesters (freak show might be more like it) preaching to us about politics, a collection of drug-addicts and adulterers, people who can't even run their own lives, telling us what we should think.  Theater....of the absurd.....

This is what the world does to us....its like a many-tentacled evil octopus (yes, I just said that-go easy on me-I'm trying to get through this day without Advil)....attacking us from all angles, even when we are innocently waiting for a pizza, reaching around our throats.  We must use our heavenly sword to cut the tentacles, free ourselves....the fact is, we are indeed dangling off a cliff....and below is hellfire.  If it were an actual cliff, would you go right up to the edge?  Or would you stay far from the edge?  We must remind ourselves, in this increasingly pagan, atheistic culture, of the spiritual dangers all around us.  What is the true answer?  I believe the answer is radical:  a new culture.  But that's another post for another day!

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How do I know there is a God?  Coffee.  Its the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning.  When I take those first few sips of that divine liquid, hot and fresh....yes, I know there must be a God.  If you're not a coffee drinker....no idea what you're missing!

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And another morning contemplation:  There is a sparkling white marble staircase that leads straight to Heaven.  Each and every day, we as faithful Roman Catholics, ascend one step higher...now that's exciting!  Better than coffee and better than....the Oscars!

In God's Image and Likeness...

We are fundamentally social creatures.  We are not meant to be alone.  The Father decided that Adam should have a "helper" and that they should bear children.  All sins are considered by the Church to be sins against the community, that is one reason we confess.  We are not even meant to keep our deepest and darkest secrets to ourselves.  This is how much we are woven into the fabric of humanity.  Many of our challenges in this testing ground which determines our eternal fate, called earth, involve how we relate to others, how much we love them....how much we are willing to put our own desires aside.  So why did God make us social creatures?  Because HE is fundamentally "social" in His own nature, three in one, Father, Son and Holy Ghost....because we are made in His Image and Likeness.  Its not a perfect comparison, but it is significant.

Happy Valentine's Day.  Saint Valentine, pray for us.  Lord have mercy on us for our sins against chastity.  May we, in our own small way, console Your Heart on this day by remaining pure in mind and body.  May we continue to be a witness to the virtue of chastity, especially to our young people.  Amen.

Waiting for the Miracle?

Leonard Cohen, may he rest in peace, has a song called "Waiting for the Miracle."  The protagonist asserts that there is "nothing left to do" when things have reached an all-time low.  The only option for him is to "go on waiting for the miracle to come."  I don't envy this person.  He does not know....the miracle has come.  And it is all around him.

Christ did not come and go.  He came and stayed.  The Most Blessed Sacrament lies in every tabernacle.  This is the Miracle.  And the only Miracle that matters.

So next time you feel completely lost, completely emptied, completely bereft.  Remember despair has no place in the Catholic soul.  It may feel like your last shred of sanity...appeal to this Miracle which you have received in Holy Communion.  And He will do the rest.

The 12 Days of Christmas / Epiphany of Our Lord

Happy New Year and I hope all of you, wherever you are in the world, have had a wonderful Christmas!  I have been having computer problems, so I am behind on my posts.  I was going to write about the 12 Days of Christmas in a more timely manner, but now they are over, and we have arrived today at the Epiphany of Our Lord in the traditional calendar.  The Epiphany is celebrated this Sunday in the new calendar.  I have several other posts in the works, including the Month of January-will get that up as soon as possible!

About the 12 Days of Christmas, I wanted to share an idea I have been doing with my family for a number of years now.  I think I came up with this idea on my own and have written about it previously.  You may be aware of the theory that the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" originated as a covert teaching tool in England, during the persecution of Catholics.  I am not concerned about the theory itself, nor even the song.  What does concern me is the re-creation of authentic Catholic culture for our times.  What is wrong with creating new traditions?  I think we are at such an hour in history, when we must take the bull by the horns and move things forward aggressively (moving forward may at times require that we look back-if you have taken the wrong fork, you must go back before you can truly go forward). 

It is sad that the 12 Days of Christmas have largely been forgotten and no one seems to know how to celebrate them anyway.  One idea is to discuss points of the Faith on each of the 12 Days, that correspond to the particular number of the day.  You can be creative with it.  For instance, Day 3 could be about the Holy Trinity or the Three Theological Virtues.  Day 7, you could discuss the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost or the Seven Deadly Sins.  In addition, you can say prayers and sing songs that also correspond to the topic of the day....the song "Holy Holy Holy" for the Holy Trinity....or a Litany to the Holy Ghost for the Seven Gifts.  The possibilities are endless and you can have a lot of fun with it!  So, now that the 12 Days of Christmas are over, just thought I'd share that idea:)

As for the Epiphany, there is a beautiful traditional Blessing of the Home that you can find online, which includes writing above your doorway with blessed chalk.  We must give our children something to love about the Faith....real, concrete ways to BE Catholic that they in turn will continue with their own children.  And these practices enrich life so much and add a dimension to life that simply cannot be fulfilled through any secular pursuit.  This is what the world does not understand:  that all things pale in comparison to the Holy Faith, the Body of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.  This is what we must show them.  Love demands it!

More on Father Alfred Delp.....

[Originally published December 11, 2015.]

I gave a brief introduction to Fr. Alfred Delp and the book Advent of the Heart in [a previous post]. Advent was a topic that concerned Fr. Delp throughout his life (1907-1945). It became a metaphor for his own experience "waiting" for the end of the terrifying Nazi regime. In his case, Christmas became his own martyrdom, when he encountered, not a porcelain baby in a creche, but Christ Himself as the Second Person of the Beatific Vision. Almost in anticipation of this extraordinary journey, his preaching and writings on the subject were gripping theological genius...and very appropriate for our own times. It is ironic that the United States of America, rolling into Germany in 1945 with her tanks of salvation, would one day need so desperately this martyr's words of warning and instruction.

The book divides into the 4 weeks of Advent, with appropriate selections of Fr. Delp's writings. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the Season of Advent, but not at all for the faint-hearted. If you take these writings to heart, they will challenge and change you in the most fundamental, deep ways. So....consider yourself warned. As it states in the introduction to Saint Louis de Montfort's The Secret of Mary, these words will exact a responsibility from you:

"...beware, then, of remaining inactive...it would turn into a poison and be your condemnation."

To proceed, I'd like to offer a few brief excerpts from the various introductions to Advent of the Heart, which I feel are essential to the understanding of Fr. Delp:

"Delp wrote the 1944 meditations in Tegel Prison, usually while his hands were in handcuffs. These meditations were smuggled out of the prison as seret messages...

This book presents Advent sermons from Father Delp's parish work in Munich, alongside the powerful messages from his prison Advent experience of 1944...

Their roughness evokes a powerful sense of immediacy rooted in the suffering and danger of the times."

Fr. Delp was originally arrested for suspicion of having knowledge of the attempt on Hitler's life which took place on July 20, 1944.....

"Although all charges related to the assassination attempt were dropped, the irreconcilable opposition of Christianity to Nazism became the focus of the proceedings...Delp was convicted of high treason and sentenced to death by hanging."

Dear Father Alfred Delp, pray for us!

Advent of the Heart, Writings of Fr. Alfred Delp, Martyr under Hitler

I'm very busy for the next few weeks, so I will re-publish some posts from last advent, dealing with the amazing writings of Fr. Alfred Delp....here goes....

[The following was originally posted on November 29, 2015.]

There is an INCREDIBLE book by Ignatius Press, compilations of Fr. Alfred Delp, martyr under the Nazis, entitled Advent of the Heart: Seasonal Sermons & Prison Writings, 1941-1944. It takes us week by week through Advent....and believe me, with this book, you will not be the same person when you arrive at the creche on Christmas Day. I will be posting some quotes from this book throughout Advent. No better time than today to begin. Here are excerpts from Fr. Delp's "Homily for the First Sunday of Advent Preached in Munich, November 28, 1943" (remember the words you are about to read, this man was killed for).....

"There is nothing more blessed in life than true waiting."

"Man is truly human only when he transcends himself."

"We should discover life and its fundamental order."

"This should be our first Advent light: to understand everything, all that happens to us and all that threatens us, from the perspective of life's character of waiting."

"God enters only His own rooms, where someone is always keeping watch for Him."

"Other values of secondary importance impose themselves, making life inauthentic and bringing it under an alien law and an alien paradigm."

Image courtesy amazon.com