Category: The Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Sixth Visit, the Message and the Promise

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Today, we offer Part II of today’s post on Our Lady of the Rosary’s Sixth Appearance at Fatima, 106 years ago.

In October, 1917,  Heaven came to earth.
Here is the Message and the Promise for us today.

Today  we mark the 106th  anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun during Our Lady’s Sixth Visit to Fatima.  In this brief review we’ll recap the historical event considering three aspects, the words of Our Lady, the Visions seen by the children and then the Miracle of the Sun witnessed by the spectators.

Continue reading “The Sixth Visit, the Message and the Promise” →

The Sixth Visit of Our Lady of the Rosary

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Today is the 106th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun that marked Our Lady’s Sixth Visit to Fatima. it is also the 50th anniversary of Our Lady’s visit to Akita (13 October, 1973). Akita’s message seems primarily to emphasize the warnings of Fatima, but it too, failed or rather the Church failed to heed it.

On October 13, 1917, a miracle occurred, witnessed by between 70,000 and 100,000 people. The miracle defied the laws of physics and was verified by witnesses who were Masons, atheists and anti-Christians as well as by the faithful. The day, month and hour had been predicted before hand.

When Our Lady appeared to the children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia at this Sixth Apparition, her final words to them were, Continue reading “The Sixth Visit of Our Lady of the Rosary” →

K.I.S.S…

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Keep It Simple is a good rule to help us stay on the true path in the post-Vatican II confusion and wreckage of the faith.

Much of the confusion results from faithful Catholics and even hierarchy not knowing the basics of their faith.  Readers ask about  various “apparitions”  which seem to them to be pious and helpful. There is also a steady drip of those who seek to promote false visions and false prophets; many of whom visited Garabandal or Medjugorje and decided to start their own cottage industry of pious frauds.

At times, readers point out that a particular “apparition” has the approval of the local Bishop.  That happens as a result of the disorientation caused by the Church’s defiance of Our Lady’s Message of Fatima. Disobedience breeds confusion.  When you see disobedience and confusion, you are seeing the hand of satan in the Church.

The remedy is the same as always, return to the last point at which there was the certainty of the true faith: Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If the proposed devotion contradicts or distracts from these vital devotions, turn away!

Today, the faithful are by turns confused, misled and eventually battered into indifference by the failure of the hierarchy to provide true guidance. It has helped me considerably to simply adhere to the rule of obeying the requests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That little rule excludes all these diverting, even contradictory  apparitions and messages which are promoted by unscrupulous bloggers to boost page views and often, to bring in revenue..

But since questions continue, here are a few particulars:

God is always the same, He is never going to command one thing today and then contradict Himself at a later date. This is the all-pervasive error of modernism, that God’s truth evolves to meet new situations.  Example: The Ten Commandments are as relevant today as they were in the time of Moses. By adhering to this simple rule, we avoid being misled by the false teachings of the current occupants of the Vatican on marriage and the Sacraments.

In the same vein, when God makes a demand on us, He does not withdraw it even if centuries go by without our obedience to His command. This means that Our Lord’s request to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque for public devotion to His Sacred Heart is just as imperative in 2018 as it was in 1689. The command of Our Lord Jesus Christ has not diminished in urgency in all this time; in fact, it weighs more heavily in the balance against us as time passes.

The Message of Fatima is organically coherent with that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In it Our Lord Himself requests that devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary be placed alongside of devotion to His most Sacred Heart.  There is absolutely no contradiction between these two devotions. They are united, complementary, that is, they complement, complete, and strengthen each other, even as the Hearts ofJesus and Mary are united. There is a beautiful theology there, which is totally consonant with all of the true faith, and an unending source of edification and grace.  There is no need or benefit from distracting apparitions, even if they at times may seem pious or at least innocuous.

After Fatima, the Catholic world was flooded with apparitions and today many even have the approval of the sorts of Bishops which have plagued the Church since the revolution of Vatican II. But if we simply use our common sense, (that is our Catholic sense!) we  readily discern that true devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary does not benefit from most of these new devotions.

For instance, we know that Jesus asked St. Margaret Mary Alacoque for public and private veneration for the image of His Most Sacred Heart. And we know that at Fatima, Our Lady told us that Our Lord wants the Church to establish devotion to her Immaculate Heart by means of her Rosary and First Saturdays of Reparation to her Immaculate Heart and for this devotion to be placed alonside of devotion to His Sacred Heart.

And yet, Sister Faustina’s Divine Mercy devotion would have us believe that within the same timeframe of the Fatima request,  that Jesus was also appearing to Faustina requesting a different devotion, this time to an image which omits His Sacred Heart and requires the use of Our Lady’s Rosary to recite prayers which supplant her own prayers, approved by countless popes, encyclicals, saints and centuries of thoroughly Catholic piety. Why would Jesus ask for this different devotion when the earlier requests for devotion to the Immaculate Heart and the even earlier request for the Sacred Heart devotion, were not fulfilled?

Ask yourself, does this new devotion further the propagation of the earlier devotion?

Applying the same rule to the apparitions of Akita and Our Lady of Nations, we see the difference in the two: Akita’s message simply points to the suppressed portion of the Message of Fatima, reinforcing it, while the false Lady of Nations diverts attention in another direction, leading the faithful to actions which do not fulfill the commands of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Once again, the requests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary must be our guiding rule.

Another way of expressing this rule is: the earlier approved devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary take precedence over any proposed new message of devotion. If the proposed new devotion does not help us to fulfill the commands of the earlier devotion, then turn away and refocus on the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts. Obedience first, last and always.

At Return to Fatima, we urge all faithful to  Consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and live our Consecrations in all the daily duties of our lives. There is no need for seeking after newer devotions, newer prophecies, more and more knowledge. We find our inspiration in Eucharistic Adoration (in a truly Catholic Church) in the sacraments and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in our Rosaries, offering all to Jesus through the Immaculata: “O Jesus it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

It is such a practical, clear solution to the confusion: Look to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, heed their requests, devote ourselves to living as they have asked us to live. It is simple, even a child can do it, as Saints Jacinta and Francisco showed us one hundred years ago!

previously posted on

Please, Pray the Rosary and confound satan and those who serve him!

† . Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of our hearts, Mother of the Church, do thou offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion of poor sinners, especially our Pontiff.
† . Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come! Viva Cristo Rey!
† . Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
† . St. Joseph, protect us, protect our families, protect our priests.
† . St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

Please pray for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

~ by evensong for love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, King.
Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O Sacred Virgin! Give me strength against thine enemies!

The Name Written on Her Heart

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Note for August 22, 2023: Today, on the Holy Day of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart, is my final post. There’s a note about that on the about page.

We offer for today’s Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Archbishop Lefebvre’s sermon in her honor.

The Name Written on Her Heart

Sermon by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, August 22, 1976

Dear Brethren,

The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose solemnity we celebrate today is a com­paratively new feast and an example of what the Church can do and has done in relatively recent times to adapt the spirit and the riches of the Church to the present day. If any feast reminds us of the truths we need, of truths that when meditating we desire to apply to our souls, that of the Immaculate Heart of Mary certainly does.

This feast clearly has a special link to the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, and it was Pius XII who wished that we honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the octave day of the Assumption.

Ah, yes, since the 17th century devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary has existed. We just celebrated this week the feast of St. John Eudes, who founded congregations under the patronage of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. But if our Holy Father Pius XII decided to honor in a special way the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it was because our times had need of the devotion.

In these times of hardship, in these times where Christians are deprived of what they formerly had, we need the manifestation of the charity of Our Lord, which was so clearly seen during other Christian centuries. One saw religious houses everywhere. Throughout Christendom monasteries, convents, and hospitals were thickly sown. So many religious houses peopled our villages, our countryside, and our cities, that we had the impression—I imagine that the people who lived in those times had the impression—to be entirely surrounded by the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. For His love was made manifest, as you might say, on every street corner. There were calvaries; there were images of Our Lady; there were hospitals run by religious; there were refuges for the poor, pilgrims, and those in suffering. Everywhere the charity of Our Lord was manifest. Continue reading “The Name Written on Her Heart” →

Mary was taken up into Heaven, 2023

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“A great sign appeared in heaven: a Woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: because He has done wonderful things…”
(from the introit for today’s Mass.)

“Through thee redeemed to endless life, thy praise let all the nations sing.”

 

“Mary was taken up into heaven, the angels rejoice, and with praises, bless the Lord.” (Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Prime)

On this her feast day, we celebrate  “that which has been realized in her, the total glorification of our humanity, will be realized for us at the end of time. This privilege is very fitting for her; for she is all-pure, all-holy, whose body was never touched by any slightest shadow of sin, but was always the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Ark of the Covenant, the very Tabernacle of the Son of God. … Mary has been taken up into Heaven because she is the Mother of God.

“This is the greatest of her privileges., the root of all others and the reason for them…Mary’s Assumption thus confirms us in this great and beautiful truth: we are created and called to union with God.” (Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, Divine Intimacy).

Another reason exists for the Assumption of Mary; it is a quite practical one and can be proved scientifically. There are some truths that simply cannot, indeed, will not be denied. As such, the beautiful Eucharistic miracles which prove that the Consecrated Host is truly the body and blood (Type AB no less!) of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Continue reading “Mary was taken up into Heaven, 2023” →

The Third Visit – A Vision of Hell

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On July 13, 1917, Our Lady of the Rosary made as she had promised, her third visit to the Cova da Iria.

It was in the torrid month of July, the month of the Precious Blood of Jesus, one hundred and six years ago today, that Our Lady of Fatima visited the little shepherds for the third time.

The immense importance of this visit cannot be overestimated, for at this time, the Blessed Virgin revealed her Message for the world. We take the following account from “The Whole Truth About Fatima, Volume I”, by Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité. This volume is available to download free from www.archive.org.

THE NEED FOR SACRIFICE

At the Cova da Iria on July 13, 1917, a crowd estimated at between one and two thousand were gathered. Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta knelt before the scrubby little holm oak where Our Lady appeared. In her account, Lúcia relates that in answer to her question, “What does Your Grace want of me?”, Our Lady replied,

“I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, and to continue praying the Rosary every day in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only She can help you.”

When Lúcia asked her to perform a miracle so that all would believe, Our Lady responded,

“Continue to come here every month. In October, I will tell you who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle for all to see and believe.”

Our Lady continued,

“Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially when you make some sacrifice: ‘O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary’ “.

From Lúcia’s account,

“As Our Lady spoke these last words, She opened Her hands once more, as She had done during the two previous months. The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me.) The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals.”

Here, in her Third Memoir, Sister Lúcia added: “This vision only lasted a moment, thanks to our good Mother in Heaven who, in the first apparition, had promised to take us to Heaven. Were it not for that, I believe we would have died out of fright and fear.”

TO SAVE SINNERS

Terrified and as if to plead for succour, we looked up at Our Lady, who said to us, so kindly and so sadly:

“You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart.”

“If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end, but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the reign of Pius XI.

“When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine and persecutions against the Church and the Holy Father.

“To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.

“If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions against the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated.

“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world.

“In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved, etc. [This marks the third part of the secret, not yet not revealed] Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco, yes, you may tell him.

“When you say the Rosary, say after each mystery: ‘O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need.’ “

While this was going on, Ti Marto relates, the crowd was so silent that you could have heard a pin drop. And, like Maria Carreira and some other witnesses, Mr. Marto, who was very near the seers, perceived an unintelligible murmur: “then I began to hear a sound, a little buzzing rather like a mosquito in an empty bottle. But I couldn’t hear any words!” This mysterious murmur was heard by only a few witnesses.

However, two other unusual phenomena were noticed by a much greater number: The luminosity of the sky noticeably decreased, as during an eclipse, the whole time the ecstasy of the children lasted. At the same time, the temperature, which was very hot, went down noticeably, and the tint of the light was modified. The atmosphere became yellow as gold.

In addition, a whitish cloud, rather pleasant to look at, formed around the seers. Here is the testimony of Mr. Marto:

“I saw what looked like a little greyish cloud resting on the oak tree, and the sun’s heat lessened and there was a delicious fresh breeze. It hardly seemed like the height of summer.”

THE TWOFOLD MESSAGE OF JULY 13

In the cycle of apparitions, this one on July 13 is a watershed moment. The previous apparitions, including the Angel’s visits, prepared for this one and this apparition is essential for understanding the subsequent ones. For it was on this day, as Lúcia relates, that “Our Lady deigned to reveal to us the Secret”.

So true is this that the message of July 13 appears to us very clearly divided into two parts:

  • First, there are the words which were divulged immediately,
  • Second, the long text of the secret which the seers carefully kept hidden. However, what is important is that the two parts of the message are very closely connected.

The great novelty of this apparition, the decisive word which would attract innumerable crowds to the Cova da Iria for the last three months, is the announcement of a great miracle.

Lúcia requested of Our Lady, ” … tell us who You are, and to work a miracle so that all may believe that You are appearing to us.” Although the request of Lúcia reminds us of Bernadette’s request at Lourdes, the response of Our Lady is very different: At Lourdes, when Bernadette followed the advice of Father Peyramale and asked Her to make the rosebush in the grotto bloom, Our Lady was content to smile. In this case, and here is the decisive, prodigious event, She accedes to the request:

“Continue to come each month. In October, I will say who I am and what I want, and I will work a miracle so that all may believe.”

Thus She announced three months in advance the place, day and hour of the promised great miracle. It was a clear promise, without any condition or the least ambiguity. On August 19 and September 13, Our Lady repeated it in the same terms. Never before had Heaven shown such condescension to the demands of men, to guarantee for them with certitude the truth of a message. Already, by this solid link between the prophecy and the miracle, the event of Fatima is unheard of, incomparable.

Our Lady made this announcement of the miracle “so that all will believe”, immediately before revealing to the three seers Her great prophetic secret. This was to make them understand, in all clarity, that the miracle would guarantee the divine origin of the secret, as well as the fulfillment of this prophetic secret.Thus the great miracle of October 13 was closely associated, by the Blessed Virgin Herself, not only with the whole of Her message, but especially with the prophetic secret of July 13.

It was when Our Lady opened Her hands again as in the two previous months, that the children had the vision of hell. This month, no doubt the Blessed Virgin remained in this attitude while She revealed the secret. And the supernatural light which they received then was not limited to the vision of hell. Once again, as on May 13 and June 13, they enjoyed a sort of vision of God as Lúcia reports:

Francisco seemed to be the one on whom the vision of hell made the least impression, though it did indeed have quite a considerable effect on him. What made the most powerful impression on him and what wholly absorbed him was God, the Most Holy Trinity, perceived in that light which penetrated our inmost souls.

Afterwards Francisco said: ‘We were on fire in that light which is God, and yet we were not burnt! What is God?… We could never put it into words. Yes, that is something indeed which we could never express! But what a pity it is that He is so sad! If only I could console Him!’

This great sorrow of Our Lord, which reveals to us His Heart, outraged by our sins, and as it were overwhelmed by the chastisements which these sins justly draw down upon us, profoundly marked the soul of Francisco during the first three apparitions. He never forgot it, and his whole ideal would be to pray and sacrifice himself to ‘console God’.

THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

The apparition of July 13 also marks the high point of the revelation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the center and very heart of the whole message. The three apparitions of the Angel, followed by those of Our Lady on May 13 and June 13, had prepared this revelation which the great secret expresses in all its fullness. But it is a remarkable fact that in the last three apparitions there is no more mention of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This great design of divine mercy for the salvation of the world would not be unveiled until later…

That is why, on July 13, Our Lady solemnly announced that She would come back. 

She kept Her promise and returned on December 10, 1925 at Pontevedra, to manifest once again Her Heart pierced with thorns, and to request the practice of the communion of reparation on the five First Saturdays of the month. And She came back again, on June 13, 1929, at Tuy, to ask for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart.

Russia? On July 13, Lúcia did not yet know what this word meant. Yet she always affirmed having heard the word Russia. Similarly, she is sure of having heard ‘no reinado de Pio XI’. ‘We did not know if it was a Pope or a king’, she confided to Father Jongen in 1946, ‘but the most Holy Virgin spoke of Pius XI.’ As for the announcement of ‘a night illumined by an unknown light’, it was fulfilled to the letter during the night of January 25-26, 1938.

Let us point out here, since it is important for critical purposes, what perfect harmony there is between the two parts of the message, that which was divulged immediately (Fatima I), and that which remained secret a long time (Fatima II). The convergence of themes, which marks the profound unity of the same message pronounced by the Blessed Virgin the same day, is striking.

‘ONLY SHE CAN HELP YOU.’

From Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité :

The secret of the secret is that God wills to give us everything through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin, in response to our devotion to Her Immaculate Heart, not only spiritual goods but even temporal peace, and this for the whole world. Has anyone noticed that one of the words of Our Lady, faithfully reported by Lúcia to her parish priest the next day, has the same vigour, the same exclusivity?

‘Continue to pray the Rosary every day… to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, for only She can help you.’ It is equivalent to saying: there is no salvation for us except from Jesus  through the Blessed Virgin; this was already the essential core of the secret of Fatima which was disclosed as early as July, 1917.

previously posted on : July 13, 2021 posted by : evensong

Pray the Rosary and confound satan and all who serve him!

Remember – Our Lady needs us to obey:  First Saturdays of Reparation, daily rosary, at least 5 mysteries, wear her brown scapular and live your Total Consecration to her Immaculate Heart, offering daily duties in reparation and for the conversion of poor sinners.

“Open your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only: and He will free you from the hands of your enemies. With all your heart return to Him, and take away from your midst any strange gods” (I Kings 7:3)

†  Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of our hearts, Mother of the Church, do thou offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion of poor sinners, especially our Pontiff.
†  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come! Viva Cristo Rey!
†  Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
†  St. Joseph, protect us, protect our families, protect our priests.
†  St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

Please pray for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Thoughts on the First Joyful Mystery

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The Rosary is a beautiful prayer composed by the Father, Son and Holy Ghost in honor of the most beloved daughter, mother and spouse of the Most High Trinity, and is meant to be a sure path to lead us through the darkness of this life.

We often hear how much Our Lady loves for us to pray her Rosary, but not enough is said about how much Our Lord Jesus Christ loves for us to pray the Rosary. Do we understand, really understand that we could never pray our Rosaries attentively without Our Dear Lord’s help? And when we prepare to pray it, we must understand that of ourselves, we are completely unable to pray worthily to Mary, the Mother of God. It is only through Jesus, who loves both Mary and ourselves and wants to see us united in His love, only through Him that we can pray her Rosary worthily.

But once we grasp that simple fact, and surrender all attempts to pray well on our own, and beg Him, of His infinite mercy to abide with us and assist us as we attempt to honor His dear Mother, He will open the treasures of this incomparable prayer for us. You will be delighted as He unfolds the Rosary for you, for it is an exquisite album filled with His loving memories. With it, He shows us how He desires us to approach Him through His Mother , how to best serve Him and what plans He has for us.

And so we see that Our Lord Jesus Christ introduces us to His Mother at the very beginning. When someone loves you, they want you to meet, and love, those who matter the most to them, for love always unites good to good! In the First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation, Our Lord introduces us to His beloved Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. He paints us a picture of her, so that we can appreciate her beauty and virtue. Let’s see what He tells us.

“And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’ s name was Mary.  And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: ‘Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

“‘Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of His kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: ‘How shall this be done, because I know not man?’ And the angel answering, said to her: ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’

“‘And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God.’ And Mary said: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1, 26-38)

Now, the very first thing OurLord tells us about Mary is that she is pure and innocent, a virgin. At the same time, He tells us that God the Father sent His angel Gabriel, who stands before the throne of God, to Mary. Gabriel’s name means Power of God and he is only mentioned by name in Daniel (in the Old Testament) and in Luke. Note the respect that Gabriel shows to Mary, referring to her as “full of grace” and “blessed among women”. He also states that “the Lord is with thee”, all of which confirm the purity of Mary and her fullness of grace.

After Gabriel tells her that she is to become the Mother of Jesus, Mary speaks her first words. “How shall this be done, because I know not man?”  Now, Jesus is showing us with what beautiful virtues His Mother is arrayed. Her purity, far from being a negative thing, merely the absence of sexual activity, is a powerful affirmation of God. Mary’s virginity, like her Immaculate Conception is the indwelling of God’s grace and mercy. Whereas Eve, the first ‘Woman’, withdrew herself from her Creator in order to seek her own good, Mary, the ‘Woman’ of the New Testament, yielded herself totally to God, allowing Him to fill her with His life, thus, she is ‘full of grace’. The virtues shown by this simple verse are Mary’s perfect love of God,  her total consecration to Him, her purity, and her perseverance in keeping her vow.

Gabriel explained that the Incarnation of the Son of God would be accomplished by the power of God through the Holy Ghost. Mary then said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.”  With this verse, Our Lord shows us Mary’s humility and obedience, two of the most essential virtues. I call them ‘working virtues’ because you really cannot get through a day without them if you are intent on living close to Jesus and Mary. You must always beg Our Lord for an increase in these because it is a constant war to keep them. They are most hateful to the devil and he strives mightily to strip us of them.

So, Our Lord Jesus Christ has painted us an incredibly beautiful picture here, portraying His Mother so that we can see her beauty, her excellent virtues and her unique stature before the Holy Trinity. By showing her to us in this way, He sets out the virtues He wants us to acquire and the means He intends us to use. “Here is My Mother”, He is saying. “I give her to you. See, we shall have the same Mother!  She will be your example of the necessary virtues and she will teach you how to grow in them and advance toward union with Me, so that we can rejoice together in Heaven.”

If you will take a moment before beginning your rosary to put yourself in His presence and acknowledge your unworthiness to pray fittingly to Our Blessed Mother, and ask His help so that together you can honor and love her, He will draw close and teach you and you will have the peace that only comes from truly being a child of Mary. He so wants to bring us to her, and she so wants to bring us to Him! Only ask and you will be astonished at the profligacy with which these two Sacred Hearts pour out their blessings on you!

O my Jesus, it is for love of Thee and of our Virgin Mother, I offer these prayers, in reparation for my sins, for the sins of my family, for the sins of the Church and for the conversion of sinners. I beg the reign of Thy Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in my heart, in my life, in my family and in the Church. My Jesus, grant that I may love Thee always and then do with me what Thou will. Amen.

Pray the Rosary and confound the devil!

Remember – Our Lady needs us to obey:  First Saturdays of Reparation, daily rosary, at least 5 mysteries, wear her brown scapular and live your Total Consecration to her Immaculate Heart, offering our daily duties in reparation and for the conversion of poor sinners.

Open your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only: and He will free you from the hands of your enemies. With all your heart return to Him, and take away from your midst any strange gods” (I Kings 7:3)

✝︎  Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of our hearts, Mother of the Church, do thou offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion of poor sinners, especially our Pontiff.
✝︎  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come! Viva Cristo Rey!
✝︎  St. Joseph, protect us, protect our families, protect our priests.
✝︎  St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

~ by evensong for love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, King.
Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O Sacred Virgin! Give me strength against thine enemies!

The Second Visit, June 13, 1917

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“Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you.
My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”

On the feast of St. Anthony, June 13, 1917, Francisco, Jacinta and Lúcia returned as they had promised the Lady. At this visit, Our Lady made three requests:

“I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to pray the Rosary each day, and to learn how to read. Later, I will tell you what I want.”

Lúcia then ventured to make a courageous request:  “I would like to ask you to take us to Heaven.”

“Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make Me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion I promise salvation; these souls shall be dear to God, as flowers placed by Me to adorn His throne.”

Lúcia:  “Am I to stay here alone?”

“No, My daughter. Do you suffer a great deal? Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”

Lúcia then tells us,

“As Our Lady spoke these last words, She opened Her hands and for the second time, She communicated to us the rays of that immense light. We saw ourselves in this light, as it were, immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light which rose towards Heaven, and I in that which was poured out on the earth.

“In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a heart encircled by thorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity and seeking reparation.

Frère Michel de la Sainte Trinité comments on this sublime vision:

” …  through the rays coming forth from the hands of Mary, they saw themselves submerged in God … and in the great light of God, it was given to them to contemplate the secret of Mary, to see Her pierced Heart. ‘In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a heart encircled by thorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.’ ” 

And here in this vision, we arrive at the very heart of the Message of Fatima, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged at the offenses to her Son and Savior, and offering a Mother’s tender love to reconcile her Son with those He came to save.

The fruit of the vision for the three seers was an intimate knowledge and an ardent love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Lúcia says that it was like an infused virtue which was granted to them that day:  ‘I think that, on that day, the main purpose of this light was to infuse within us a special knowledge and love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, just as on the two other occasions it was intended to do, as it seems to me, with regard to God and the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. From that day on, our hearts were filled with a more ardent love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’ “

Lúcia noted that little Jacinta especially was overflowing with fervor:  “From time to time she would say to me:  ‘The Lady said that Her Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God. Don’t you love that? Her Heart is so good! How I love it!’ ”

Years later, Lúcia said to Father Fuentes,

“Tell them Father, that my cousins Francisco and Jacinta sacrificed themselves because they always saw the Blessed Virgin very sad in all Her apparitions. While with us she never smiled, and this sadness, this anguish we noticed in her is because of offenses against God and the chastisements threatening sinners. This anguish of hers penetrated our soul; in our childish imaginations we could hardly think of enough ways to pray and make sacrifices.”

In that same interview, Lúcia said of devotion to the Immaculate Heart,

“Finally, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Most Holy Mother, consists in considering Her as the seat of mercy, of goodness and of pardon, and as the certain door by which we are to enter Heaven.”

In this Second Visit, Our Lady tells us:

“Jesus … wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.”

Note, Our Lady says, “Jesus wants”.  She does not present it as a mere suggestion. No – she says clearly “Jesus wants to establish”. That means that it is a request from Our Lord Jesus Christ for the Church to establish, that is, formally propagate and enrich with indulgences, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Has this been done? And what of the First Saturdays? A century has passed … Indeed, it is late …

The year before this apparition, the Angel of Fatima made three visits  to speak of the “Hearts of Jesus and Mary”, thus preparing for this moment when Our Lady announced that Jesus “wants to establish in the world” devotion to the Immaculate Heart of His Beloved Mother. The revelations of Fatima, especially the mystical vision at Tuy,  prove that devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the desire of the Most Holy Trinity.  Yet today, the Church still has not established, devotion to the Immaculate Heart. For 100 years it has been left to individuals and groups while the Vatican occupies itself elsewhere.

It is a tragic misconception for Catholics to dismiss devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as a mere “private revelation” that is optional. Far from it, Fatima’s message is the last opportunity we are given to obey God. Our Lady, as she showed at her great Miracle of the Sun on October 13, 1917, stands before God imploring mercy for us, poor sinners. God’s justice demands that if we, this sinful world, are to benefit from her merciful intervention, we must at the very least obey our Mother’s request.

When I think on this logically, and search through the prophecies,, especially the Apocalypse, I do not see any reason to believe that the ongoing and accelerating chastisement can be mitigated at this point. But when I spend time with Our Lady, heart to heart, I realize that our Lord’s tender love for us always responds to our contrite and loving hearts.

And so, I do not believe then, that it is too late to turn, contritely, penitently, to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and ask their help to convert our recalcitrant hearts to their service. It is not possible to pray our Rosary every day, to spend that much time with Our Lady, and not believe that she will help us, if we are trying our best to obey. Her love will never fail us, and so we pray with confidence!

As we continue to commemorate Our Lady of the Rosary’s six visits to the little saints of Fatima in 1917, we shall see that this second  visit in which Our Lady offered  Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta devotion to her Immaculate Heart, was to prepare them for the third visit, in which Hell is revealed in all its everlasting horror. With every Rosary, let us thank her for calling us to be the ones to draw near to her, to pray her Rosary and offer our small sacrifices in reparation for sins and for the conversion of sinners.  Our Lady offers us her heart today even as the world seems intent on marching to its damnation. But for us, well, we pray for them always, and trust them to Our Lady, Queen of the Holy Rosary, Mother Most Merciful.

Think on this,

“Jesus wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart.
To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation.”

NOTE:

True devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary requires the total commitment to practice the devotion of her Immaculate Heart, which is humility, purity and obedience. When the Consecration is performed with impure hands, impure and prideful hearts, it still has some efficacy, it still draws down graces, but by that very act, this pure light of God reveals the corruption that was hidden. But the grace abides and will, in time, restore the Church.

This year, more than ever before, there is a concerted attack on the message of Fatima, much of it subtle attacks under the guise of supporting Our Lady. And so, we must keep this message alive in our hearts, “Jesus wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation.” Yes! He has, since His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, desired to reign publicly, in the governments, churches, homes and hearts of His subjects. He has waited patiently, for centuries now. And at Fatima, He entrusted to His Mother the task of bringing us back to Him. For these two Hearts are one, cor unum. She is our sure path to Him. We are so blessed to abide in this love!

On our own, in this wretched mess created by the arrogant pride of disobedient prelates, we do not stand a chance of returning to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but with Mary, we know that Triumph is near – Take Heart! And take her hand!

Fatima was a request from Heaven to return to the practice of the true faith with humility and obedience,  Our Lord gave us His Mother, who is the Model of humility and obedience to be our refuge and sure path to return to His love; all we have to do is humble ourselves and obey. Not seek out new devotions, but humbly obey the ones which are called for.

Remember – Our Lady needs us to obey:  First Saturdays of Reparation, daily rosary, at least 5 mysteries, wear her brown scapular and live your Total Consecration to her Immaculate Heart, offering daily duties in reparation and for the conversion of poor sinners.

Open your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only: and He will free you from the hands of your enemies. With all your heart return to Him, and take away from your midst any strange gods” (I Kings 7:3)

†  Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of our hearts, Mother of the Church, do thou offer to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the conversion of poor sinners, especially our Pontiff.

†  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom come, Viva Cristo Rey!

†  St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family, protect our families, protect our priests!

†  St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

~ by evensong for love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, King.
Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O Sacred Virgin! Give me strength against thine enemies!

If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts

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“If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”
 (Psalm 94, v8), (Heb. 3,15)

Today, we reiterate that the requests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary still remain to be fulfilled. Indeed, they are more pressing now than ever.

The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Christ the King, and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are inseparable, They are in no way disparate, nor are they contradictory. And these are inseparable as well from the Mass and most especially, the Holy Eucharist.  Furthermore, the requests, demands really, of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, as relayed by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1689, still stand today, more than three centuries after they were made known. Once God has uttered a request, it does not cease to be simply because centuries pass while Catholics turn an indifferent ear to them.

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The Nations Will Rise Up Against You, 2023

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“The Nations Will Rise Up Against You”  has been posted numerous times since about 2015 and has not been updated.  Now, after ten miserable years in the See of Peter, Pope Francis has shown himself as the enemy of Jesus Christ, Whose Vicar he purports to be, by attempting to demolish the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is this which caused me to resurrect this old post  even though it is out of sequence, today. I have removed the outdated portions to focus on what is most apt for today.

“By God’s permission the nations will rise up against you; they will have vain thoughts of you; they will esteem as naught your priestly dignity and consecration. The princes of the earth will unite to cast you down. Your rulers will drive you from their territories, since your crimes have driven the innocent Lamb far from you.”   (St. Hildegard von Bingen)

As long-time readers know, we have posted on the dangers to the sacred priesthood since the inception of this blog several years ago, stressing the connection between the message of Fatima and the spread of heresy, apostasy and the corruption of the sacred priesthood.

It is only through true and total devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that the evils of doctrinal and moral dissolution will be purged from the true Church, the Bride of Christ. Those who occupy the seats of power in this church congratulate themselves that their efforts are bearing fruit at last will soon see something they did not at all anticipate. Soon, God willing, we will discuss this further. But for now, we offer, from 2015:

The Sacred Priesthood – A Prophecy

An essential part of the message of Fatima is the warning of the corruption of the priesthood. Sister Lúcia spoke of this to Father Agustin Fuentes:

“Father, the devil is in the mood for engaging in a decisive battle against the Blessed Virgin. And the devil knows what it is that most offends God and which in a short space of time will gain for him the greatest number of souls. Thus, the devil does everything to overcome souls consecrated to God, because in this way, the devil will succeed in leaving souls of the faithful abandoned by their leaders, thereby the more easily will he seize them.

“That which afflicts the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Heart of Jesus is the fall of religious and priestly souls. The devil knows that religious and priests who fall away from their beautiful vocation drag innumerable souls to Hell … The devil wishes to take possession of consecrated souls. He tries to corrupt them in order to lull to sleep the souls of laypeople and thereby lead them to final impenitence.” (Sister Lucia of Fatima to Father Agustin Fuentes, December, 1957)

Hildegard’s Prophecy

In an earlier article, we quoted Pope Benedict’s address to the Curia in 2010 where he in turn, quoted from St. Hildegard von Bingen.* 
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