Bp Peter's Address

OPENING ADDRESS OF THE 9^TH INDIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE WORLD APOSTOLATE OF FÁTIMA – 18 November 2015                                                  

Bishop Peter Machado of Belgaum, the Indian National Ecclesiastical Advisor to the WAF, appointed by the CCBI 

(Courtesy articles from Prof. Americo Pablo Lopez Ortiz, International President of the WAF)

We are no one to stand before Our Lady; we can only put flowers in the bouquet to Our Lady.

Our new Mission is precisely the most important task of the Universal Church in the third millennium: The New Evangelization.  This New Evangelization will be carried on through our charisma of knowing, living and spreading the authentic Message of Fátima, a perfect echo of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our times. And the Spirituality of Fátima is the spirituality of the Most Holy Trinity as contemplated in its pristine splendor by the beatific vision of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I give you Five sides or perspectives on the Message of Our Lady of Fatima:-

1. Historical:

The WAF is historic, since in the year 1917, when the world was engulfed in war and communism, Our Lady appeared to the little children. We can say that this is no longer a private revelation and devotion. This is a spiritual medical prescription coming from heaven to save us from destruction of Christian civilization.

The First Marian Lepanto was in 1571. As the First Marian Lepanto was the triumph of the Holy Rosary at the crucial moment where Christianity was struggling to survive before Moslems of the Ottoman Empire, and the Pope proposed the Holy Rosary as the instrument to prevail.

The Second Marian Lepanto was the triumph of the Lady of the Rosary over atheism and the political structures curtailing the Kingdom of God on earth that were crushed by the foot of the Woman dressed in sun (Miracle of the Sun in Fátima).So, Our Lady of Fatima is the Second Marian Lepanto.

The first Apostles prayed together in the Upper Room around the Mother of Jesus Christ for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday is considered the birth of the Universal Church.

The new Marian Pentecost is Our Lady of Fatima’s Apparitions.

2. Various crises we face today were foretold by Blessed Jacinta:-

A) Crisis of faith: many no longer believe in God. Faith is measured in the challenge of the Cross

B) Crisis of values or ethics: there is no honesty and justice. Corruption abides.

C) Crisis of prayer and sacraments. Who goes for confession nowadays? In USA the recent survey shows that 67% Catholics do not believe in the Eucharist.

D) Crisis of families. Many are now unicellular, do not want children and seek only luxury. The three “Cs” ruin family life: comfort, convenience and compromise. In many places, Rosary has lost its value because of TV. There are two altars: one for TV and the other for the Cross and Rosary.

These crises, we see today are the culture of death with the practice of war, abortion, euthanasia, economic exploitation of the poor and the needy, destruction of the Christian family, sex liberty, gay marriage and lack of faith in God, eradicating His presence from civilization, society and culture

3. Challenges for which the WAF has a role:-

A)   The spirituality of Our Lady of Fatima is that of the Most Holy Trinity. She is the earthly icon of the Most Holy Trinity to us.

B)   WAF members are to be salt and leaven to all. We must first renew ourselves within transforming us and then others will transform seeing us by our witness.

C)   Enlist solution from heaven through Mary. We must recognize the signs of the times through the WAF. HE Cardinal Rylko, President for the Pontifical Council for the Laity said that the WAF mission is the New Evangelization and formation of the laity. By New Evangelization, we mean using new methods of spreading the saving Gospel of Jesus, using new tools like social media, etc.

D)   Opening hearts and minds to fullness of God’s love in the Year of Mercy. This is a time for special honor of God, shown by a change in the way of life, in reparatory practices as a true “conversion of heart” takes place.

E)   We must have the sign of interior life in God’s presence like the three shepherd children which is doing charity for the conversion of poor sinners and with an accurate knowledge of their own consciences, “contemplating themselves as in the best of mirrors”, as God contemplates them.

4. Weapons or Instruments for spiritual warfare:-

A) Word of God

B) Prayer, Our Lady teaches us especially the Rosary to pray meaningfully, these are connected prayers to Our Lord. They contain mysteries of Our Lord in the life of Mary. Mary goes on pilgrimage in the life of Jesus. Rosary is the lay person’s Breviary.

C) Penance and Reparation. Many have a negative meaning of life, since they want to enjoy. The message says that each one of us must convert first, not great leaders first. The meaning of penance is to deprive oneself of something to get something more. We surrender ourselves to make place for other greater things. Persecution is also the weapon of the Church. Faith progresses through persecution.

D) Asking for God’s Mercy. It is not only opening the doors of the Church but the doors of our hearts to inner conversion and God’s Mercy, the proclamation of His primacy: God is first!

E) Frequent sacraments especially Confession and Holy Eucharist. Confession culture is dying out. Confession is the parameter of the soul.

F) Daily recitation of the Rosary. Fatima is the school of prayer. Offering of our lives to God; consecration and entrustment to God through the Immaculate Heart of Mary

G)Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the Communion of Reparation of the Five First Saturdays. This practice is blessed by five tremendous graces from heaven: (1) Grace of final perseverance; (2) conversion of many sinners; (3) salvation of many souls; (4) peace of the world; (5) unity and strength of the Universal Church against inner dissentions opposing the Magisterium of Peter.

The lives of Blessed Jacinta, Francisco and Servant of God Sister Lucia are models of holiness that we all must know first to be able to transmit to others. These seers of Fatima are true models of spirituality, portraying both vocations in the church:  contemplative and apostolic life.

5. towards the future:

Will the Centenary celebrations of 2017 be just another celebration? We must move fast now in preparation for the Centenary. Next time (here) we need four times more participation in three years. I urge Priests here to start and use these seven weapons.

I just want to mention that the Cathedral of my Belgaum diocese is dedicated to Our Lady of the Family Rosary of Fatima, so the focus is on the family Rosary praying together.

To conclude, Our Lady of Fatima is Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. We are challenged to do the mission of New Evangelization. We are reminded that God’s Mercy is also Our Lady opening Her protective mantle. The message of Fatima is ultimately for peace and mercy. Lumen Gentium mentions: Mary is within the Church, not above the Most Holy Trinity. Giving Mary undue honour and glory is giving the Most Holy Trinity dishonour. Mary is the servant of the Lord which means humble to the Church. Mary is the woman of Faith to guide us and bring the family to where the Mother is. Wishing you all a very fruitful Meeting.

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