Lent with St. Francisco: Blessed are those who mourn

Jesus told the crowds, “Blessed are you who mourn, for you will be comforted.”

Do we not all mourn with our brothers and sisters when there is suffering? We mourn because of the miseries of poverty, oppression and depression within ourselves and in others. But the pious person mourns most of all from the tremendous might of evil over our lives and throughout the world.

Yet we bear the sorrow for the sake of the Cross with our hope firmly in the Lord, seeking consolation from Him and the promises of the resurrection.

The Blessed Mother knew mourning as she accompanied Christ on His journey. She embraced the sorrows of her life and the tremendous sorrow of the Cross, comforted by her faith that God’s will was being accomplished and it was all for a greater good.

St. Francisco was constantly aware of the sorrows of others. Once when a woman asked him to pray for her son, he knelt before her with all humility, took out his rosary and prayed with her. He entered into her sorrow, not able to relieve her misery, but firm in his faith that God could. He accompanied her in her mourning, restoring her hope and peace in God. And God comforted her soul.

St. Francisco was always aware of the great sorrow of Mary and Jesus due to man’s rejection of God. He mourned for them, seeking to console them with his own heart, despite his own miseries on earth.

Ask St. Francisco to accompany you in your mourning, for he can now draw down God’s comfort from his eternal home in heaven.

Like this content? Help us spread the message of Fatima.

Search

Sister Lucia was a Martyr to Daily Duty

If there is anything we can learn from Venerable Sister Lucia, it is heroic patience and perseverance, which she embraced fully as each day unfolded – one to the next – until her death at age 97 on Feb. 13, 2005. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of her holy passing, Lucia is a good reminder of how to become a saint through what she called “the long, hard road of martyrdom that has to do with daily living.”

Read More »

Blue Army on the March

As we gathered under the towering presence of the Washington Monument, the excitement of the Pro-Life Marchers was palpable. For many in our country it seemed that the great pro-life victory achieved by the overturning of Roe vs Wade in 2022 marked the end of the Pro-Life movement on the national stage. But nothing could be further from the truth. Our drive to transform the culture of death into a truly pro-life generation and to end the victimization of the most innocent in our society has only increased, as political support and a great awareness of the sanctity of life continues to spread. Listening to the Vice President of the United States address the captivated crowd we could feel the winds of change stirring above our nation’s capital.

Read More »

The Holy Year Has Arrived! The Jubilee of Hope and the Centennial of the First Saturday Devotion

We welcome 2025 in a special way. The Holy Father has declared a Holy Jubilee Year dedicated to the virtue and message of hope. At the same time, we also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the apparitions in Pontevedra, Spain where Our Lady gave us the First Saturdays devotion. It is no coincidence that the Holy Year and this great anniversary come together in this special year. The message of Fatima was first presented to us by an angel who laid the foundation of this spirituality by calling for pardon through the adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Eight years later, the last surviving seer, Sr. Lucia, was given the formula for obtaining mercy and hastening the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart promised at Fatima. Eucharistic devotion is at the forefront of this devotion. How appropriate that this unique convergence comes only one year after the great year of the Eucharistic Revival. 

Read More »

Our Lady’s Smile

The innumerable pilgrimages by my father’s cousin sparked a desire in me to travel as a pilgrim. Fatima would be my first encounter with an overseas pilgrimage. It was a dream come true!

My father’s cousin had been there seven times. Always, always he lavished us with gifts upon his return. On one occasion he brought each of my siblings a statuette of Our Lady of Fatima. We treasured them dearly!

Read More »

When Christmas Preparations Truly Matter

It all began the day after Thanksgiving, on Black Friday. Navigating the sales and offers for material goods, many of which will be discarded the next day I was buried in the confusion of the season which hadn’t even started yet. The police were on high alert as the potential for violent clashes at retail outlets across the country was high.

Read More »

Stay Up to Date!

Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.