There is much in the news today that points to the rumblings of war. Pope Francis noted two years ago that we are living through a “third World War,” one that is being fought piecemeal, referring to the Russian/Ukraine conflict. Since Oct. 7, 2023 – the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary – we have watched the destruction unfold in the Israel/Gaza conflict, and the ideological divide unfold in this country, threatening civil peace here. The upcoming election looms large, and both sides of the political spectrum threaten that the other side will destroy democracy in this country. Anxiety levels are at an all-time high.
We may feel as if we have no say in these world events, but we absolutely do! Our Lady gave us the prescription for peace, promising our interior peace and peace in the world if we do the things she asked. We have the solutions direct from Heaven, given in various promises.
Here are five things we can do, even as we celebrate with fireworks, hotdogs and patriotic songs this weekend, to help obtain peace in our world.
The Rosary Brings Peace
One of the 15 promises of Our Lady to those who pray the rosary is: “You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.” Would this not include freedom from anxiety and peace in the world? The rosary helps us draw from the deep well of Mary’s Heart and calm the distractions and anxieties that take away our peace.
Our Lady promised at Fatima to obtain peace for the world and an end of the war through the rosary, prayed especially in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, Queen of Victory! World War I ended one year after the apparitions.
Sister Lucia wrote in 1970:
“The Rosary is the prayer of the poor and the rich, the wise and the ignorant. …Even for those souls who pray without meditating, the simple fact of taking the beads to pray is already a remembrance of God, of the supernatural.”
She also said it has been given “greater efficacy” in these times because we need a very strong spiritual tool against all the negative forces we are fighting.
Make the First Saturday Devotion
In the July apparition, Our Lady at Fatima acknowledged the lack of peace in the world and warned of a worse war to come. She called for the Communions of Reparation on First Saturdays to help avoid this. Sister Lucia tried desperately to propagate this devotion throughout the 1930s, as Our Lord insisted, because the time was approaching when “the rigors of His justice would punish the crimes of various nations.”
She told her spiritual director, “Whether there is going to be peace or war in the world depends on the practice of this devotion (along with the Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary). This is why I am so anxious for its propagation; and above all, because it is the Will of Our Dear Lord and of Our Dearly Beloved Heavenly Mother.”
We are nearing the 100th anniversary of the request for this devotion (Dec. 10, 1925), and we seem to be on the brink of war again. Should we not be concerned that the rigors of God’s justice might be hanging over our heads once again?
Therefore, let’s do the First Saturdays – go to confession (within 8 days), receive Holy Communion (it can be at the Saturday vigil Mass, or at the Sunday Mass if one cannot get to a Mass on Saturday), pray the Rosary and spend 15 minutes with Our Lady in meditation.
St. Jacinta stated before her death that we are to ask the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the graces God wants to give us, and to ask for peace because it has been entrusted to her. Jesus confirmed to Sister Lucia that the peace of the world has been entrusted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Commit to the First Friday Devotion
This Friday is a First Friday. Our Lord promised St. Margaret Mary Alacoque that He would establish peace in your home and grant you all the graces necessary for your state in life, if you receive Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays. These are just two of 12 promises of the Sacred Heart to those who take up this devotion. Can you get to a daily Mass on Friday and let it be the first of your nine First Fridays? Otherwise, say some prayers and acts of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – and implore His gift of peace in our world.
Seven Sorrows Devotion
One of the seven promises to the those who honor Our Lady in the Seven Sorrows Devotion is peace to your families. We are asked to pray seven Hail Marys and meditate on her tears and sorrows:
- The prophecy of Simeon (Lk 2:34-35)
- The flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13-14)
- The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:43-45)
- The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross
- The Crucifixion
- The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross
- The burial of Jesus
An Hour of Eucharistic Adoration
Nothing brings about a sense of peace more than sitting before Our Lord in the Eucharist in silence. Jesus told us, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” You do not have to recite formal prayers or even say anything. Just sit with Him and abandon yourself to Him. Sister Lucia reminded her nephew priest in 1973, who was anxious about the disorientation of the times, that the problems in the world were because people had abandoned prayer. She told him to get close to the tabernacle and pray. It is here that God would communicate with him, and he would find the light, strength, peace and grace to sustain him so he could pass it on to others.
We can all contribute to peace in our families, nation and world by just doing what Heaven has asked of us. Together, we CAN change the world.
