Behold Jesus Knocks: Home Enthronement of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts
By Blue Army Staff Having your home enthroned to the Sacred Heart can open the door to peace and preservation of marriage and family life. In December 1673 at Paray-le-Monial, France, Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and revealed his Sacred Heart as a symbol of his love for mankind, saying, “My divine Heart […]
Memorial Day: What We Must Never Forget
I began writing this article on Memorial Day, a day that evokes patriotism and gratitude. At least I hope that it does. Not to honor the many who have given their lives for our nation, even if you don’t agree with actions that brought us into a particular conflict, is an insult to those of commitment who questioned little and gave all. The “greatest generation”, as Tom Brokow referred to those who fought in the Second World War, had a simpler vision. My parent’s generation, who grew up during the Great Depression, entered this second attempt at a “war to end all wars” not with great debate but with a sense of service. They knew that many would not return, but they understood the value of duty as they faithfully went forth, imbued with patriotism and the belief that we would triumph against the godless “isms” in the world.
The Lady Made of Light
The Blessed Mother at Fatima appeared dressed all in white and as if she was “made of light,” according to the shepherd children. The light that radiated from her opened their eyes to the vast and unexplainable nature of God and manifested His presence in the depth of their hearts. What a phenomenal gift for these young seers, who could never put into words what they experienced, because, as St. Paul states, “Who can comprehend …the love of God that surpasses all knowledge?”
“Where the World’s Headed Nobody Knows…”
Wars and rumors of war. Politics as a blood sport. The deterioration of society and the dismantlement of a culture.
The 1971 song Ball of Confusion by the Temptations summarizes it best. “Round and around and around we go, where the world’s headed nobody knows!” We do know, and we have the power to change the world and bring it back into proper orbit. We must first realize that we have taken it astray.
Mary and Jesus speak as one through the Fatima and Divine Mercy Messages
Soon after St. Maria Faustina Kowalska was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell, she wrote about what she saw in her Diary, so that she might tell souls about it and testify to its existence. Like St. Jacinta Marto, she was so overwhelmed and horrified at how terribly souls suffer there, she dedicated herself to praying fervently for the conversion of sinners and incessantly pleading for God’s mercy on them.
The Truth Will Set Us Free
The readings during Passiontide are accusatory of those who held positions of authority in the time of Christ. Over the years there have been allegations that these were attacks against the Jewish people. More accurately these statements are aimed at those who held positions of religious authority in that time. The Gospel’s words are not anti-anyone nor is it about stigmatizing any group. Instead, it interrogates our human nature and how we respond when we fear that we will lose our special position. It calls out the denial of truth and the reality. Even though we follow the ultimate Truth, we must also be vigilant about assuming that only we are the chosen ones in this day. Christ said that He would be with us until the end of time, specifically in the Eucharist, but the question to ask is this: will we remain with Him? Assuming that we are superior because we have been given the gift of Faith is taking a detour from the path Christ sent the disciples on, the same path that as baptized Catholics all of us are commanded to follow. Each of the apostles faced persecution and violence for his beliefs. Indeed, most of the first popes died as martyrs, happy to give their lives for the Faith.
Young Hearts: The holy death of Jacinta and the 1918 Flu
St. Jacinta Marto endured a prolonged and painful illness that led to her death on the night of Feb. 20, 1920, in the Estefania Hospital in Lisbon. Only a night nurse, Aurora Gomes, was present in the ward that evening, but when questioned, she could not recall any details of the young seer’s death, nor anything about the child herself. As Our Lady foretold, Jacinta died alone, far from her relatives and friends, due to complications arising from the Spanish Flu pandemic, which swept around the world between Jan. 1918 and Dec. 1920.
Lucia Gives Us a Pathway for Lent
Lent is a time for us to reflect on our relationship with God, repair those things that keep us from Him and turn back to Him if we have been away. Faith is the gift that allows us to trust in God and to follow His commandments as a sign of our love for Him. In her book, “Calls” from the Message of Fatima, which has been described as a “catechism of Fatima,” Sister Lucia gives us a pathway to meet God every day, but especially during penitential seasons.
These Times call for Greater Sacrifice and Reparation
As Lent approaches, one begins to let go of the celebratory Christmas season and all the feasting that comes with it and settle into a new season of penance. Making sacrifices does not come natural to us, especially here in the United States. It’s hard to discipline ourselves in the practice of it. But as […]
Can the fulfillment of Our Lady’s request for the First Saturdays Devotion in this Extraordinary Marian Jubilee Year bring about a lasting peace?
The call of Fatima is more urgent than ever today. As an apostolate we have been charged with disseminating this call for fidelity in an age of apostasy. Ponder for a moment what the world would look like if Our Lady’s call for adherence to the laws of God and respect for civility had been followed in 1917. The peace and stability that only God can provide would rule the day. Instead, confusion about the very nature of the human person and the dehumanization which always precedes conflict is overbearing. The constant upheaval that defines our world today is a product of our insistence on following our own path and not the lead of God. Today society is in a desperate state as we set on the brink of global war and uncertainty. Suicide rates are on the rise as desperation, the most powerful tool of the devil, is prominent among those who do not see the hope that God shows us. People are judged by a secular vision which sees only their apparent usefulness and not their intrinsic human dignity; thus suicide, abortion and euthanasia are easily rationalized.
