by Barb Ernster –
This was the humble question little Lucia asked the Blessed Mother at the beginning of each of the apparitions at Fatima: “What do you want of me?” It is a question we all need to ask every day if we are devoted to — or have consecrated ourselves to — the Immaculate Heart of Mary and if we truly trust in the Lord.
Even after the vivid and frightening revelations of the July 13 apparition—the vision of hell, the prophecies and the third part of the secret—10-year-old Lucia asked again: “Is there anything MORE you want of me?”
Only someone completely emptied of self-interest and self-preservation could ask this question without any curiosity about what just happened.
There is much angst in the world at this time and people look to those who can deliver us from the chaos, the lies, the corruption, the moral bankruptcy, the apostasy from truth. But the answer is, WE will deliver us by our obedience to the Woman clothed with the sun, who is leading us right now.
Only by her complete obedience and humble submission to the words and direction of Our Lady did Lucia help establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart, as God desired. Only by her complete obedience to daily prayer and seeking God’s will did she help move the Church to approve the First Saturday devotion, to move Pope John Paul II to finally make the consecration that brought down communism in the USSR and the Iron Curtain within five years – after 70 years of complete totalitarian rule. She never sought to know how, when or what the future held; she just kept doing what she could, namely offering sacrifice and prayer daily and fulfilling her duties to God and those around her.
Even when things didn’t turn out as they should, especially when the urgency of the times demanded it, she had an incredible way of avoiding the pitfalls of despair, surrendering all to God’s providence. When the consecration of Russia was not getting done, despite Our Lord’s persistent requests for it in the 1930s, she wrote to her spiritual director, “I am sorry that it has not already been done. However, it is the same God who requested it, who has permitted this.”
Having given all over to Our Lord, she then went about doing what she could and continued to promote the First Saturday devotion among the lay people and clergy with whom she was in contact. She noted in one letter that she was anxious for its propagation, not only because its practice would lead to peace in the world, but “above all, because it is the will of our dear Lord and of our dearly beloved heavenly Mother.”
As communism was reaching the pinnacle of its power in the USSR toward the end of the 1950s, she wrote to Fr. Augustin Fuentes, postulator for the cause of Francisco and Jacinta: “God has provided humanity with an extraordinary weapon to stave off Satan—the Rosary. Political, national and international activities are beyond the reach of most people, but each person can recite the Rosary, and thereby influence the outcome of the world.”
To her nephew-priest who wrote to her about the disorienting times for the clergy and religious following Vatican Council II, she recommended that “above all else,” he get close to the Tabernacle and pray. “The only important thing for us is to do the will of God, to be where He wants us to be and to do what He expects of us, always with a spirit of humility, conscious of the fact that we ourselves are nothing and it is God who works through us and makes use of us to accomplish His work.”
To those who caused her much suffering because of the constant and widespread speculation about the third part of the secret, she lamented: “If they would just devote their energy to living out the real essence of the message, which has already been revealed — Our Lady’s request for prayer and penance.”
What would Sister Lucia tell us to do in our times?
The same. Stay close to God in the Eucharist, pray the Rosary, practice the First Saturday devotion, offer the sacrifices of your daily duty and seek the will of God in your life.
To those who are already doing this, if the Blessed Mother were to stand before you today, would you also be able to ask: “Is there anything MORE you want of me?”
May we all avoid unnecessary curiosity and concern about the future, but seek God always and trust in His divine providence.
11 Responses
Of we will only listen to what God wants of us and lovingly say FIAT!
What do YOU want of me, Lord?
Dear Ms. Ernster, thank you for a timely and well reasoned reminder of how to proceed in this time of world turmoil and chaos within the highest ranks of the Catholic Church. Good people respond to Holy Leadership. There are some Priest/Sons who are using their voices to clarify/warn and instruct. As a member of the laity, you are also God’s channel of right Faith, wholesomeness, encouragement and leadership. I sincerely thank you. May God bless the good Shepherds and the good sheep.
Thank you for your kind words. Sister Lucia is always a beacon of love, mercy and trust.
to reach the ignorant, a simple love is what should be LOVE is what should be preaching not all the fancy words that those with out understanding can’t understand. i am so tired of the catholic elite who don’t understand the ignorant,95% of the homeless are mentally ill our local government does nothing and no one else does when it is so simple,trailer parks for the homeless. i travel through Ohio, nothing but open land and i;m sure through out America ,
It’s true, Our Blessed Mother, Patron Saint of the United States, can heal our divide between love and hate. Look how we need her much now to diminish Satan’s work and return to God. Simple requested tasks we all can do.
I love your messages of hope in and with God. Because of corona virus, my husband has requested I stay away from church til the increase in cases lessens. Please suggest how I can keep First Saturdays. I was going before the virus started. Thank you
Kristine, sorry for the late response. You can do a spiritual communion if you watch the Mass on TV. EWTN and our own shrine live-streams daily Mass. Just offer a spiritual communion in reparation for the sins against the Immaculate Heart. In fact, if you cannot find a Mass, you can still offer a spiritual communion, as the request was to receive Communion, not attend Mass. If you can go to confession, it can be 8 days before or after. Otherwise, if you are in a state of grace, just offer an Act of Contrition for your sins, in reparation for the sins against the Immaculate Heart.
Then, you just need to say your 5-decade Rosary and do the 15 minutes of additional meditations with Our Lady, and you can do that at home. I hope that helps. Our Lady certainly understands our situation during this time. Any time and love and prayer you can give her on this day to console her heart will be accepted in heaven. God bless!
Please don’t stop going to church, because this is the plan of Satan so Gods people can stop going to church so they can close churches. And do you know what really happens when we are in church??? Well we’re celebrating the banquet of heaven here on earth with the angels our heavenly mother our saints and our Lord Jesus Christ our redeemer this is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world ????❤️
Thank you for the encouraging article.
Thank you for this reminder of graces brought through the recitation of and meditation on the Rosary.
I find it encouraging to realize that the Miracle of the sun occurred so recently and am also saddened that in spite of this so many do not believe.
God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving.