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Our Lady said this part of the consecration still must be followed — will we listen?
As Pope Francis has made the consecration to the Immaculate Heart specifically naming Russia, there is one essential part connected to the consecration that most people forget. On July 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima told the seers: To prevent this [World War II and the persecution of the Church and the Holy Father], I shall come to the world to ask that Russia be consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, and I shall ask that, on the first Saturday of every month, Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world. Our Lady gave two requirements in one sentence: the consecration of Russia, and the First Saturday devotions. In a later apparition she fills in the simple details of what the pope needs to do for the consecration and what the Five First Saturdays devotion consists o...
Pope Francis’ consecration of Russia and Ukraine is an ecclesiastical earthquake…
Why now? Why 105 years after the Fatima apparitions, and 93 years after Sister Lucia had the message from Our Lady confirmed in 1929, is the Holy Father explicitly consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in union with the bishops of the world? The war is the reason, and not just the fighting in Ukraine. Kyiv is still standing but Kirill of Moscow has already fallen. The Holy See released Wednesday the text of the Act of Consecration, to be made by Pope Francis in Rome on the Feast of the Annunciation and by his envoy, Cardinal Konrad Krajewksi, in Fatima at the same time. It will truly be universal — translations were issued in Tigrinya, the major language of Eritrea, and Malayalam, the language of the ancient St. Thomas Christians of Kerala. The relevant par...
‘To Your Immaculate Heart We Solemnly Entrust and Consecrate Ourselves, the Church and All Humanity, Especially Russia and Ukraine’…
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As Russia’s violent monthlong invasion continued to devastate Ukraine, Pope Francis laid the fates of both countries at the feet of Mary in the hopes that peace would finally reign. “Mother of God and our mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine,” the pope said March 25, pronouncing the Act of Consecration after leading a Lenten penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica. Praying before a statue of Mary that was loaned by the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at San Vittoriano on the outskirts of Rome, the pope pleaded with Mary to “accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end, and peace spread throughout the world.” Sitting in front of the sta...
Canon 1251 says you can eat meat on a solemnity — so be penitentially festive today. Or, if that doesn’t do it for you, be festively penitent…..
From a reader… QUAERITUR: What is required / recommended regarding fasting and abstinence when a solemnity falls on a Friday in Lent? And another… I can’t make out if the Lenten Friday rule of abstinence applies to the Solemnity tomorrow? I presume you are Latin Church Catholics. Those who are bound by the law are to do penance on Fridays of Lent. However, tomorrow, Friday is 25 March, the Solemnity (in the Novus Ordo calendar, which the 1983 Code presumes) of the Annunciation. Please attend to can. 1251. Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. For those who don’t like the Usus Re...
Good news! You can eat a cheeseburger on Friday, March 25. Here’s why…..
Another one is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, which is March 25. Because it falls on a Friday in Lent this year, the abstinence requirement doesn’t apply. In other words: You are free to enjoy a cheeseburger or a juicy steak — guilt-free (unless you’re dieting, that is.) Don’t want to take our word for it? See Canon 1251 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. It states: “Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. [Emphasis added.] Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.” The feast of the Annunciation began to be celebrated on this day during the fourth and fifth centuries, soon after the date for celebrating Christmas was universalized ...
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord: Bishops and Faithful Worldwide to Join Pope Francis in Prayer; Consecration to Occur Approximately 1:00-1:30 p.m. EDT…
Bishops around the globe are encouraging their flocks to participate in the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Since Pope Francis announced the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, inviting bishops and their priests around the world to join him in the consecration and in prayer, responses have resounded from dioceses on every continent. The act of consecration, led by Pope Francis, will be prayed on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. A simultaneous event will be occurring in Fatima, Portugal, where, in an apparition, Mary spoke of such a consecration the children seers in 1917. North America Within the United States, many state dioceses have released statements indicating...
Silly-clever pro-choice arguments, and how to take them down…
It was an example of the kind I call “silly-clever,” borrowing the term from George Orwell. He used it in criticizing the work of the major Christian apologists of his day, including Chesterton and Lewis. (I don’t think his argument against them is very good, for what it’s worth.) The pro-choice meme began: “Here’s a test. I’m holding a baby in one hand and a petri dish in the other. I’m going to drop one. You choose which.” It continued: “If you really truly believe an embryo is the same thing as a baby, it should be impossible for you to decide. You should have to flip a coin, that’s how impossible the decision should be. Shot in the dark, you saved the baby. Because you’re aware there’s a difference. Now admit it.” It’s “silly-clever”: clever because the assertion seems a legitimate “go...
Feeling angry? Take it before the Blessed Sacrament…
Parishioners at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Scottsdale, Ariz., kneel before the Eucharist. (CNS photo/J.D. Long-Garcia, Catholic Sun) He felt angry, really angry, all the time, my friend told me, responding to something I’d written about the way our government as well as businesses neglect the environment. I sympathized. Many of you will as well. Reading social media can do that, if you have friends who post lots of political items, especially if you have an ideologically diverse group of friends. So can most news and opinion sites, which drive up their readership by making their readers angry. My friend, I and others talked about how to deal with these feelings. People suggested praying more, of course, which is always a good idea. Others suggested simply not reading as much of s...
Mackenzie Scott, former Amazon executive and Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife, gives record $275 million to Planned Parenthood…
March 23 (Reuters) – Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $275 million to women’s healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, the largest gift from a single donor in the organization’s more than 100-year history, Planned Parenthood said on Wednesday. The donation, which is part of Scott’s pledge to give away the majority of her wealth, was made to Planned Parenthood’s national office and 21 regional affiliates. Scott, who is now married to Dan Jewett, a Seattle science teacher, received a 4% stake in Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) as part of her divorce from Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions and other healthcare services at its clinics around...
Heaven works backwards. And it cannot be otherwise, for God never changes…..
Ever since I can remember, even as a very young child, I have struggled with saying a certain class of prayers. While some prayers—those exalting God’s goodness, or seeking His mercy—always felt as if I could easily make the words my own, this other class of prayer left me feeling self-conscious and doubtful of my own sincerity. For lack of a better term, I will call this class: prayers by the saints, for the saints. With Lent upon us, I found myself once again pondering the words I was speaking to Our Blessed Lord in the Stations of the Cross; words penned from a saint. The traditional Stations of the Cross were written by St. Alphonsus Liguori, one of the most brilliant and holy men to have ever walked through this vale of tears. When we accompany Our Lord on His journey to Golgotha, St....
9 issues to watch on the ninth anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate…
Pope Francis ended his ninth year as pope with a most pleasant occasion, the celebration with his fellow Jesuits of the quatercentenary of the canonizations of Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier. And his 10th year got off to a momentous start with the publication of Praedicate Evangelium (Preach the Gospel), his flagship governance document, and the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Friday. The Holy Father may savor those moments, for the year ahead, his 10th as pope, will feature troubled waters that he will have to navigate. On his ninth anniversary, here are nine files to watch in the year ahead. A Papacy of One All the files will land on the Pope’s desk personally, as the past year has made clear that as a matter of governance style, Pope Francis bot...
How to evangelize fallen-away Catholics…
She once worked in full-time ministry jobs, but stopped going to Mass 2 years ago and most of her family and closest Catholic friends don’t even know she stopped. She reached out to tell me her story after reading a previous post on lonely Catholics. But, that isn’t the end of the story. I want you to hear her story. She grew up in a very active Catholic family. She discerned a religious vocation for a while, she never had any big issues with Catholicism, and then after college she worked for 2 major Catholic apostolates and several parishes in full-time work. But, she never found deep Catholic relationships or community that cared enough to reach out to her. Maybe it was because she was single. Maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, she never felt like she mattered to others, at le...
