Peace in the Storm

From the Catholic Liturgy for 19^th Sun. of Ordinary Time, Aug. 13, 2017. Mt 14:22-33. Topic: Peace in the Storm.

I think we are all in a situation today that is like a boat that is out of our control and being tossed about by winds blowing out of North Korea and waves crashing within our own nation. And yes, we are powerless over it and so fears arise. But we must take courage and realize that we are not helpless. God has sent us a Peace Plan from Heaven to get us through this social storm. I am talking about the authentic apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal in 1917. God sent Our Lady with a message of peace and hope. She said that humanity was entering a time of great wars and suffering, but that God had sent her as mother with a way out of the storms which lay ahead. She worked an awesome scientifically unexplainable solar miracle to prove the truth of her words. It was witnessed by over 70,000 people gathered at Fatima in October of 1917. This year we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of this message of peace and hope.

And do you know what her very first words were when she appeared to the three shepherd children?  Do not be afraid! Words that we need to hear and remember in todays’ social storm. Our Lady is like us, one of us, she knows our sense or fear and powerlessness in the face of international matters over which we have absolutely no control. But she came to remind us that we are not helpless and to show us the way to peace, even if it seems as impossible as walking on water.  So, of course the question at hand is this: What is the Peace Plan from Heaven? What is the message of Our Lady at Fatima? It is so simple than even a little child can do it and it can be easily remembered by recalling just three words: Rosary, Reparation, and Consecration.

ROSARY. The rosary is something that just about all Catholics know and I bet something that just about every Catholic has in their possession. The easiest way to explain the rosary is to say that it is praying the life of Jesus. While saying the Our Fathers and Hail Marys we reflect on various events in the life of Jesus. And while doing so we are asking Mary, over and over again, to pray for us. The rosary places the life of Jesus before our minds and in our hearts day after day. And this is the secret to its spiritual power. At every one of the 6 apparitions at Fatima, Mary asked that we pray toe rosary for peace every day. The rosary gives us strength in our powerlessness and courage in our fears.

REPARATION. We all know what reparation means…it is making up for something wrong we have done. In our relationships, when we hurt someone we love, and then repent of it, we go to them and say “I’m so sorry. I will never do that again.” That’s reparation. And so the same applies in our relationship with God. We remember what St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say, “God does not demand success; he simply wants fidelity.” And so we repent. We try to become better and do our best relying on his grace to help us. We go to confession if our sin has been grave. We never lose hope. We never give up. That’s reparation and I think you can see how that contributes to peace.

CONSECRATION.  Our Lady asked for consecration to her Immaculate Heart, which is a symbol of her love for us. Consecration can also be called “entrustment” and so it means that we consciously entrust ourselves to her as mother and allow her to form us into the image of Jesus, her Son our Brother. There are no special words to do this, though many prayers have been written to help us do so. This is the most personal and relational part of the Fatima Peace Plan. It is children turning to their mother in love and for help.

Rosary. Reparation. Consecration. Do your part to contribute to the Peace Plan at this crucial time in our history. May Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of Peace and our Mother, pray for us and help us to be not afraid and to expect the unexpected from our God of the Impossible.