Called to be Saints

The universal Church celebrates the heroic faith and witness of children who refused to be bullied –by religious and secular authorities alike– into recanting their accounts of the appearance of a beautiful lady who urged them to pray the rosary daily, to make sacrifices for sinners and open their hearts fully to the love of God.

The Lady asked the children then what she would ask of us today: pray the rosary every day. Many Catholics have long neglected the practice especially in the family setting. It is seen by many as a time-consuming and tedious task, best undertaken by Catholic schools, many of which have stopped the recitations of this powerful prayer and the meditation of the holy mysteries.

The children were told that the Great War of 1914 to 1918 could be brought to an end by prayer. Our Lady warned about future wars, which the world would bring upon itself by its wickedness.

In an era or political and military instability, with the threatened use of nuclear weapons by North Korea, the widespread suffering, civil unrest and violent clashes on our doorstep in Venezuela and now with the almost daily murders in this country, we should heed our Blessed Mother’s call to pray, and save ourselves from the destruction which is increasingly rearing its evil, ugly head.

The fact that the children to whom the Virgin appeared were humble, ordinary peasants holds another truth that we need to acknowledge. We are all called to be saints, regardless of our state in life.

In the performance of our daily duties, in our treatment of brothers and sisters, in our handling of the challenges which each of us must face and in our relationship with God, we are called to be heroic in our faith.

The idea of a heroic faith may seem far fetched and impossible to achieve. To be certain, it is a state that we cannot reach without divine help.

It requires a complete surrender to the will of God, complete faith in His power and love.

The Lord assures us in today’s Gospel, that if we keep His commandments we will have His help.

He will send “another Advocate”, the “Spirit of truth” to be with us forever (John 14:15, 16).

In her love for the children, Our Lady of Fatima allowed them to have a vision of Hell, as she warned that many souls were being lost to the fires of eternal damnation. She begged for prayers for the conversion of Russia and for penance to bring about world peace.

The message of Fatima are as applicable today as they were in 1917. We would be foolish, indeed, if we did not heed them now.