"The Call to Prayer" - Sr. Lucia of Fatima

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I began Chapter 8 in Sister Lucia’s book* “Calls” From the Message of Fatima*. Before Mary’s apparitions to the three children, they were visited by the Angel of Portugal. Sister Lucia recounts the second visit from the Angel in these words:

Pray, pray very much!.. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High…Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which he is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your country. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you.

Sister Lucia adds, at that time the children could not begin to imagine that this call to prayer was not only for them but for the whole of humanity. Sister wrote that now she looked upon this call as a pointer marked out by God since the beginning of creation.

Sister Lucia is speaking truly because prayer is our relationship with God and in creating each of us He created us in love for love. He did not desert us after Adam and Eve sinned because He wanted us to be reconciled to Him-- so He sent His Son through Mary that we might regain our friendship with Him and grow in our love for Him, in Jesus. This “Call to Prayer” has been as Sister wrote: “as a pointer marked out by God since the beginning”. By His Grace may we heed the Angel’s words" “Pray, pray very much!”

 

[ramyjo]

AMEN. Prayers work! Today’s designation as a day of prayer for the unborn has inspired the POTUS to sign an executive Order to defund international planned parenthood! Long way left to go but it’s a start! Praise God
,

 

[RPRPsych]

Another terrific post. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[petra22]

Yes, thanks!

 

[MariaChristi]

Yes, thanks!

Dear petra, and also RPRPsych, and ramyjo,

Thank you all for your replies. Prayers can do so much good, let us continue to grow by God’s Grace into stronger men, women and children of prayer! What a difference that would make in this wold!

 

[patricius79]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I began Chapter 8 in Sister Lucia’s book* “Calls” From the Message of Fatima*. Before Mary’s apparitions to the three children, they were visited by the Angel of Portugal. Sister Lucia recounts the second visit from the Angel in these words:

Sister Lucia adds, at that time the children could not begin to imagine that this call to prayer was not only for them but for the whole of humanity. Sister wrote that now she looked upon this call as a pointer marked out by God since the beginning of creation.

Sister Lucia is speaking truly because prayer is our relationship with God and in creating each of us He created us in love for love. He did not desert us after Adam and Eve sinned because He wanted us to be reconciled to Him-- so He sent His Son through Mary that we might regain our friendship with Him and grow in our love for Him, in Jesus. This “Call to Prayer” has been as Sister wrote: “as a pointer marked out by God since the beginning”. By His Grace may we heed the Angel’s words" “Pray, pray very much!”

Yes, amen. My way of praying constantly is to constantly call on the name of Mary, which is is the breath of the soul, as the saints and doctors, like St. Anselm and St. Alphonsus Liguori teach.

The angel of Portugal said:

" Pray, pray very much!.. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High…Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which he is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your country. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you."

This must always be understood in terms of love. Only through the love given through the names of Mary and Jesus can we embrace the Cross, so that it because part of the sweetness of love, and thus becomes light.

 

[MariaChristi]

Yes, amen. My way of praying constantly is to constantly call on the name of Mary, which is is the breath of the soul, as the saints and doctors, like St. Anselm and St. Alphonsus Liguori teach.

The angel of Portugal said:

" Pray, pray very much!.. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High…Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which he is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your country. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you."

Dear Brother Pat,

Thanks for your reply. Prayer is always a relationship and so each of us being unique and unrepeatable from God’s Creating Hand will grow in our relationship to Him (and to our Mother) in a slightly different way according to His Grace and how we cooperate with the graces He gives.

All the saints encourage us, but we can never be exactly like any one of them. We strive to “imitate” Jesus and Mary because they lived so perfectly in union with God, and we strive also to have some of the same virtues we see in the Saints’ lives too. All those efforts are good, yet I think we must always remember God has a special love for each one of us and so our our loving relationship with Him is a response to His Love for us.

Yes, Love is our aim. The image of Jesus on the Cross, given by the Father, emptying Himself for love of us and our dear Mother at the foot of the Cross giving herself with Him to the Father in Love, compels me to want to offer any and every sacrifice I can for love of them. Remembering Jesus’ words: “This is My Commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” encourages me to offer my sacrifices in union with Him as Mary did, for all those in most need of His Mercy.