Homily Our Lady of Fatima (2021)
Homily Our Lady of Fatima (2021)
In church history there has been many apparitions that have taken place. People have seen saints, Jesus, angels and other otherworldly visions. Most often, though, people have had experience of seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We can think of St. Bernadette who encountered the Blessed Virgin at Lourdes. We also could remember Juan Diego who had a vision of Mary in Mexico that later led to the shrine that was established to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. Today we remember the shepherd children that saw the Blessed Virgin in Portugal starting on May 13th of 1917.
Mary had always appeared after or during a great historical event. Fatima occurred after World War I. The war to end all wars saw millions of people die. The brutality and carnage tested people’s faith and Our Lady seemed to be giving the world a reassuring sign.
Sometimes people may feel uneasy with apparitions. Studies are done by the church to ensure authenticity, but in the end any messages that are given to those who experience such phenomena bind the only the visionaries involved. Catholics are not bound to believe these miraculous events, but they can choose to believe.
If an apparition reveals something that it conflicts with Christian doctrine this is said to prove that the sighting is not to be believed. The doctrines of the Catholic Church are what Catholic Christians are encouraged to hold on to. Apparitions are uplifting, but not essential to the faith.
Reflection Questions:
- Does my faith depend on the supernatural experiences of another person? Why would that be a problem.
- What are the essential tenants of my faith? What is it that causes me to believe?
Dear Parishioners,
The governor has announced that our state will enter a bridge phase of our COVID 19 recovery on Friday. We are almost to stage 5 mitigation which would be a complete reopening.
What does this mean for our worship together? One thing it means is that we can now have up to 260 people in church at one time. We have seldom approached that number. For that reason, we will no longer be registering people for Mass online or signing people up at the door before Masses beginning Sunday. There should be room for everyone that wants to attend.
We will continue to wear masks. And we will continue to try to keep six feet between households. Please respect this guidance so that we can safely pray together. I would like to thank our office staff who have worked so hard to keep lists and monitor the sign-ups. Let’s continue to respect the sensitivity of those who are worried about their health. We do not want a resurgence of the virus.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Happy Birthday to Fr. Matthew who celebrates his birthday today. Please congratulate him when you seem him this week.