Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. 

"Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, ­realize that it hated me first. 

"If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. 

"Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 

"And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me." (John 15: 18 - 21).

Saturday 13th May 2023 in the 5th Week of Easter is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. 

The feast of Our Lady of Fatima celebrates the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children at Fatima in 1917. The message of Fatima is continued conversion to God and dedication to Mary through commitment to pray the Holy Rosary.

The Gospel for today shows the reality and certainty of persecution in the Christian ministry. 

The disciple of Christ is the bearer of the Good News. He is kind, gentle and generous in his ways. Naturally he expects to be welcomed with smiles and open arms. This does not always happen. What he may experience may be outright rejection of his person and his message. He is treated as a bearer of Bad News who deserves persecution.

This is why Jesus teaches his naive disciples this basic lesson: Remember! Remember! Remember! Forget this lesson and you will be fried as a fish. I Jesus am the Lord, you are my servants. I am the Rabbi. You are my disciples. The people I am sent to, reject My message. They curse me and maltreat me. Before your eyes, they will crucify Me. Tell Me honestly: How do you think they will treat you? You bear my name. My name provokes their hatred.

Since God cursed the Ancient Serpent, the warfare between Satan and man has not abated:  "From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head.” (Genesis 3: 15).

We see in the Old Testament, the types and shadows of the persecuted Jesus Christ:

Abel persecuted by Cain, Jacob by Esau, Joseph by his brethren, David by Saul, Elijah by Ahab. 

These are examples to drive home the teaching of Jesus.

If the disciples of Jesus do not take special care to study the Scriptures and remember the message of Jesus, they will merit a rebuke from the Master:

“You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures!  Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?” (CF Luke 24: 25).

Never forget the words and works of the Lord. Because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Cf Revelation 19: 10).

"I received My human face from My Mother. When you contemplate My Face, it is her beauty that you are contemplating. I received My created beauty from My Mother. My uncreated beauty is the radiance of the glory of the Father on My humanity."  (IN SINU JESU).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com