Christ the Eucharistic King

• Kazan - An Important Marian Shrine
  
• Proper Use of Television Requires Heroic Virtue
  
• Harry Potter and the 3 Little Shepherds of Fatima
  
• Educating One's Conscience
  
• Two Great Powers Given the Catholic Church
  
• Fighting Fear by Praying the Rosary
  
• An Experience with Sr. Lucia and her Priest-Nephew
  
• The Day Jesus Announced the Holy Eucharist
  
• Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration Reaching Out
  
• Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati: Patron and Example for Our Youth
  
• Why Reparation to Mary?
  
• Tobit, the Beautiful Story of a Good Family
  
• Editorial - Fatima Begins and Ends With the Eucharist
  
• Fatima Family Forum
  
• Questions & Answers
  
• News Briefs & Comments
  
• FFA Chatterings

Editorial - Fatima Begins and Ends With the Eucharist

This issue coincides with the conclusion of the "Year of the Eucharist". It has been a year when the Pope hoped to renew the faith of Catholics in the Holy Eucharist as Sacrifice and Sacrament. The Church is "the Church of the Eucharist". The mystery of the Holy Eucharist is a major part of the Fatima message which popes have called "a reaffirmation of the Gospel".

All Marian Shrines, located at sites of Church-approved apparitions, are Eucharistic centered. This is certainly true with the message of Fatima and its shrine in Portugal. The Fatima message both begins and ends with emphasis on Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

The year before Our Lady appeared to the three little shepherds in the parish of Fatima the Angel appeared holding in his hands a chalice surmounted by a host from which some drops of blood were falling into the chalice. After profoundly adoring God in the Eucharist the Angel gave the children Holy Communion. "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ..." The bleeding Host reminds us that the Eucharist effected at the celebration of the Mass perpetuates the Sacrifice of the Cross.

A year after the Angel of the Eucharist appeared at Fatima in 1916, the Mother of God appeared on May 13, the Liturgical Feast of Our Lady of the Eucharist. She immediately drew the children to our Eucharistic Lord. When Our Lady opened her hands for the first time, shedding on the children a light so intense that it seemed as a reflex glancing from her hands and penetrating to the inmost recesses of their hearts, making them see themselves in God, who was that Light, by an interior impulse, communicated to them, they fell on their knees, repeating in their hearts: "Oh, most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the most Blessed Sacrament!"

You will read in this issue how Sr. Lucia's priest-nephew, with whom I was acquainted, at my request asked Sr. Lucia, "What is the most important part of the Fatima message?" She said she wanted to think about it for a couple days. Then she answered: "The most important part of the Fatima message is at the beginning. At the Cabeco with the Angel." It was at the Cabeco that the Angel of the Eucharist appeared with the bleeding Host, led the children to adore the Eucharist with him and gave them Holy Communions of Reparation. With all this the little shepherds experienced an intense presence of God; silence was imposed on them. They felt a great peace and joy which left their souls entirely immersed in God.

During the July apparition when the vision of hell was shown, Mary said, "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart." Mary then spoke of punishments to befall the world but conditioned the warning with: "In order to prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation of the first Saturday..."