May 14 – Homily – Fr Jacinto: Mary Keeps Us with Jesus

 

Jesus wants us to be with Him more than we want to be with Him, truly a great consolation. He tells us that in His Father house there are many rooms. We are all called to heaven, He is telling us, and since we tend to forget that this is our one great goal throughout life, His Mother has come to us many times to remind us of this fact. Yesterday we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first visit of Mary to the shepherd children.
Her message gets to the heart of the gospel: the reality of sin, the need for repentance and prayer, the reality of heaven, and the need to walk faithfully along this path. And this path is Jesus: the way, the truth, and the life. Mary guides us along this path, as she guided the three children of Fatima. Two of these were canonized yesterday as examples of Christian perfection and elder siblings we can call upon in our needs.
Mary told the children that many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray and sacrifice for them. These words sunk deep into their hearts, especially Jacinta's, and they turned prayer and sacrifice into their way of life. These children sought to bring others with them to heaven, most especially sinners.
We are also called to participate in the salvation of sinners by prayer and sacrifice. For prayer, most especially the Rosary and frequenting the Sacraments. For sacrifices, Father emphasizes offering up with a prayer of sacrifice all the many tasks, sufferings, irritations, and inconveniences of daily life, fidelity to our daily duties and state of life, the apostolates of words and example.
If we follow Her leading, Mary will help us get to heaven with many others.Ave Maria!

Mass: Sunday 5th Week of Easter - Sunday
Readings: 
1st: act 6:1-7
Resp: psa 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
2nd: 1pe 2:4-9
Gsp: joh 14:1-12