Today marks the 91st anniversary of the first appearance of Our Lady of Fatima to the shepherd children Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. This always feels like a special day for me, although it is not exactly my nameday. We of course made sure to pray a rosary this morning – this would not be a good day to forget that! Unfortunately we can’t read the story to the kids today, since most of our books are packed up now. I’m considering whether it would be appropriate to make a dessert to celebrate…perhaps what we ought to do instead is to perform penances in reparation for the sins of the world. The children at Fatima – ages 6-10 – did penances that nowadays would probably not be approved even for adults by many confessors. Going without water while working out in the heat of the day; skipping their lunches at the same time; wearing tight cords around their waists. Even if these particular penances might not be advisable given one’s own circumstances (i.e. if I were to go without water that would end up depriving my baby of food), this is a reminder of the importance for us of performing some kind of penances.
Filed under: Feast Days, Holy Living, Liturgical Year Tagged: | Feast days, Liturgical Year
