Fools for Christ

“… we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake…” I Corinthians 4: 9-10

In a talk he delivered Friday evening at an event sponsored by The Fatima Center near Dublin, Father Isaac Mary Relyea linked the above scriptural passage from St. Paul to The Fatima Center’s efforts in Dublin.

The World Meeting of Families, which ended on Friday in advance of Pope Francis’ visit to Ireland that begins today, drew thousands. Over a thousand people packed a hall just to hear Father James Martin alone. The conservative Catholic conference put on by the Lumen Fidei Institute just down the road from the World Meeting of Families drew four hundred people on each of two days.

By contrast, The Fatima Center had daily Masses and Rosary processions of reparation and sponsored Father’s talk. The best attended of those events had not more than thirty-five people.

Father Relyea noted that in the eyes of the world, those of us who organized, attended or supported The Fatima Center’s events in any way, are fools. Why bother processing around the grounds on which the World Meeting of Families was being held, repeating the same prayers while holding beads? What difference will it make to anyone who were putting on or attending the World Meeting of Families or to anyone else?

Father likened our efforts to those of Noah who was warned 120 years in advance of a coming chastisement from God and told to build a large boat in the middle of dry land. How all who heard Noah, or saw what he was doing, must have laughed him to scorn! But Noah was not interested in what his neighbors thought, only with what God wanted of him. If God wanted him to warn everyone about what was coming and to call them to repentance, while building the ark, then that’s what he would do. He was happy to suffer whatever loss of human respect carrying out God’s will would entail.

A hundred and one years ago, Our Lady of Fatima warned of a coming chastisement and exhorted the faithful to pray, do penance, and make reparation to Her Immaculate Heart to save souls. We at The Fatima Center, and all who support our efforts, do what we do, not to gain favour in the eyes of those in the Church or the world, or even to seek to effect a human solution to the problems in the Church and the world. We do them because She asked us to do them and we know that only She can help us.

It’s not easy to be part of a spectacle to the world, or to be considered a fool. But Father Relyea pointed out that if we are truly mindful of Whom we serve, we will suffer anything sent our way willingly and even with joy.

Besides, our efforts on behalf of Our Lord and Our Lady are never without their consolations. Father became emotional when he noted that despite much persecution in his 19-years as a priest, God regularly lets him know that his efforts are not in vain, that he is reaching people and helping them as God’s instrument to change their lives in His favour.

How many people did The Fatima Center reach by its efforts on behalf of Our Lady this week (efforts made possible by our supporters worldwide)? We will never fully know in this life. We do know that our efforts in Ireland to spread the Message of Fatima, to pray the Rosary, and to do reparation through the Masses we offered and processions we had were what She wanted of us. Now it’s up to Her.

As for us, the thing about fools is that they are almost always happy.

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