Finer Things, John XXIII & Fatima

Dear TIA,

I just finished reading the letter and response posted here, and I just wanted to express that I believe you are absolutely correct when you point out that some American Catholics, in an attempt to become more holy, seem to adopt the Calvinist model.

I know I did at one point in my thinking, though I had not acted on this impression because it seemed so counter to what I had been taught as a child, " to appreciate the finer things in life," as my father used to say. I could not abandon the impression that it was somehow wrong not to find some level of appreciation and enjoyment in the "finer things", but I knew intuitively that too great a love for these things would be wrong, as it should be.

I did not realize until now that I had always felt it was wrong to think that Our Blessed Mother did not dress with refinement, despite being "poor". God would not have wanted her dressed in rags, and neither would any of us who love her. I have to think that any of her beloved companions would not allow for Mary to leave her home with undignified dress and would offer her something appropriate if she did need it.

I have found that I experience much gratitude and a deeper sense of humility when I am able to savor the moment of realization that I have been blessed with good food, beloved company, and a beautiful environment, among other things. I give thanks at those moments and bow to our God in my mind. It is sad to me that so many beautiful customs of appreciation and devotion have been abandoned in the past decades, but I find such great hope and consolation when I read what I believe is the Catholic perspective that I find in your website.

We American Catholics need to take a moment to reflect on the grandeur of what our faith represented in the not-so-distant past, and seek to re-establish our humility and devotion to the Higher Authority that our Church and God have provided us for so long. It is only with such humility and devotion that I believe we will wish to please God and Our Blessed Mother by representing their perspective -- dressing and acting in a way that is pleasing to both of them, and also representing the finer aspects of humanity to anyone who sees us.

I recently recall being watched carefully by a restaurant attendant as my husband and our children were leaving the establishment. I made sure the children were all dressed well, and that they knew their manners prior to entering. I don't think the young woman who watched us leave noticed much during the time we were dining, as she was busy talking with the other hostesses, and I have never allowed our children to act in a way that draws attention to them in public places. I could feel her eyes on us until we left the restaurant, and it is my hope that we created an impression on her that day -- that there are still those who wish to reflect good manners and customs.

Anyway, thank you for providing such direction at a time when so much confusion exists in the roles Catholics should take.

      E.S, Ph.D.

TIA,

It was 50 years ago this last July 13, the 45th anniversary of the three seers third apparition with the Blessed Mother at Fatima, that I was within about 20 feet of John XXIII as he blessed the faithful while being carried on his gestatory chair through St Peter’s Basilica. The new book by Christopher Ferrara False Friends of Fatima would not be able to include John XXIII on a list of false friends because he was never a friend of Fatima but rather, as the Time Magazine 1962 Man of the Year pointed out, he had never made a secret of his disdain for Fatima, as is evident by these decisions:

* In the summer of 1959, in anticipation of the Third Secret of Fatima being revealed in 1960, the bishops of Italy consecrated their country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Thousands joined the processions throughout Italy carrying the statue of Our Lady of Fatima When the procession reached Rome. John XXIII embarrassed Our Lady by remaining silent and ignoring the celebration.

* In late 1959 John XXIII read the Third Secret in private, and then chose to disobey the wishes of Our Lady of Fatima by refusing to reveal the contents to the world.

* John XXIII brokered the "great deal" that was the Vatican-Moscow Agreement. The Vatican agreed not to criticize Communism at Vatican II in exchange for Russian Orthodox to be able to observe the proceedings. This agreement was a complete denial of the Fatima message and, in the opinion of many, eliminated any chance of consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It also meant that the Council could not condemn Russia for so many atrocities, including the mass murders order by Josef Stalin that took millions of lives. Since Vatican II pretended that these horrors never happened, it is just as easy to imagine that the hammer and sickle never flew on top of St Peter's.

* John XXIII was not the first pope to protect Communism. In September 1942, being well aware of the brutalities of 'Uncle Joe' and after the first two parts of the Fatima Secret had been made public, Pius XII said, "At the request of President Roosevelt, the Vatican has refrained from all polemics against the Communist regime ... May God grant that the free world may not have to regret my silence one day!" The results of WWII are history, with Communism taking over nearly half the world spreading 'the errors of Russia,' just as Pius Xll feared and Our Lady of Fatima warned.

* In 1931 Msgr Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pius XII, made an astonishing prophecy when he said, 'I am worried by the Blessed Virgin's messages to Lucy of Fatima. This persistence of Mary about the dangers which menace the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith, in her liturgy, her theology and her soul...'

* John XXIII's opening speech at the Council was a complete denial of the message of Fatima: "We feel we must disagree with those prophets of gloom who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world was at hand." This set the tone for the conclave that confirmed the prophecy of Pacelli, rejected the message of Fatima, eliminated the Holy Rosary and nearly expelled the Mother of God from the Church her Son created, to the delight of her enemies.

When doing research, one will read that John XXIII was beloved for his evident warmth and kindness. It will be harder to discover that he eliminated saints such as St Philomena 'Patroness of the Living Rosary' from the Calendar of the Saints. According to Fatima author Mark Fellows, Pope John was the Pope who single-handedly rehabilitated Communism, discredited Fatima and used deceitful methods to bury the Third Secret.

In the light of Fatima, he was the Pope of the Apostasy. He was beatified on March 3, 2000.

     Homer A. Sweeney