Cord Rosary

Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima! Let us celebrate!

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad."
- Psalm 118:24 (Catholic New American Bible)

Below is a brief history of the events that lead to the recognition of today as the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima:

In a mountainous region near the town of Fatima, Portugal, the Mother of God appeared six times between May 13th and October 13th, 1917, to three shepherd children, Lucia Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Mary told the children that she had been sent by God with a message for every man, woman and child in our century. Coming at a time when civilization was torn asunder by war and violence, Mary promised that Heaven would grant peace to all the world if her requests for prayer, reparation and consecration were heard and obeyed.

Mary explained that war is a punishment for sin. She warned that if people continued to disobey God’s Will, they would suffer consequences of war, hunger and persecution of the Church. She also prophesied that Russia would “spread her errors" of atheism and materialism across the earth.

Our Lady of Fatima repeatedly emphasized the necessity of praying the Rosary daily, of wearing the Brown Scapular, and of performing acts of reparation and sacrifice. She also promised a sign as proof of her messages.

On October 13, 1917, a crowd of 50,000 people at Fatima, including many noted skeptics, saw the sun rotating and spinning in the heavens; then, leaving its orbit, it plunged toward the earth. The “Miracle of the Sun” is fully documented. On May 13, 1982, Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s Square. He credits his miraculous escape from death to the intervention of Our Lady of Fatima. In November of 1989 the Berlin Wall came down and the Iron Curtain of Communism fell without a shot being fired. Our Lady of Fatima's words have stood the test of time. Let us continue to pray the Rosary and obey Our Lady's requests as we face new threats in our own time.

Autom offers a wide range of Catholic Church supplies including rosaries and Catholic prayer books to help in your celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima. So head over to our website and pick up a cord rosary or glass rosary to follow in the words of our Blessed Mother. We at Autom have provided the Catholic community with affordable church supplies since 1948, and continue to do so today. Thank you for over 62 years of your loyal support!

 “Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to my merciful Heart, and I will fill them with my peace.”

–Jesus to Saint Faustina

In 1931, Our Lord Jesus appeared to Sister Maria Faustina in Poland, with two rays radiating from His heart. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes our souls righteous and the red ray for the Blood which is the life of our souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of Christ’s tender mercy when His agonized heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.

Jesus told Sister Faustina to paint the image with the words, “Jesus I trust in You.” He asked her to pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy from Good Friday until the Sunday after Easter; however, it can be prayed at any time.

Jesus said, “Say unceasingly this chaplet I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy, and to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy.”

The message of mercy is that God loves all of us no matter how great our sins.

A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.

B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.

C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.

On April 30, 2000 (Divine Mercy Sunday of that year), Pope John Paul II canonized Saint Faustina and declared the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.

As an exclusive for our Autom blog readers we are offering the wood cord rosary and metal rosary shown in this post for only $1.49 each! This rosary sale expires next Friday, April 16, 2010.

Lent is upon us once again! The Church calls us to this ancient season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to rekindle our faith in Christ Jesus and prepare us for the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene invites us to sit with her at the feet of Jesus and receive His love for each of us. Pope Benedict calls us to then walk in love, to give our world a "renewed witness to the Resurrection of Christ." Our fellow humans are suffering, and they need us to allow Christ to love them through our acts of mercy. 

Through His wounds, Jesus overcame evil at its roots, and He anoints us with power to do the same. Saint Paul calls us to stand against the evil one by rejecting sin and putting on the armor of light (see Ephesians 6:10-20).

This Lent, let's ask Our Lord, "What do You want of me?" Lent is not so much giving up as giving in, surrendering to Jesus, allowing Him to have more of us so He can do more to us and through us! Let's seek to let go and let God, by spending more time with Him in prayer, fasting from legitimate pleasures, and sharing our treasure, time, and talents, so we can be more fervent instruments of His peace and mercy to others.

Here are some practical ways to carry out your Lenten resolutions:

• Pray using good Catholic Prayer Books
• Read the Scriptures, such as the New American Bible
• Pray the Rosary. If you need a good glass rosary or cord rosary, we can help!

If we cooperate with Jesus' abundant Lenten grace, we can be confident He will rise again in us on the morning of the Resurrection. Glory to God!