The tragedy of a life centered on “things,” on the grasping and manipulation of objects, is that such a life closes the ego upon itself as though it were an end in itself, and throws it into a hopeless struggle with other perverse and hostile selves competing together for the possessions which will give them power and satisfaction. Instead of being “open to the world” such minds are in fact closed to it and their titanic efforts to build the world according to their own desires are doomed in the end by the ambiguity and destructiveness that are in them. They seem to be light, but they battle together in impenetrable moral darkness.
Thomas Merton
Zen and the Birds of Appetite, p. 82
I was absolutely astonished by your article, The Fatima Secret: Persecution of the Church. Why? Because there has not been any instruction in, or mention of, the First Saturday devotion in any parish that I have been recently part of. In fact, almost no one that I know is familiar with this devotion, as it is never spoken of. Is there not some way that our Bishop could be persuaded to place an emphasis on this devotion? Could he not be motivated somehow to urge the priests in our diocese to introduce it to their parishioners?
The article by itself will not generate the desired results, even though it may be read by a good number of Catholics on your website and in the Catholic News Herald. The faithful have to be introduced to it, and allowed to see what a beautiful devotion this is. We have retreats, ministries, prayer groups, and other important religious offerings, but no one, NO ONE, speaks about the First Saturday devotion. Is it not time to do so? Please make our Blessed Mother happy, and mention it to our Bishop. P-L-E-A-S-E!
SK D. M. Rivera