When Saint Rita asked for a thorn from Christ’s crown she was probably thinking of secret suffering. Did she know how much the wound would stink? And how unpopular that would make her with her religious sisters?
Though the saints still struggled and suffered with their weaknesses and sins, they lived their lives in Christ’s and were sustained by the fruits of the Spirit in their manner of life. This blog explores four saints who lived the fruits of the Spirit: St Therese of Lisieux and her journey to self-control; St Bonaventure, who saw joy as being an essential aspect of Christian life; St Rita of Cascia who patiently waited many years to enter the convent while persevering through a family feud; and St Maximilian Kolbe, who generously laid down his life for others in Auschwitz.
In 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. During the third apparition came three profound revelations, of which Our Lady asked the children to keep secret - the Three Secrets of Fatima.
Pray to Our Lady of Fatima with this litany based on the Fatima message, asking her to sanctify the clergy, to make Catholics fervent, and help us to resist temptation.
Ask Our Lady to undo the "knots" in your lives with this powerful prayer to Our Lady, Untier of Knots. "Mother charged by God with untying the “knots” of the lives of your children, I place the ribbon of my life in your hands..."