Monday, 3 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Peter 1 : 2-7

May grace and peace abound in you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, Our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety. First, the knowledge of the One Who called us through His own glory and Might, by which we were given the most extraordinary and precious promises. Through them, you share in the divine nature, after repelling the corruption and evil desires of this world.

So, strive with the greatest determination, and increase your faith, with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with moderation, moderation with constancy, constancy with piety, piety with mutual affection, mutual affection with charity.

Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that to be true and genuine Christians, often times we may have to face hardships, challenges and trials, all of which may be part of our path and journey in life. We have also been reminded of the need for all of us to follow and obey God’s Law and commandments, all the things which He had revealed and given to us to be our guide and help in our journey towards Him, as a means to help us to keep a most worthy and virtuous life, that by our every words, actions and deeds, everyone will know that we are indeed Christians, those whom God had called and chosen to be His own. This is what God had entrusted to us, and what God has also expected for us to do in each and every one of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Epistle of St. Peter in which St. Peter the Apostle spoke of the great joy that all of the faithful ought to experience and commemorate because of everything that the Lord Himself had done for them, in sending His own Son to be our Saviour, to lift us all up from our sorry state in this world, to uplift us from all of our sufferings and to assure us of the everlasting life that will be ours if we put our faith and trust in Him, and if we continue to uphold the faith which we all should have in Him and in all the things He has done for us. At the same time, St. Peter also reminded the faithful and hence all of us that there will likely be sufferings and challenges facing us, just as there will be joy for us in being the followers and disciples of the Lord.

This is a reminder for all of us that we must always do whatever we can so that our lives and our whole existence will always be focused and centred on the Lord, our God in all things. We must not allow the many temptations and coercions present all around us from tempting and pulling us away from the path towards God and His salvation. We must also not easily lose our faith in Him, especially whenever we are facing hardships and difficulties in the midst of following God and His commandments. There may be time when all the challenges and hardships facing us may tempt us to give in to the pressures of the world all around us, but we should always be strong and we should inspire one another to remain faithful to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard something similar to what we have heard from the Epistle of St. Peter earlier on. In this occasion, we first heard of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and a rich man who wanted to follow Him, and when the Lord asked him about having fulfilled and obeyed the commandments of God, the rich man could not commit himself to leave everything that he had behind, all the riches and the properties, all the goods and material wealth that he had possessed and follow the Lord. The Lord then used this example to show His disciples that becoming His disciples and followers is not something that may be as easy as they thought.

The Lord mentioned that it was indeed hard for those who have riches to enter into the kingdom of God. However, we must understand that the Lord was not actually against those who are rich and have more material possessions. Instead, the issue was actually more with those who are so attached to the worldly possessions, glory and pleasures that they are unable to let them go. All these wealth, possessions and worldly things are not in themselves evil, as they can both be used for good and evil things. But it is when we allow our desires and attachments to those worldly matters and pleasures to overcome us and to lead us astray that it becomes a problem, and it is this attachment and desires that the Lord is warning us against.

The Lord wants us all to know that we must always prioritise Him in all things, to live our lives always in His path and doing whatever it is that He has taught us to do. Each and every one of us as His beloved and holy people should always strive to keep ourselves free from sins, from all wickedness and from the excessive attachments and desires of the world. Instead, we should always be full of genuine love, care and concern for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, showing God’s love in all of our words, actions and deeds that we may truly love Him first and foremost, and then show the same love to all the others, our fellow brothers and sisters. Those of us who have been blessed with more, we should share our bountiful blessings with those who have less or none. The more we have been entrusted with, the more then we have been called to share.criticising all the rich people and all those who did have lots of wealth and possessions.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, a great missionary and servant of God who was also the first Archbishop of Canterbury that played a great role in the reestablishment of the Church structures, hierarchy and institutions in the then Anglo-Saxon period England. St. Augustine of Canterbury was born in what is today Italy during the late sixth century, and he was the prior of a monastery in the vicinity of Rome before he embarked on a missionary journey to Britain under the command from Pope St. Gregory the Great, who sent him and other missionaries to various parts of the world to evangelise and to spread the Good News of the Lord to more and more people all throughout the known world.

St. Augustine of Canterbury landed in Britain and began his ministry among the Anglo-Saxons in the region of Kent in southern England. The Christian faith had been established earlier on in Britain prior to the arrival of St. Augustine of Canterbury and his mission, but due to the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the two centuries before the coming of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the pagan Anglo-Saxons had undone much of the works which the earlier Christians had laid. St. Augustine of Canterbury initially faced quite a significant set of hardships and challenges in his mission, as while he managed to gain great successes with the conversion of many among the pagan Anglo-Saxons, including the King of Kent himself, but he faced opposition from the other more resistant pagans and from the native British bishops who refused to submit to his authority.

Nonetheless, St. Augustine of Canterbury laboured hard and spent a lot of effort in establishing the firm foundation of the Church in England, establishing the Church institutions and continuing the works of evangelisation through which many more people would come to embrace the Christian faith, as well as preparing for the successor that would continue his works after he had gone from this world. St. Augustine has always worked very hard to do even beyond his calling and ministry, in persevering to do God’s will even amidst the hardest challenges and trials. He is our great role model and inspiration, for all of us to follow in his footsteps in doing our best, sharing our love and faith with one another, in living our lives most worthily and righteously in God’s path at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the examples of St. Augustine of Canterbury, his commitment and dedication to the mission entrusted to him by the Lord and the Pope, and everything that he had done for the propagation of the Christian faith, let us all continue to be good role models and inspirations for one another, and be the faithful and worthy bearers of God’s truth and Good News at all times. May the Lord continue to help us to persevere amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey. May God bless our every endeavours and may He strengthen one of us in our various vocations and missions in life, that we may be holy and missionary, courageous and evangelising as St. Augustine of Canterbury had done. Amen.

Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Mark 10 : 17-27

At that time, just as Jesus was setting out on His journey again, a man ran up, knelt before Him and asked, “Good Master, what must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus answered, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments : Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat, honour your father and mother.” The man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments since my childhood.”

Then Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him and He said, “For you, one thing is lacking. Go, sell what you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” On hearing these words, his face fell and he went away sorrowful, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God” The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus insisted, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

They were more astonished than ever and wondered, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked steadily at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible with God.”

Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 110 : 1-2, 5-6, 9 and 10c

Alleluia! I thank YHVH with all my heart in the council of the just, in the assembly. The works of YHVH are great and pondered by all who delight in them.

Always mindful of His Covenant, He provides food for those who fear Him. He shows His people the power of His arm by giving them the lands of other nations.

He has sent His people deliverance and made with them a Covenant forever. His holy Name is to be revered! To Him belongs everlasting praise.

Monday, 27 May 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

1 Peter 1 : 3-9

Let us praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His great mercy. In raising Jesus Christ from the dead He has given us new life and a living hope. The inheritance that does not corrupt nor goes bad nor passes away was reserved to you in heavens, since God’s power shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last days.

There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. Gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ appears.

You have not yet seen Him and yet you love Him; even without seeing Him, you believe in Him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith : the salvation of your souls.

Monday, 20 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady, Mother of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today on the day after Pentecost Sunday, as we begin once again the second part of the Ordinary Time during this current liturgical year after the completion of the Easter season, we celebrate together as one whole Church the Feast of Mary, Our Lady, the Mother of the Church, or Mater Ecclesiae. On this day we remember the role which Mary, the Mother of God played in bringing together the Church of God through her Son, as well as her presence during the time when the Church of God was born, which happened on Good Friday, and how the Lord entrusted her to us, and vice versa, us to her, for her be our Mother and we to be her children. Mary was then also present at the moment when the Church was revealed to the world, and began its evangelising mission, which happened at the Pentecost.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis detailing to us the moments right after mankind had fallen into sin at the beginning of Creation by disobeying God’s will and disregarding His warning not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve chose to eat from the fruits of that tree and they fell into sin as they did not listen to the Lord and chose to believe in the false lies of Satan and his temptations instead. But at that same time, as the Lord told them that they would have to wander off in the world and to suffer the consequences of their sins, He also reaffirmed that He still loved them all despite of their many sins and wickedness, and He revealed that one day, salvation would come to us all through a Woman, who would crush the machinations and the power of Satan, the great enemy who had brought about our downfall.

This revelation is a prediction of the role which Mary, the Woman mentioned by the Lord would play in the history and path of our salvation. Through Mary, who accepted her role entrusted to her by God to be the Mother of God, the Son of God incarnate in the flesh through her, and through Mary therefore the salvation of God had been made manifest in the world to us all, by the will of God the Father and through the power of the Holy Spirit. And as God later went on to establish His Church, it can be said that all these were made possible by Mary’s role in accepting the mission entrusted to her by the Lord, by embracing the Lord’s mission with faith and commitment, entrusting herself to her Lord and Master, and in committing herself thoroughly to this same mission.

In the alternative first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus had ascended into Heaven but before that of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, where the Lord’s disciples were mentioned, the Twelve Apostles and the other disciples, and Mary, the Mother of Our Lord was also mentioned there being part of the group, praying together and gathering as one people, united in purpose and awaiting the coming of the Holy Advocate or Helper, that is the Holy Spirit. Mary being present at that moment signified her closeness and participation in the affairs of the early Church, being the Mother of the Lord and also the Mother of all the believers and the holy people of God. She cannot be separated from the Church as she herself is part of that Church and she truly occupies a very prominent place in it.

At the time of the Pentecost, Apostolic traditions state that Mary was present with all the other disciples, and the Holy Spirit descended on all of them. Mary, being full of grace and having the Holy Spirit worked through her before in the Incarnation of the Lord, the Holy Spirit that came upon Mary and all the disciples symbolises this presence of the Holy Spirit that has made the love of God manifest in this world, manifesting His Church to the whole world. And Mary being there as a rather central figure at the moment of Pentecost signified her closeness to the Church and her being the Mother of the Church, guiding all the faithful people of God, her own beloved children to her Son, Our Lord and Saviour of all.

The Pentecost itself is often misunderstood as the ‘Birthday of the Church’, while according to the Church fathers and Apostolic tradition, as written in the Catechism of the Catholic Church was ‘born’ and established from the side of the Lord, from the outpouring of the Blood and water that came from the Lord’s Body, lay broken and crushed on Good Friday, at the end of His Passion, His suffering and death. Through His earlier institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the Ministerial Priesthood at the Last Supper, and through His completion of the perfect offering and sacrifice of the New and Eternal Passover, the New and Eternal Covenant, Christ has formed the Church that is His Body, uniting all of the believers with Himself.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard then of the account of the events during the culmination and height of the Passion of the Lord, on Good Friday, when the Lord Jesus lay dying on His Cross at Calvary, the birthday of the Church as mentioned actually happened on Good Friday itself, at that moment when the Lord gave His life for our salvation, and when He also entrusted all of us to His beloved Mother so that she can be our Mother, and we all can be her children. By this important symbolic act therefore, the Lord established His Church, which He entrusted to His Apostles and first of all also to His Mother Mary, who became the Mother of the Church, to be the loving Mother to love and care for all of us in the Church of God.

That is why today we all rejoice ever so greatly and wonderfully for our loving Mother, Mary, our Mother and the Mother of the Church. We give thanks for the great examples and inspirations which our loving Mother has shown us in being ever faithful and committed to her mission and calling, and in all that she had ever done for us all, in always praying and interceding for us by the side of her beloved Son in Heaven. Mary has repeatedly intervened and helped many of us throughout time and history, making appearances in various places, such as Lourdes, Fatima, among others, through which she has inspired and helped even more people, more of her beloved children in finding their way towards salvation in her Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

Having constantly witnessed and experienced the great maternal love which Mary, the Mother of the Church has to all of us, parts of the same Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, all of us whom Mary has considered to be her own beloved ones, let us all therefore strive to follow her good examples and her faith in God, and also show the same love which she has shown us, in first of all loving her Son, Our Lord and God with all of our hearts and with all of our might, as well as loving our fellow brothers and sisters with all sincerity and genuine desire to care for one another, to be loving just as the Lord and His blessed Mother, who is also our Mother, have loved us. May the Lord continue to bless us all and may His loving Mother, the Mother of the Church, continue to help and guide us all in God’s Church, so that in our every efforts, good works and endeavours, we will continue to glorify God by our lives and proclaim His truth to more and more people. Amen.

Monday, 20 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady, Mother of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 19 : 25-34

At that time, near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister Mary, who was the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw the mother, and the disciple whom He loved, He said to the mother, “Woman, this is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home.

Jesus knew all was now finished and, in order to fulfil what was written in Scripture, He said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of bitter wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a twig of hyssop, they raised it to His lips. Jesus took the wine and said, “It is accomplished.” Then He bowed His head and gave up the Spirit.

As it was Preparation Day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross during the Sabbath, for this Sabbath was a very solemn day. They asked Pilate to have the legs of the condemned men broken, so that the bodies might be taken away. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other man, who had been crucified with Jesus.

When they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced His side with a lance, and immediately there came out Blood and water.

Monday, 20 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady, Mother of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 86 : 1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7

He Himself has built it in His holy mountain; YHVH prefers the gates of Zion to all of Jacob’s towns.

Great things have been foretold of you, o city of God. But of Zion, it shall be said, “More and more are being born in her.” For the Most High Himself has founded her.

And YHVH notes in the people’s register : “All these were also born in Zion.” And all will dance and sing joyfully for you.

Monday, 20 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady, Mother of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Genesis 3 : 9-15, 20

YHVH God called the man saying to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree I ordered you not to eat?”

The man answered, “The woman You put with me gave me fruit from the tree and I ate it.” God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.”

YHVH God said to the serpent, “Since you have done that, be cursed among all the cattle and wild beasts! You will crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. I will make you enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”

The man called his wife by the name of Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

Alternative reading

Acts 1 : 12-14

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olives, which is a fifteen minute walk away. On entering the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying. Present there were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus; Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

All of these, together, gave themselves to constant prayer. With them were some women, and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

Monday, 13 May 2024 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, commemorating the Apparitions of the Blessed Mother of God, Mary most Holy at the site of Cova da Iria near the small town of Fatima in Portugal, over a century ago to young children-shepherds, namely St. Francisco Marto and St. Jacinta Marto who were siblings, and their cousin, the Venerable Lucia dos Santos. They had actually begun experiencing the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fatima from the previous year, 1916. Historically, it was known that Mary, the Mother of God had made appearances during times and moments when wars and conflicts happened in the world, where a lot of hardships, sufferings and trials were faced by the people, and a lot of wickedness and evils were present all around everyone.

At that time, the First World War or World War I, then known as the Great War was raging throughout the world, but was particularly terrifying and devastating in Europe. While Portugal itself was not directly affected by the war, but it was at the year 1916 that Portugal entered into the Great War on the side of the Entente or the Allies against the Central Powers led by Germany. By that time, the Great War had been raging for over two years and millions had perished due to the continuing warfare and conflicts, while many millions more people were suffering because of the effects of the disruptions to their daily livelihood, the hunger and famine due to the entire national resources of many states being pooled and focused for the war efforts. It was at this tumultuous time that the Mother of God, as Our Lady of Fatima, chose to make her appearance to us all.

Initially, people were skeptical of what the three children-shepherds were experiencing and telling to them, about the apparition of a Woman at the site of Cova da Iria, which they associated with Mary, the Mother of God. The Lady in the Apparition told the three children of many things, including the prayer to end the Great War, and the call to return to peace, and for mankind to abandon all the wicked and evil deeds which they had committed through the War and many other things which had indeed angered the Lord greatly. Mary appeared to the three of them calling on them to pass on the messages and the words that she had brought with her to everyone, so that more and more people would come to turn their hearts and minds back towards the Lord, and away from the evils and wickedness which many of them had committed and led them to sin against God.

On this date of the thirteenth of May in the Year of Our Lord 1917, Mary appeared to the three children again, as she showed herself to them as a great Woman, appearing brighter than the Sun, and with light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the clearest water, in the words of the witnesses themselves. The appearance of this Woman, who wore a white and gold-trimmed mantle, with the holy rosary upon her hands would become the inspiration of the images and statues now commonly known and venerated widely all around Christendom as Our Lady of Fatima. The Apparition told the three witnesses to tell everyone to commit themselves to the Lord, the Holy Trinity more and more, and to pray the Rosary everyday to bring an end to the war and return to peace. All those things which the Blessed Virgin had mentioned, eventually came to be, just over a year later.

There were many other things and miraculous signs and wonders which Mary as Our Lady of Fatima had shown to the three children and to many other witnesses in her series of Apparitions, as her messages and words brought upon everyone a message and reminder for them to return once again to God’s love and grace, abandoning the evils and wickedness of the world, to sin no more and to embrace wholeheartedly God’s loving and compassionate mercy, which He has always readily given to us, but yet, our stubbornness and wickedness had often prevented us from being able to receive the fullness of God’s grace, forgiveness and love. And while the messages and the words of Our Lady of Fatima, and the whole Apparition would be approved by the Church authorities, and became one of the most popular and enduring Marian devotions up to this day, but at that time, many were skeptical of the veracity and authenticity of what the three children and witnesses had seen.

That was why those three witnesses had to face scrutiny, objections and obstacles from the secular and religious authorities at that time, who questioned them and doubted them, and some did not believe that the Apparition was real or legitimate. But, through the repeated Apparitions, the many signs and miracles which Our Lady of Fatima had shown, eventually, many were convinced of the truth and authenticity of Our Lady’s appearance, that Mary had indeed appeared to the three shepherd children and through them to many others, who were therefore touched and called to propagate her words and reminders, which were all ultimately meant to direct mankind to return once again to righteousness and virtues in God. Our Lady of Fatima, as our loving adoptive Mother, has always been concerned about us, many of whom are always in the danger of losing in the battle for our souls to those who seek our destruction and downfall.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we commemorate this Feast of Our Lady of Fatima today, let us always keep in mind what the Lord Himself told to everyone in our Gospel passage today, ‘Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.’, which indirectly showed the perfect example of this faith and commitment in His own Mother Mary, who had obeyed the Lord’s will and committed herself thoroughly to whatever God had entrusted to her, that through her, many great things had been done for our salvation, by the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, incarnate in the flesh through Mary’s acceptance of her role to be the Mother of God, Our Lord and Saviour. Not only that, but Mary had dedicated herself to love her Son, and to care for everyone whom He had entrusted to her, which He did from His Cross, at the moment of His Passion and death.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, Our Lord had entrusted to us His own Mother to be our Mother, to care and love for us, at all times. At the same time, we have also been adopted by her to be like her own children. That is why it is really not surprising why she had made her many appearances all throughout history, especially during the moments and times like conflicts, wars and hardships facing the people of God, her own adopted children, who were in danger of falling into the wrong paths in life, and who were afflicted by a lot of uncertainties and hardships. Which mother would not care for her sons and daughters hence? Which mother would pretend not to know or to ignore the plight of those whom she loved? That was why Mary, as Our Lady of Fatima and her many other Apparitions, had done so much for our sake, to lead us all once again towards her Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our commitment to the Lord through His Blessed Mother, Mary, ever Virgin, Our Lady of Fatima. Let us all ask her to constantly intercede for us, and to help and guide us in our journey through life, so that amidst all the challenges, trials, hardships and dangers that we may have to face in this life, as the disciples and followers of Christ, we will continue to proceed onward ever more faithfully, and be directed towards Our Lord and His salvation, by following the great examples and faith as shown by Mary herself, who has always guided us all towards her Son, Our Lord and Saviour. Let us all as Christians strive to be ever always worthy of God, and fill our whole lives with prayer and love for both God and for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us.

May the Holy Mother of God, Our Lady of Fatima, our loving Mother and intercessor, continue to pray for us and to guide us patiently as she has always done all these while. May we continue to seek the Lord, by focusing our attention Him through gazing upon the loving face of our beloved Mother, who has shown us the path forward in life as disciples and followers of Our Lord. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.