Return to The Reign of Mary No. 165
The Reign of Mary
Vol. XLVIII, No. 165: Letter from the Editor
September 8, 2017
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear friends in Our Lady,
Praised be Jesus and Mary. As we celebrate this year the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, it is particularly important that we make an examination of conscience — are we living the requests of the Mother of God? We could summarize them into 5 points: 1) Amendment of life, striving to conquer sin; 2) Prayer, especially the daily Rosary; 3) Sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of daily duty; 4) Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; 5) and Modesty of dress.
It is this last request that must be emphasized, not only because the fashions prevalent in the world today are so offensive to God, but also because this important virtue is not preached today by the clergy of the Conciliar Church. Modesty standards have been completely disregarded, even at the sanctuary of Fatima itself. It is for this reason that we reprint in this issue of our magazine a pastoral letter of His Excellency, Bishop Pivarunas, written nearly 20 years ago.
The request of Our Lady for modesty in dress was actually not part of the original messages of 1917, which particularly emphasize the Rosary and amendment of life. Rather, they were words of Our Lady to Jacinta a few years later. In January, 1920, Jacinta was taken to Lisbon for treatment at the hospital. It had been revealed to her that she would die there, alone. But before her painful ordeal in the hospital, Jacinta found refuge in the orphanage of Our Lady of Miracles. She remained there for some 15 days, and during that time Our Blessed Mother appeared to her several times. Jacinta would then speak to Mother Godinho, the superior, about these visits, and the good Sister dutifully recorded the words of the little visionary.
It is fascinating to read the account of Jacinta’s comments to Mother Godinho. The child spoke with a wisdom beyond her years, and even with authority. “My dear Mother, the sins that bring most souls to hell are the sin of the flesh. Certain fashions are going to be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much. Those who serve God should not follow these fashions… Many marriages are not good; they do not please Our Lord and are not of God… My good Mother, do not give yourself to immodest clothes.…” Such were some of the words of Jacinta to the Sister superior at the orphanage.
The necessity of modesty is not only part of the message of Fatima, it was also repeatedly demanded by the popes of the 20th century, particularly Pope Pius XI and his successor, Pope Pius XII. Sadly, the frequent admonitions of the sovereign pontiffs were little heeded by Catholics. Let us, on the other hand, be faithful to the teachings of the Church, to the examples of the saints, and to the requests of Our Lady, disregarding the indecent fashion of the world. In short, let us live the message of Fatima!
In the service of Jesus and Mary
Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI
(Email Father)