Donna-Marie Cooper OBoyle - Advent with Our Lady of Fatima

Donna-Marie Cooper O Boyle

Advent with

Our Lady

of Fatima

SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS

Manchester, New Hampshire

Copyright 2018 by Donna-Marie Cooper OBoyle

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Perceptions Design Studio.

On the cover: Our Lady of Fatima statue, Fabiofoto/Getty Images (92024222); trees, berries, and red ribbon, Marina Tachinska/Shutterstock (512314336); gold frame, nodff/Shutterstock (35312074); white wood background, sripfoto/Shutterstock (727552333).

Biblical references in this book are taken from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Sophia Institute Press
Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
1-800-888-9344

www.SophiaInstitute.com

Sophia Institute Press is a registered trademark of Sophia Institute.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: OBoyle, Donna-Marie Cooper, author.

Title: Advent with Our Lady of Fatima / Donna-Marie Cooper OBoyle.

Description: Manchester, New Hampshire : Sophia Institute Press, 2018. |

Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018039598 | ISBN 9781622826506 (hardcover : alk. paper) ePub ISBN 9781622826513

Subjects: LCSH: Advent Prayers and devotions. | Mary, Blessed Virgin,

Saint Devotion to. | Fatima, Our Lady of. | Catholic Church Prayers and

devotions.

Classification: LCC BX2170.A4 O26 2018 | DDC 242/.332 dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018039598

With love for my children:
Justin, Chaldea, Jessica,
Joseph, and Mary-Catherine,
and my grandchildren:
Shepherd and Leo

Contents

Introduction

Advent begins on the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, November 30. This special season includes four Sundays and four weeks of preparation. At times, the last week of Advent is shortened because of the timing of Christmas.

Our Lady of Fatima is very naturally related to the Advent season. First, because she is the Mother of God, which means she has much to do with the Nativity of the Lord! She carried Jesus in her womb for nine months and gave birth to Him! As well, at Fatima, Mary came down from heaven to give the world a warning to wake us from our slumber. She loves her children and does not want any one of them to perish. Advent calls us to wake up and keep watchto keep awake (1 Thess. 5:6).

Stick close by to Our Lady of Fatima as you embrace the season of Advent a period of expectant joy as you spiritually prepare your heart and soul through this unique devotional. Each day during Advent, journey with Our Lady and with reflections on hope, love, joy, and peace.

The theme of Advent is one of longingof yearning for Christ. Yet we are also cautioned, Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.... Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect (Matt. 24:42, 44). Advent with Our Lady of Fatima will help you to stay the course and not get caught up with the holiday shopping frenzy, which can distract us from Christ during this holy season. Instead, do your best to embrace the twofold meaning of Advent the expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus as well as the ardent desire for His Second Coming. Through Church teachings and compelling stories of saintly friends, page by page, you will learn and refresh your faith as you reflect and meditate upon the reality of Christ at the center of your life.

Pilgrimage day by day through Advent with Our Lady of Fatima at your side. It can be a life-transforming pilgrimage for you. It certainly was an exceptional spiritual journey for me as I wrote this book. May God bless your journey! Stay awake!

I have endeavored to provide complete information about the sources of all the quotes contained herein, but sometimes that has not been possible.

Week 1: Hope

Our Lady of Fatima and Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, Bring Hope to Our Hearts

Your lives must be like mine: quiet and hidden, in unceasing union with God, pleading for humanity and preparing the world for the second coming of God.

Our Blessed Mother to St. Faustina ( Diary 625)

On this First Sunday of Advent, we light our first Advent-wreath candle. It represents hope! Strive to live your Faith fully alive with hope during this week of Advent. This week we will look at Advent with Our Lady of Fatima at our side and through the eyes and heart of Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR. Fr. Andrew was a beloved friar of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and a world-leading Fatima expert.

Sunday

Fr. Andrew Exemplifies Great Hope through Persevering Prayer

Our Lady, the only one who can say this, said that when enough people do as I say, my triumph will come, and that will bring peace into the world. If we dont do what she says, I dont see where there is great hope.

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, personal interview with the author

Read

Fr. Andrew was a tireless worker in Our Lords vineyard a beautiful, loving, humble soul. I am blessed to call him my friend, and I have loved working with him on several EWTN television shows.

Fr. Andrew was ordained to the priesthood by Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen on March 16, 1967. In 1987, he cofounded the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal with Fr. Benedict Groeschel and six other Capuchin friars, and later he founded the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal. Fr. Andrew loved the Blessed Mother very much and preached extensively on Our Lady of Fatima, becoming a reliable and trusted Fatima expert. Dear Fr. Andrew went home to his eternal reward on the feast of St. Lucy, December 13, 2017.

This humble Friar was serious about his prayer life and stayed true to his commitments and responsibilities to prayer. His daily Holy Hour and Rosary gave power to his work and his apostolate. The floor boards in the back of the chapel at the friary where he lived are worn down by his continual walking back and forth while praying his many Rosaries. The friars have told me that he would do this during his Holy Hours because he wanted to make sure he stayed awake! As well, he didnt want to disappoint Mother Mary.

In the passage that begins todays Advent reflection, Fr. Andrew mentions that Mary asked the faithful to do certain things and then her Immaculate Heart would triumph. Those requests were to convert our hearts and sin no more, to pray a daily Rosary for peace, and to make sacrifices for sinners because, as she told the children she appeared to at Fatima, many souls go to hell because no one prays for them. As well, she asked for the conversion of Russia and for the Five First Saturdays Devotions.

Fr. Andrew was a very hopeful soul. Yet we notice that he said, I dont see where there is great hope if we dont do what the Blessed Mother has asked. Thats because he was aware of the state of our sinful world today. He and countless others believe that Our Lady of Fatima offered the world a beautiful and hopeful plan for peace. Yes, it does require effort on our part to pray the Rosary, to do the Five First Saturdays Devotions, and to offer sacrifices and do penance. It is for the good of our souls, as well as to help convert sinners, and to bring peace to the world. In addition, although Fr. Andrew knew well that the faithful were not yet fulfilling their responsibilities to prayer according to Our Ladys requests, he possessed great hope in the Blessed Mothers promises. He didnt give up all the way until his last breath. He kept on preaching about Fatima. He continued his many Rosaries. He wore out the floor boards at the back of the chapel!