“But first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs.”
This quote from C.S. Lewis’ “The Silver Chair” came to mind recently while I was reading through the words Our Lady spoke to the three children at Fátima over 100 years ago. Repeatedly, Mary told them to do three things: pray the Rosary daily, establish devotion to her Immaculate Heart, and fast and make sacrifices for sinners. In short, follow her signs and all will be well.
I’ve also recently had many conversations with friends about what it means for us as the laity to balance obedience to the Church while also striving to be a source of encouragement and even a good challenge for our clergy to accept even deeper the call of their vocation. Another way to put it is: How do we balance the need for people to be like Catherine of Siena — recognizing things that are not as they should be in the Church and taking action — without going too far? How do we balance that with imitating our Blessed Mother, who pondered all things deeply in her heart?
Again, it goes back to the signs. It goes back to what Christ has said from the beginning and what Mary has reaffirmed in her apparitions: pray and fast.
How often do we hear the same things from the Church — pray and fast — or even from the Lord in prayer? And how often do we ignore these suggestions, promptings and sometimes even certain obligations?
I’m privileged to have witnessed the hearts of so many people who want the best for the Church — who see the goodness handed down over the centuries and want to see the glory of Christ renewed in their lifetime. But their hearts — and mine — are often discouraged by the negative spiral of society and how that affects the Church, not to mention the inner wounds the Church herself is reeling and healing from.
And yet, nothing is new under the sun, as Ecclesiastes reminds us. The Church began under Roman persecution. It continued throughout the ages with scandal in and out of the Church. Even looking back 100 years to the time of Mary’s apparition in Fátima, the world looked very dark if your eyes weren’t focussed on Christ.
So, what do we do? What do we do when we want to be a change in the world, in the Church, in the lives around us? Yes, you guessed it: pray and fast.
Christ himself told us that some things cannot be accomplished without prayer and fasting (cf. Mt 17:21, Mk 9:29). So why don’t we do better? Why don’t we listen to Our Lady’s pleading and pray the Rosary daily as she asked. Why don’t we fast for sinners — ourselves included? Maybe it’s because we don’t truly believe in the power and efficacy of prayer.
But if you’ve been a follower of Christ for any period of time, you know he’s sent you signs before: prayers answered, lives healed, hearts consoled, moments where you were convinced of hearing God’s voice in one way or another. Big and small, we’ve seen God’s signs in our lives. But we have to work hard to not forget them.
My point is that we as Catholics really need to up our “A game.” Prayer and fasting are not just things we do during Lent. They are an essential part of the spiritual life year round. And we need to believe in their power — not by our own merit but because of God’s grace and love.
I might be preaching to the choir, but I’ll be honest and admit this entire column was written largely in part to hold myself accountable — to remember God’s fidelity and to not ignore his challenge to rise and accept the full call of what it means to be a Christian. Because the truth is our world and our Church need our prayers. The Body of Christ cannot survive without it. So, will you join me?
Ava Lalor is assistant editor for Our Sunday Visitor and editor for Radiant magazine.
