SISTER LUCIA OF FATIMA; The last assault will be on marriage and the family.

I was just listening to a report on the media that there is a growing rate of sexual assaults on young girls by young boys.   I thought it was quite remarkable that they had even noticed given the wisdom the schools have used in protecting young girls from, pregnancy by giving them contraceptives. In many schools teenage boys look at teenage girls and want to be the first.   Then we have the hypocrisy of political entities in our secular society shouting out about poverty and blaming everyone but themselves.   They are the ones who destroyed the concept of faithfulness of one man to one woman in marriage and destroyed its stability.  They are the ones who shout about different forms of marriage other than heterosexual, they are the ones who created a climate of sexual freedom in which marriages broke down through unfaithfulness and lack of commitment and  when they shout about poverty they ignore what is obvious that poverty is greatest among single abandoned mothers who either with only one income, or living on benefits, are trying  to do their best for their children in an economy geared to the concept of two working parents.

Also under attack is the 'stay at home' mother  who are told they should be out there doing something useful for society. for motherhood is not valued..    It would be nice to think that the majority of women had the choice of course but in our secular society of growing needs and mortgages this is not the case.

In such a society children become a burden since they restrict the freedom of the adults.   Many women are forced into being single mothers because men having had their satisfaction  do not want the mother or the child.   Indeed they are the first in many cases to mention abortion and the pressure to kill the unborn child is often seen as the only solution.   Others find it easier to have the child adopted but not all children benefit from this and end up in a Childrens Home and they grow up with the knowledge that they were not wanted.   I will not pursue this line since it is politically incorrect.    Children are virulent, children get over it, we must not talk about the damage that the values of our secular society has inflicted on young people.

But of course we can rely on our Catholic Church.  Or can we?   I am always amazed when people talk about bringing our young people back to our Church.    We now know that about 50% of young people in Catholic Schools come from broken homes yet this is ignored.    We tell them God is good, God is merciful, Jesus Christ died for them, and wonder why we fail.     May I make a suggestion that perhaps if we had stood up for the values of Jesus Christ, no matter how much the odds were stacked against us, if we had stood against Divorce more strongly and even acknowledged that Divorce hurts children, if we had welcomed sing mothers or even put them down in our visiting lists we could have  at least shown that we care.

So we live in a world that is in a mess and Our Lady of Fatima has called us to pray sincerely about it  for the breakdown of Marriage and the Family causes so much evil and heartache.    What is our response?   Will we teach our young people to turn to Mary again, Mary their Spiritual Mother?   Are Rosary beads just nice gifts for a First Holy Communion or will we teach them to say it?

O My Jesus I believe, I adore, I hope in you, and I love you, and I ask pardon for those who will not believe, nor adore, nor hope in you, nor love you.     (Prayer the Angel gave to the Children)