“The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para.1360)

Next month, we will be celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States. We have much to be thankful for as a country, and it is fitting to prepare for this holiday by giving thanks to God for his goodness to us in the past year. Even more fitting is to unite our thanks to that of the Eucharist, which in itself means "thanksgiving."

Prepare for Thanksgiving by joining us on 40-day journey praying with My Daily Visitor: Eucharist.

Join Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, (editor of Our Sunday Visitor) on a journey to the heart of Jesus in the Eucharist. Throughout these 40 days, you will grow in your devotion to the Holy Eucharist and cultivate a spirit of gratitude in your heart.

Sign up today to receive your first reflection tomorrow. The reflections will conclude on Thanksgiving Day (November 23).

SIGN UP FOR FREE DAILY REFLECTIONS

Give the ultimate gift of prayer and enroll yourself, your loved ones, or anyone in need of God's mercy to be remembered by the Marian Fathers during their celebration of a Novena of Holy Masses in honor of St. John Paul II. This novena will be celebrated at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy Oct. 13 through Oct. 21, concluding with a special Mass on his feast day, Oct. 22.

ENROLL NOW

Warning be prepared: A general threat of worldwide terrorism acts is threatened to be taken on this date; via the social media.

DO NOT Be AFRAID but be prepared!

FATIMA MIRACLE OF THE SUN

See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.

Ester, Chapter 4D, Verse 13

She replied: “I saw you, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was shaken by FEAR of your majesty.

We fear the rich and the powerful, yet we often have no fear of God and continue in our inability to rise above our weaknesses. It is when we like Ester rise above our fears that we can live up to our potential.

The Law of the Sacrifice[1]

· Ester is willing to give her life for the people.

· A leader must be willing to give up to go up.

· Leaders only do this when their cause becomes more important than their life.

· Likewise, Jesus a descendent of Ester, called on his staff to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him.

· Christ stated that those who wished to save their lives would lose them and those who gave up their lives would save them.

· True leadership places the cause of the people above the instinct for self-preservation.

Fatima[2]

During the night of 12-13 October, it had rained throughout, soaking the ground and the pilgrims who make their way to Fátima from all directions by the thousands. By foot, by cart and even by car they came, entering the bowl of the Cova from the Fátima-Leiria road, which today still passes in front of the large square of the Basilica. From there they made their way down the gently slope to the place where a trestle had been erected over the little holm oak of the apparitions. Today on the site is the modern glass and steel Capelhina (little chapel), enclosing the first chapel built there and the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima where the holm oak had stood. As for the children, they made their way to the Cova amid the adulation and skepticism which had followed them since May. When they arrived, they found critics who questioned their veracity and the punctuality of the Lady, who had promised to arrive at noon. It was well passed noon by the official time of the country. However, when the sun arrived at its zenith the Lady appeared as she had said she would.

"What do you want of me?"

I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.

"Yes. Yes."

"Will you tell me your name?"

I am the Lady of the Rosary.

"I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them?"

Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord anymore, for He is already too much offended!

"And is that all you have to ask?"

There is nothing more.

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east, she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft spinning disk of silver.

"Look at the sun!"

From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs. After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia would see the later, presaging her entrance into Carmel some years later.] This would be the last of the apparitions of Fátima for Jacinta and Francisco. However, for Lucia Our Lady would return a seventh time, in 1920, as she had promised the previous May. At that time Lucia would be praying in the Cova before leaving Fátima for a girl’s boarding school. The Lady would come to urge her to dedicate herself wholly to God. As the children viewed the various apparitions of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the crowd witnessed a different prodigy, the now famous miracle of the sun.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY

SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH

CHAPTER TWO-THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING

1420 Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, man receives the new life of Christ. Now we carry this life "in earthen vessels," and it remains "hidden with Christ in God." We are still in our "earthly tent," subject to suffering, illness, and death. This new life as a child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin.

1421 The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

Fitness Friday

Recognizing that God the Father created man on Friday the 6^th day I propose in this blog to have an entry that shares on how to recreate and renew yourself in strength, mind, soul, and heart.

8 Workouts That'll Help You Survive the Post-Apocalypse[3]

Chainmail bodysuit season is almost here — make sure your bod is thunderdome-ready!

Andrew Peloquin

There are many apocalyptic scenarios that could spell the end of the world as we know it: alien invasion, natural disaster, zombie infestation, solar flares, nuclear war, and the list goes on. There are only so many things we can do to be prepared for them (stocking up water, storing supplies, etc.), but you can get your body in shape for an apocalypse. Here are the workouts that'll help you survive a post-apocalypse world.

First get your mind ready for anything by reviewing last week’s posting of fitness Friday on 15 Qualities You Need to Develop Mental Toughness[4]

Farmer's Walk

This exercise develops endurance in your forearms, shoulders, and traps, all the muscles that will be engaged when you carry heavy objects (suitcase, bottles of water, weapons, family members) by your side. You'll find it's also a great way to improve your posture and grip strength!

Woodchoppers

If you find yourself living out in the forest, you'll need to be able to chop your own firewood for heat. Woodchoppers are an excellent exercise to help you develop the core (abs and obliques) strength to bring down a tree.

Pull-Ups

How can you escape a horde of zombies? Climb up a fire escape or pull yourself up onto a nearby roof! To do that, you'll need strength in your forearms, biceps, shoulders, and back — all of which result from doing pull-ups. A few pull-ups can save your life in an apocalyptic situation.

Sled Push

You may find yourself pushing your car a few miles to the nearest abandoned gas station, especially if you've zombie-proofed your vehicle and don't want to leave it on the side of the road. Sled pushes are also a great way to develop leg and back strength, plus crazy endurance.

Bent Over Rows

If you find yourself using a bow and arrow to hunt, you'll need sufficient arm, shoulder, and back strength to draw the bow. Bent over rows give you major pulling power and shred those important muscles. Plus, they can strengthen your lower back and keep your spinal muscles strong.

Sprints

The best way to outrun a zombie horde or a band of mutant killers is to sprint like your life depends on it! Sprint training (on a treadmill or outdoors) will help to increase both your aerobic and anaerobic endurance. You'll find it's much easier to escape if you can sprint for more than a few seconds without running out of breath.

Tire Flips

If you find yourself trying to survive after a natural disaster, you may have to comb through destroyed homes or buildings to find food, water, and supplies. Tire flips will help you to develop the lifting power that will come in handy when clearing rubble and lifting heavy building beams.

Squats

Strong legs can save your life! You'll need leg strength to run, jump, climb, and push heavy objects. Squats are an amazing exercise that will help you to be prepared for any apocalyptic situation.

Get in shape, and you have a much better chance of survival!

Daily Devotions

· Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Victims of clergy sexual abuse.

· Religion in the Home for Preschool: October

· Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

· Offering to the sacred heart of Jesus

· Drops of Christ’s Blood

· Iceman’s 40 devotion

· Universal Man Plan

· Operation Purity

· Rosary