Our Lady appears in the Cova da Iria to remind the world that the “only thing necessary” is to seek first and foremost the kingdom of God and his justice.
What is meant by His righteousness? Let us give God his due—all honor and all glory. If His Majesty is offended by the sinful pride of man, then justice consists in perfect reparation to His afflicted Majesty, in penance, in atonement, and in all acts which restore true order. What then is the most perfect response from us, poor sinners, faced with the agony of Our Lord and his cruel Passion? What could be the perfect act of love that God requires of us in his first and greatest commandment? Our Lord Himself gives the answer: “I sought compassion, but in vain, and someone to comfort me, and found none.” Devotion to Her Most Sacred Heart is nothing but such an act of reparation and atonement. The loving heart says to Our Lord: “If everywhere you knock on the doors of souls and no one opens you, if you are driven out of society, institutions, families and even your own churches, if you are alone and despised, You the Creator and Master of everything: so I want to open my heart wide, to give you comfort and shelter and a poor but sincere welcome, where you can rest your head and find a home. The more they reject you, the more I want to receive you; the more they forget you, I want to remember you; the more they refuse you, I want to welcome you; the more they turn away from You, the more I want to turn to You; the more they despise your love, the more I want to honor you; the more they fill your soul with sadness and tears, the more I want to console you!
Our Lady chose the little children of Fatima to help us understand the utmost importance of such heart desires. Little Francisco could not live the life of a heroic missionary or a contemplative monk; he could only offer his simple prayers and sacrifices, as Saint Veronica could only offer a damp cloth to Our Lord in his torture. Outwardly these things are nothing, but inwardly there is a supreme gesture of love which deserved holiness for Veronique and to have imprinted the Holy Face of the suffering Christ not only on the linen cloth, but above all in her very soul. And who among us could not imitate the simple gestures of a small child to console Our Lord and Our Lady in their sadness at seeing so many souls go astray?
Because the world denies God his honor and glory, it is necessary to make amends. Above all, this passes through a life of love, and the first act of love is to be with the Beloved, to contemplate him and to live always in his presence. The second act of love is to repair the offense by a movement in the opposite direction to that of the offense. Perhaps there is nothing more profound and touching than the grateful heart of a child who wants to bring joy to his Father and his Mother and “comfort” them with his smile and a burning flame. of love.
