It was the Blood that defeated Satan at Calvary. There is no time like Lent to watch this power overcome evil, at whatever level.

"Lord I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed..."

These are the cherished moments of Mass. These are the minutes that are special beyond our ability to understand how special they are. These are the seconds when we are touching eternity.

At the point of Mass where, having interceded for ourselves, our families, and the world, we have cleared the way to concentrating on our purification, that opens the floodgates of grace, which pour forth during the Eucharist.

We have the ability, through Christ, to send His power to others. As it says in Canon 3 of Church law, "If anyone says that the Sacrifice of the Mass is merely an offering of praise and of thanksgiving, or that it is a simple memorial of the sacrifice offered on the cross, and not propitiatory (gaining God's favor), or that it benefits only those who communicate; and that it should not be offered for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfaction, and other necessities: let him be anathema."

In other words: the Mass is so potent it operates on many levels. It can have a tremendous effect on our lives. It can have an enormous effect on those we pray for. So it's important to extend the Holy Spirit to others.

It's important to give as we receive. It's important to become a channel of the Spirit. We should pray blessings on everyone. We should pray blessings on our priests and nuns, who are under particular harassment. We should pray for the Vatican. We should pray for our bishops and their union with Rome. We should pray for everyone and everything that touches our existence.

At Fatima the Angel of Peace asked Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco to make acts of Adoration and reparation to the Holy Trinity in the Blessed Sacrament. He asked them to offer up sacrifices to the Lord in order to erase the sins by which He was so offended -- and thus to bring peace to that country. The angel held the chalice aloft with a Host suspended above it -- with drops of blood falling from the Host into the chalice -- and three times repeated this powerful prayer:

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore You profoundly and I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He Himself is offended. And by the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners."

The Angel of Peace next gave the Host to Lucia and the chalice to her cousins Francisco and Jacinta, saying, "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God."

The Fatima visionaries were also taught to say the prayer, "Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy Mercy."

In this time of grace, we should likewise offer up many supplications during Mass, through the Blood, in order to prevent worldly chastisement.

A single, well-said Mass -- attended to with true grace -- can have unimaginable effects.

Our requests and supplications can be offered throughout the liturgy, and I have found it especially effective to do it while the Host is elevated, and also when the chalice is raised. For in the chalice is now the Blood of Christ, and it is that Blood which is most powerful in washing away sinfulness. It is the Blood which was shed for our redemption. It is the Blood that demons fear more than anything, because the Blood established Christ's transcendence of the world and defeat of evil. It represents His sacrifice. Since our redemption means breaking the bondages to Satan, the Blood is extremely potent in chasing away evil spirits.

2/27/05