Our Lord, before He began his ministry, was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The temptation that He faced was exactly that which we ourselves face, and which our first parents faced in Eden. It’s temptation of the world, the flesh and the devil. And equally, Our Lady endured these temptations as well. The fact that she had consecrated her virginity to God was itself a challenge, but it was one that she triumphed, for which reason the Church doesn’t just call her a virgin but Ever Virgin, and in particular, Virgin of Virgins because of the particular victory that she had.

The greater battle that she had to face was, in fact, in the confrontation with Satan, the temptation to doubt, because that was the temptation by which Eve was overcome; she doubted God’s word. God had said, “you shall not eat of it. The day you eat of it you will die.” God was very definite and very clear on this matter but Eve doubted this, and she said to the serpent, “God said we shouldn’t eat of it. Perhaps we might die.” Our Lady likewise, at the foot of the cross, stood there, and the possibility of doubt did arise when her son expired, and His dead body was placed in her arms. What grief she must have endured. The grief that she endured was of such intensity that most of the mystics, especially those who have written about the life of Our Lady, said that if God had not kept her alive, she would have died of grief.

But that is not where the battle ended because, on Holy Saturday, no one believed He would rise from the dead. The authorities thought the body might be stolen, but they didn’t believe He would rise from the dead. The Apostles certainly did not believe. And even when He did rise, they doubted, they were skeptical.

And so, Our Lady alone believed. And all of Holy Saturday she was tormented by Satan. He was trying to seduce her into believing that Christ would not rise, that God would not keep His word, that everything that happened was but again to be played. But no, she stood manfully and she won the victory, believing firmly that her son, who is God, would rise. And rise from the dead He did, rising on that Easter Sunday. To whom else would He first appear, if not to her? Yet scripture doesn’t tell us He appeared to her, but we can be absolutely certain that He did, and she would be, of course, being the first to rejoice in the resurrection of her son, for she had been faithful up until this moment, and indeed for the rest of her life, for which reason the Church calls her Virgin Most Faithful.

And now we must ask ourselves: Are we willing to respond like Nineveh? Because we are not better than Nineveh. We are witnessing corruption that is deep … systemic … and gravely evil.  

Therefore, what must we do? We must do what they did! 

And for this reason, we are launching what we are calling the Nineveh Fast.  

This is not a political effort. It is not a campaign of human solutions. It is turning to God. A cry to heaven. A recognition that what we are facing cannot be solved by human strength alone.  

This effort will begin on Friday, March 27^th, and will continue on the fourth Friday of each month, for the next eight months – for a total of nine days of fasting.  

Each of these days will be offered:  

* In reparation for grave sins – especially those committed against the innocent. 
* In petition for God’s mercy upon our nation and our world. 
* In prayer for healing for those who have suffered abuse and exploitation.
* And in supplication for the conversion of hearts – especially those in positions of influence. 

This is an invitation to all. The great and the small. The known and the unknown. Just as in Nineveh. 

How should this fast be observed? Each according to their ability. Some may undertake a stricter fast – bread and water. Others may follow the traditional practice: One full meal … and two smaller meals. And for those unable to fast from food, other sacrifices may be offered. But it must be united to prayer. 

We encourage: 
Holy Mass 
The Rosary 
The Divine Mercy Chaplet 
Eucharistic Adoration 
The Divine Office 
Spiritual reading 

Because fasting without prayer becomes only hardship.  

The situation that has ensued is nothing less than a public humiliation of our Holy Mother Church before the shameless jubilation of the enemies of God’s commandments. We should all make a collective act of reparation for the outrage committed against the sanctity of God’s house and the holiness of His commandments.

As a Church, we are following the tragic news from Annunciation School in Minneapolis with heartbreaking sadness. Whenever one part of the Body of Christ is wounded, we feel the pain as if it were our very own children. Let us all beg the Lord for the protection and healing of the entire Annunciation family.

Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to gift the Church again (a) Pope who is blameless, free, faithful, fatherly and wise. Such a Pope will certainly tremble before the weight of this office — and that is why he should be found and elected: Come, Holy Spirit!