Catholic Holy Day

Fatima - Portugal

8 Dec our local "fostering" families took us to Fatima, head of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It was a national Catholic festive day in Portugal and the cathedral grounds were swamped by hungry hearts. Hungry for salvation, yet the salvation their religion offers them does not refresh their hearts!!
We saw people buying and burning candles as some way of keeping their light shining in a world full of darkness ( the same darkness that keeps them blinded). Candles for every possible event in your life from birth, right through to death and for every possible thing that you might ask to be forgiven for. The more you burn, the bigger your possiblity of being forgiven. Candles of every shape and size. Long ones (1 m in lenght), short ones, thick ones, thin ones!! (And of course all the money goes to the church)
The catholic church in Portugal preaches three possible ways for man to be forgiven for their sins, burning the candles, saying an amount of Hail Mary's (almost like the "Our Father" prayer, but it is addressed to Mary and exalts her on high!) and then crawling down a long pathway, around the Mary statue and back!! Their Jesus is still on the cross!! They have a few statues of him, but in every one he is still one the cross!!
To be healed of any sickness or pain you should buy a mould of the body part that is afflicted (ex. a leg made of wax), do your pennance for sins, bring your mould as offering and then you are healed. The worst part about this is, that these people are actully healed!! But it is demonic of origin and they do not realise it!! They are tuely the ones in darkness.
What scared me most was the fact that if you were brought up to believe this junk and have been warned against people trying to steal you away to other religions, how do you convince them of the salvation  (that they do not deserve and do not have to work for, but have because of God's love for all His people) they already HAVE in Jesus Christ?
Thank God for His Spirit who is the only true "convincer".

I did not know of all the different catholic traditions before today and I am sure there are much more that I still have  not heard of, but it is good to have a better idea of what to pray for now. I praise God for His divine salvation plan and for the privilege we have in living in His Grace and not in the bondage of self performance for our salvation. Because it is never enough!!

Sonja  - Portugal