The famous apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the children of Fatima took place during the First World War, in the summer of 1917. The inhabitants of this tiny village in the diocese of Leiria (Portugal) were mostly poor people, many of them small farmers who went out by day to tend their fields and animals. Children traditionally were assigned the task of herding the sheep. 
The public message of Fatima recalls that of Lourdes. Through the children Mary urges prayer for sinners, recitation of the Rosary, and works of penance. On October 13 she said: "I have come to exhort the faithful to change their lives, to avoid grieving Our Lord by sin; to pray the Rosary. I desire in this place a chapel in my honor. If people mend their ways, the war will soon be over." 
This title penetrates the mystery itself of the Eucharist, and when well understood, manifests to us the most important part granted to Mary in the economy of the Holy Eucharist. “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2)
Imagine you are at a wedding banquet. Several guests are milling around an elegantly decorated room, eating delicious and beautifully prepared appetizers. They are talking happily and enjoying the good food and good company. However, they are unaware that a door at the end of the room leads to a larger hall with music and a huge banquet. Satisfied though they are, they don’t realize what they are missing!
As Paul traveled through Greece and into Ephesus, he came upon some disciples. They were happily following God, devoted to what they had heard and understood. The only problem was, they didn’t have the whole picture. They had embraced the baptism of repentance that John preached, but they had never heard the rest of the story. So Paul told them about Jesus. They had never heard of the Holy Spirit either, so he prayed with them, and the Holy Spirit descended upon them. That’s when they discovered that God had so much more waiting for them!
How about you? You may feel that your relationship with God is good, but Jesus make it spectacular. He wants your cup to overflow with his love, his grace, and his wisdom! Take a moment to recall the most powerful, grace-filled experience of God you’ve ever had. Now multiply that by tenfold. That’s what God wants to do for you! If you think the “appetizers” you’ve tasted so far are good, just wait for the main course.
Always remember that the Holy Spirit—the third Person of the Blessed Trinity—lives in you. Remember that he delights in doing “far more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Think too about all the grace and power he offers you every single time you take Communion.
So go ahead and ask him for more of his life in you. Ask him to give you a new insight into the Scriptures. Ask him to help you not only overcome sin but become a saint. Ask him to make you extra confident in your position as a child of God. Ask him to give you a joy that overflows and touches everyone you meet. Ask, and ask, and ask. He loves you. He has good gifts waiting for you.
“Holy Spirit, I do want more! Help me to open my heart to receive all of your gifts.”
Psalm 68:2-7; John 16:29-33
