Our prayers can help other countries: Archbishop

The Archbishop of the Catholic church in Samoa Alapati Lui Mataeliga has stated that the church will continue to fast on every second Saturday of the month for the remainder of the year.

This comes after Don Bosco Vaatausili received a vision from Mother Mary about three plagues that will be upon Samoa if the Catholic faithful did not fast on the 14th of May this year.

The Catholic faithful had fasted on Saturday from 6am to 3pm, and the Archbishop told the Eyespy Radio that it will continue for every second Saturday of the each month for the remainder of the year.

"We are hoping to carry on every second Saturday of the month until the end of the year," he told Eyespy Radio on Thursday.

"But we will always celebrate second Saturday of May every year but for the rest of this year we will continue until December."

He said that we are taught in the Gospels to read the signs of the times.

"So we have to read the signs, what do these signs say to us or tell us, what is the message? There is always a message," he said.

"And I think this is one of the signs of our own times especially in our own local context of Samoa.

"And we know that the scriptures also teach that God speaks to us through those who are not considered by the powerful and the rich to be important, like the little ones, children.

"That’s one of the reality characteristics of the Christian church since its beginning from the Apostles, and so these things are happening and that’s why we have to discern the Spirit, and we see this happening here in Samoa in our own local context.

"So I think our first reaction is to be grateful to thank God for what is happening."

The Archbishop said that with what is happening we cannot look at them just by our intelligence, he said that it is all by faith.

"Because even if these are miracles, if we do not look at them by faith, it doesn’t affect our lives. Because the purpose of this is to draw us closer to Jesus and therefore to bare witness so we can help make disciples for the Kingdom of God," he said.

"So that’s what I see is happening in Samoa. You can easily know that these things are from the devil especially when a lot of people believe, that’s the sense of faith of the church. Because many of these great miracles like apparitions in Fatima Portugal in 1917, the church does not rush in a say that this is a miracle, it discerns the Spirit whether this is true. But we know what has come out of that.

"But already the people believed. At the last apparition on 13 October 1917 it is recorded by the newspapers because there was no TV, about 70,000 people were in Fatima on that day because our Lady promised the three young shepherds [She] will work a miracle on the 13 of October and it happened.

"So we see the faith of the people and that is way before the church says the apparitions are authentic so the authorities of the church, it listens also to the faith of the ordinary believers in the church.

"So that’s what I see and what I believe is taking place in Samoa. I truly believe Samoa is like a powerhouse of prayer, our prayers by faith can help people, other countries in the world that are in need because they have given up their faith in God, even those who believed at first and now they no longer believe."

He revealed that the Vatican is already aware of what is happening in Samoa as he is always informing the Pope's representative in Wellington about what is happening.

"And that’s the attitude of the church, let the local Bishop and his Priests and everybody look at them and they will say something later," he said.

In November a painting of Jesus Christ at the Home of the Elderly at Mapuifagalele started weeping, and that has also happened with the statues of Jesus and Mother Mary at Leauvaa uta.

According to the Archbishop, the Holy Oil from the statues had helped with the eyesight in his left eye, and also cured his coughing.

Asked about the use of the Holy Oil, he had said prayers and massaged his eye with the oil.

"It always goes with prayer, so you make an act of Faith. if you don’t make an act of Faith, there’s nothing," he said.