During World War I, in the midst of a world that seemed abandoned by God and consumed by evil, Jesus’s mother came to remind the world of God’s love, of the serious nature of sin, of the need for prayer—and a warning against the evils of Communism. Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
“[Orange County Catholic] In a world torn apart by a long savage war that impacted millions, the Blessed Mother appeared in Fatima, Portugal on May 13, 1917 at the Cova da Iria near the village of Aljustrel, to three shepherd children – Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, age 10, Francisco Marto, 9, and Jacinta Marto, 7.
The children described her as “a lady dressed in white, shining brighter than the sun, giving out rays of clear and intense light….” The woman they described made them feel at peace and encouraged them to pray the rosary daily to bring an end to the war. She asked the children to meet her there again on the 13th day of the following month.”
The children saw a vision of Hell, and how many souls were going there. They were reminded to pray for the souls in Purgatory, that those souls might go to Heaven. They were admonished to pray the scripturally-based prayer of the Rosary daily.
Our Lady of Fatima told the children, “I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart…If people attend to My requests, Russia will be converted and the world will have peace.” Sadly, the consecration of Russia has never been performed by the popes as Our Lady desired, and we see now how the errors of Communism have taken over the world. Our Lady said if men didn’t stop sinning, the world would be punished “by means of war, hunger and persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father.” And so it has happened.
“The Blessed Mother continued to encourage the children to pray the rosary daily and taught them a new prayer that she specifically requested be added to the rosary, which is often referred to as the Fatima prayer – “Oh my Jesus, pardon us, and save us from the fire of hell. Draw all souls to heaven, especially those most in need.”
Before the Blessed Mother’s next apparition in July, doubt about the validity of the apparitions grew as news of them spread…On October 13, a crowd of about 70,000 gathered at Cova da Iria in Fatima. It rained heavily the night before…As promised, the Blessed Mother appeared to the children and revealed herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary.” Today, Catholics often refer to her as Our Lady of Fatima. According to Lucia, Our Lady of Fatima promised that day that the war would end soon and to continue praying the rosary as part of their daily prayer. The Great War ended the following month.
After Our Lady of Fatima disappeared, the children reported witnessing the apparition of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The crowd, on the other hand, witnessed a different apparition – “The Miracle of the Sun.”
An eyewitness account of the miracle was published in a Lisbon newspaper, “O Seculo”, which the author wrote, “… one could see the immense multitude turn toward the sun, which appeared free from clouds and in its zenith. It looked like a plaque of dull silver, and it was possible to look at it without the least discomfort. It might have been an eclipse, which was taking place. But at that moment a great shout went up, and one could hear the spectators nearest at hand shouting, ‘A miracle! A miracle!’ Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose aspect was biblical as they stood bareheaded, eagerly searching the sky, the sun trembled, made sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws – the sun ‘danced’ according to the typical expression of the people.’”
We must heed Our Lady’s call now. We must beg for her intercession with Jesus so Communism might be defeated once for all and men might turn back to God their Creator and Father.
The Sun Danced: Our Lady of Fatima’s Message to the World
One of the main messages Mary told the children at Fatima was to do penance. As Christians, we are called to suffer for the sake of others and for the glory of Christ.
So many have turned their back on God the creator of heaven and earth. So many intellectuals are so arrogant that in their hubris they justify being agnostic. There are others that have substituted spirituality with the empty cult of science. Then there are those who have turned to Satan who lures them to an eternity of misery by giving them permission to indulge in their hedonistic ways. I pray for the worlds people to wake up for the sake of my daughters and grandchildren. When I look at the wonders of this beautiful world, when I look at my wife my heart bursts with love and gratitude to god for the rich and fulfilling life I have had both in work and family. This life is a journey filled with choices and many paths to follow. Why so many have turned to darkness can only lead to suffering chaos and destruction. This cycle has played out so many times on earth. Satan is an irresistible trap for so many souls who sell themselves so cheaply for such a short time of the indulgence of vanity, power, wealth, sex, pleasure and perversion.