ANGEL OF PEACE
BACKGROUND
Some months before the Blessed Mother appeared to the children, an Angel of Peace appeared to them with this plea to the playing children: ‘What are you doing? Pray! Pray much!…Constantly offer prayers and in every way you can, offer a sacrifice to the Lord as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and for the conversion of sinners…As the Angel of Peace gave them Holy Communion she taught them the prayer: ‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee.
FATIMA CHILDREN LUCIA, JACINTA AND FRANCISCO
Beginning May 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother appeared, six different times, to these three children in Fatima Portugal. The message of Fatima may be lost sometimes in the mysterious and the spectacular: The simple message is the Blessed Mother asks for prayer, reparation, and sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world…..an abandonment of sin.
These entreaties of Our Blessed Virgin Mary concern our day to day activities as we make our way to our eternal home. They are as valid today as they were in Fatima 105 years ago.
APPARITION AT FATIMA
The everlasting consequence of un-repented mortal sin is Hell; knowing this, we should live our lives according to the laws of God, not according to latest trends in secular society. This world is temporary and transitional, very small compared to the eternal spiritual world that awaits us all. The central message of Fatima was an urgent plea to stay on the narrow path to Heaven.
In each of the six apparitions, Mary instructed the children to pray the Rosary every day, especially for peace in the world and an end to war. During the apparition on July 13, Mary encouraged the children to make sacrifices for sinners and requested that the children add a simple phrase after each mystery of the rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need.”
To this day we add that phrase while saying the rosary keeping in mind our salvation and the salvation of others especially those most in need of forgiveness and mercy. We must never forget pursuit of salvation is NOT a game of solitaire but a communal activity, a mystical body of Christ. No one gets to heaven alone.
THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN
What occurred on Oct. 13, 1917, the final public apparition, validated the apparitions in the eyes of many. At the designated time, Mary revealed herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. Afterward, as she began to ascend back to heaven, St. Joseph appeared with the Christ Child and Mary. Then Jesus appeared with Our Lady of Sorrows and lastly Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And then the great solar miracle happened,
Nearly 70,000 people witnessed this miracle, when it seemed the sun was plunging toward the earth, only to return to the sky. Not everyone reported the same thing; some present claimed they saw the sun dance around the heavens; others said the sun zoomed toward Earth For the onlookers, this confirmed what the Fatima children claimed. The whole event took about 10 minutes.
REFLECTION
In one of her apparitions, Mary confirmed the existence of hell. She gave the children a very brief glance but it was enough. The children saw the suffering of those detained there. Today so many want to deny sin, the devil, and the existence of hell. With those consequences swept away why are we surprised at the evil in this world? So many say what difference does it make what I do. They ignore the evil consequences of their sinning on others…no one is an island to themselves. Our acts have consequences.
Fatima calls us to conversion, and a daily turning away from sin. Mary told the children that our prayers can help save souls, “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them.” Are we doing our part?
As faithful disciples, we are called to be holy, and to be intercessors for each other. Fatima is a wake-up call. In the midst of a passing world, we need to get right with eternal things: penance, Confession, the Eucharist, prayer, especially the Rosary for Mary’s intercession.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.
MATTHEW 7:13-14
Jesus, lead the way!
EPILOGUE
Francisco and Jacinta Marto were canonized by Pope Francis. The brother and sister died of pneumonia two years after the apparitions at the ages of 9 and 11. Lucy, their cousin, died in 2005 is awaiting Beatification
The children say the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times above an olive tree in 1917 and told them three secrets.
The first secret was a vision of hell confirming its existence. “It revealed a very terrifying scene as the children were shown a vision of hell! It was only for a brief moment that they saw the fires of hell, the ugliest demons, and the poor charred and transparent burning souls of people suffering tremendously.
Lucy said later she was thankful the Blessed Mother had promised in her first visit the children would be going to Heaven or we would have died of fright.
The second secret was request of devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart in prayer in reparation for sins, peace in the world, and conversion of Russia. Our Blessed Lady said to the children, “You have seen hell where souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.”
The third secret was to remain a secret at the Blessed Mother’s instructions, and it did for decades until Saint John Paul II revealed it after the assassination attempt on his life in 1981. Lucy who later became a Carmelite nun wrote the secret in her diary and described a vision of many threats and attacks on Church figures including the Holy Father.
OUR LADY OF FATIMA
“I am the Lady of the Rosary.
I desire that people continue to recite the Rosary every day.”