Oct 13th - Our Lady of Fatima

 

 On Oct. 13^th, 1917 a great miracle occurred in the little town of Fatima, Portugal. The miracle was witnessed by thousands of people, who came to the site in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was appearing to the three little children.

A few says before the apparitions, Portuguese peasant families slung their wicker baskets and jugs over their shoulders and headed towards Fatima. Fathers and mothers carried the sick and lame children in their arms for great distances. Farmhands left the farms. Fishermen left their nets. Sailors left their ships. Factory workers left their jobs. Rich, poor and all sorts of people made their journey to Fatima. Most of them humble and barefoot-- plodded through the heavy mud--- under the heavy rain that night--- in preparation for the expected miracle. Some hoping for to be healed, others wanted conversion, some forgiveness of their sins, others consolation in their sorrows, and still others to receive a blessing from the Mother of God. But all believed, and hoped. When people would see the three children on the way to Cova, they would drop to their knees in the mud imploring their prayers and hoping to touch the “little saints.”

At noon, Our Lady was to appear. Minutes passed and She had not arrived. The crowd became impatient, when suddenly Our Lady appeared to the children. Lucia asked, "What do you want of me?" And Mary said, “I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.” Lucia said, "Yes. Yes." "Will you tell me your name?" The Virgin Mary replied, “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Lucia said, "I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them?" Mary said, “Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!” Lucia replied, "And is that all you have to ask?" Our Lady said, “There is nothing more.”

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft spinning disk of silver. Lucia cried out, "Look at the sun!"

From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs. She said, ‘After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia saw Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which some believe prophesied her entrance into Carmel some years later.]

Those who witnessed the event said the sun gradually grew pale and appeared as a silver disc, at which all could gaze directly at, without harm to their eyes. All present saw rays of multicolored light shoot in every direction. The sun began to spin madly on its axis like a gigantic wheel of fire. While the crowd fell to its knees in terror, it suddenly seemed to come down closer and closer to earth, as it zigzagged through the skies. People began to scream in horror, “It’s the end of the world.” Others said, “Please God don’t let me die in my sins.”

Suddenly it returned to its normal place, and once again no one was able to look at it. The ground and the people were suddenly dry as though it had never rained.

The incredible miracle of the sun was witnessed by tens of thousands of people and reported in newspapers throughout Europe.

Recall that one of the reasons for Our Lady’s apparitions was to establish world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. Little Jacinta, after seeing the Immaculate Heart of Mary became intensely devoted to it. She would often say, “Sweet Heart of Mary be my salvation! And added, “I so love the Immaculate Heart of Mary! It is the Heart of our dear Mother in heaven. Sweet Heart of Mary, convert sinners, save souls from hell…If only I could put into the hearts all the fire that is burning within my own heart, and that makes me love the Hearts of Jesus and Mary so very much!”

The people of Fatima trampled through the mud expecting a miracle, and were not let down. They came to Our Lady seeking consolation in their sorrow, hope in their misery, peace in their hearts. And they found it—not in the miracle of the sun, or in the fields and valleys of Fatima, but in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, their refuge.

Today, as a good Mother, She will always keep you within Her Heart, take you under Her care, and watch over you! And as you trod through the mud of suffering, anxiety, and fears, know that you will always be within Her Immaculate Heart!