FATIMA REVISITED
FATIMA REVISITED
09 14 , 12:29 Filed in: Mary
Pope Francis' pontificate was consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima last year on May 13. And in May of 2010 Pope Benedict visited Fatima . The Pope Emeritus is linked to Fatima by the very fact that as Cardinal Ratzinger he authored the church's official explanation of the third Fatima secret. This is all very mysterious to us, but the curious thing about Fatima to me is not so much its mysterious nature but rather the compelling - or should I say overwhelming - objectivity of the final apparition. Really, one would be hard-pressed to doubt that something truly magnificent happened on that amazing day! I am referring to the "miracle of the sun" which occurred on October 13, 1917.
In any event, I gathered up some of my Fatima books and reviewed the compelling facts which point to the validity of the Fatima apparitions. From my own review of the facts it would appear that the following circumstances are established beyond any reasonable doubt:
1. The Fatima children (the seers) made known that the Virgin Mary would return to the Cova da Iria on October 13, 1917 and that a miracle would take place at that time to authenticate the apparitions;
2. That a huge crowd, most definitely in the tens of thousands, showed up at the Cova that day to see what might take place; and
3. That (as also reported in the secular press) at the appointed time and place a spectacular solar phenomenon took place which, as the well respected Catholic author Thomas Walsh states, has been established "beyond any doubt"
(p. 150, Our Lady of Fatima).
Francis Johnston sets forth many credible testimonies of this solar miracle in his book, Fatima: The Great sign, including verbatim descriptions of the event from the secular and atheistic press (see chapter 5). In summary, then, the sign promised by the seers to take place on October 13, 1917 did in fact occur. By any reasonable standard of authenticating evidence, the events mentioned above have been firmly and most definitely established. My sense of Fatima is, well, given what took place, pay very close attention to its message.
But the message of Fatima was not an easy one for modern ears, especially with its emphasis on conversion, penance and living an expiatory life-style (in many respects it sounded back to the Gospel message of repent and turn away from sin, reflected not only in John the Baptist and Jesus but in all the writers of the New Testament).
In the strange occurrences following Vatican II, there was a mad rush in certain Catholic circles to redefine Catholicism and, most especially, to rewrite the moral theology text books, with this aim: to make sin, and especially sexual sin, more acceptable. A desperate attempt was made, to varying degrees and progressively, to approve contraception, masturbation, active homosexuality and even abortion (and incredible damage was done to the church, to Catholics and to society by the confusion and immorality which followed, a price we are paying dearly for today).
Fortunately, the Holy Spirit sent us Saint John Paul II, the Fatima Pope, who put the brakes on this mischief (and foul interpretation of Vatican II) by issuing two incredibly important encyclicals: The Splendor of Truth and The Gospel of Life. Even now, given all the harm done, the church is still in recovery mode.
At Fatima, Mary came to us as Our Lady of the Rosary. She came to warn us that God is deeply offended by sin (and our lack of repentance). She offered us the safety and security of her Immaculate heart and, among other things, she urged us to pray the daily rosary.
Dear friend, those rosary beads are one of the most powerful weapons we have to turn away from sin, purify our hearts, and draw closer to Jesus. Dear friend, pray the rosary!!!!!
Tom
P.S. The new and excellent movie, The 13th Day, is a wonderful way to reappropriate the Fatima message. I should add that Francisco and Jacinta, two of the Fatima seers, were Beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 2000 and are now Blessed Francisco Marto and Blessed Jacinta Marto (brother and sister).