Fatima ... Is The Message Still
Relevant Today?
by Leena Rego
The coming down of Heaven towards mankind is very often manifested in the appearance of Our Blessed Lady on earth. Down through the centuries, She came with love and hope and even with warning to places like England, Mexico, Fatima, Knock, Banneux, La Salette, Lourdes, Paris, etc.
Among all these repeated visitations, the Blessed Mother left an undying mark which would stand as an everlasting witness to Her coming and to Her message.
Thus, we have the Rosary given to St. Dominic in 1214; the Brown Scapular to St. Simon Stock in 1251; the tilma of Juan Diego with the Miraculous painting of Herself which helped to convert 8,000,000 pagans in Mexico in seven years in 1531; to St. Catherine Labouré in Paris in 1830 when She gave us the Miraculous Medal; to Maximin and Melanie on the mountain of La Salette in the French Alps in 1846 when She gave the famous Secret; to St. Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, France in 1858 when She gave us the Miraculous Spring Waters; and nearer to our times at Fatima, Portugal in 1917, when the Blessed Mother appeared to 3 shepherd children — Lucy, Francisco and Jacinta — and gave us the Miracle of the Dancing Sun along with certain predictions that would affect the shape of the world in the 20th Centuries.
Besides the above, even in recent times, one keeps hearing of the various appearances of Our Lady at various places.
Thus, one can see that the Mother of God, since Her Assumption into Heaven, has been more on earth and more prominently in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Of the many Apparitions of Our Lady in our times, none has been as spectacular as the one at Fatima. While most of us have heard about it, few know why this great Marian Visitation occurred. Since the present Holy Father, Pope John Paul II said on May 13, 1982 that "Mary’s Message at Fatima is still more relevant than it was 65 years ago, it is still more urgent," it applies to all of us, especially today. It is a message addressed to every human being.
Ambassadress of Peace
In 1917, World War I was still raging. But to three little shepherd children — Lucy age 10, Francisco 9 and Jacinta 7 — this hardly mattered. On the 13th of May 1917, a day chosen by Heaven, the Ambassadress of Peace, Our Lady, came to visit the little mountain village of Fatima, Portugal in the Cova da Iria where these children were tending their sheep.
But these were extraordinary children. A year before Our Lady’s visit, an Angel of Peace visited them to prepare the way for this great Marian Apparition. The children, though illiterate, were playful as well as prayerful and never forgot to pray their Rosary before the afternoon meals.
During Her Six Visitations to Fatima, the Lady gave several messages to the children for the world. At every visit She appealed for the daily recitation of the Rosary. "Stop offending Our Lord, for He is already too much offended", Our Lady said. She asked for Prayers, Penance and Reparation.
She also gave them Three Secrets to be disclosed at the time She requested. The first one was the Vision of Hell, the second was the rise of atheistic Russia and the solution to their problem, namely, the establishment of devotion to Her Immaculate Heart.
The third one which was to be disclosed in 1960 has never been officially released to us. The Blessed Mother foretold many future events that would take place. Jacinta and Francisco would soon die but Lucy would live to help establish devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. The war would end soon but if man still continued to offend God, another worse one would start and She gave Lucy the sign as to when it would be.
She assured Lucy that in the days of tribulation, Her Immaculate Heart would be the refuge and the way that leads to God. The Lady warned that Russia would become Communist and would be the scourge of mankind, provoking wars and persecution of the Church and suffering for the Holy Father.
But if the Holy Father, along with the bishops of the world, consecrates Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, there will come peace and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart. She promised to perform a great miracle in October that year in order that all would believe that She came from Heaven and that Her Message was true.
"I Am The Lady of the Rosary"
Our Lady kept Her word. On October 13, 1917, 70,000 people including sick, believers and non-believers were present at the Cova. "I am the Lady of the Rosary", She said. The Miracle of the Dancing Sun was witnessed. Many cures and conversions took place. News of these Apparitions spread far and wide and 13 years later, after a thorough investigation, were approved by the Holy See and confirmed as the greatest Marian Apparitions of our times.
Fulfillment of the Prophecies
a) Francisco and Jacinta died in April 1919 and February 1920 respectively.
b) World War I ended.
c) On the night of January 25, 1938, Lucy saw the sign given to her by Our Lady in July 1917. From her convent window she saw the night illuminated and knew another war was about to begin. Several weeks later, World War II began; which was more disastrous than the earlier one.
d) A small country, almost unknown to the world, Russia, became communist and grew into a super-power.
e) Sister Lucy is alive today and a Carmelite Nun.
 |
Above, Father Maschio, who has spent more than 60 years in Bombay, India. He is known throughout India and internationally for the great work he does among Indian poor. At left, Father Brian Fernandes, who invited the Pilgrim Virgin to his parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Bombay, were over 100,000 people came to venerate Our Pilgrim Virgin Statue in November, 1991. |
What does the future hold for us?
Each passing day brings additional proof, with a more complete fulfillment of the dire predictions made by Our Lady at Fatima in 1917. Already we have fought 2 World Wars, nations have been destroyed, there have been famines, earthquakes, bitter persecution and the fate of Communism.
While those on the side of Almighty God and His Holy Mother try to spread Her ‘Peace Plan from Heaven’, the forces of evil are meeting with even greater success in their efforts to draw men to sin. Our Lady said: "Wars are a punishment from God for sin". It is sin that is destroying the world today.
Everywhere there has been tremendous increase in abortions, divorce, birth control, immorality, paganism, materialism, addictions to drug and other vices, unrest in countries, confusion and above all, the worst — the falling away of the faithful from the One, True, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
These and many other crimes which will combine to bring down upon us the anger of God in the form of suffering, persecution and even World War — that may well be the end of our civilization ... Is there any hope? Yes, there is, in the Message of Our Lady of Fatima.
She has given us "The Peace Plan of Heaven". No matter how late the hour, so long as these threatened disasters have not yet struck, there is still hope of averting them if enough people will amend their lives and do what God asks. Almighty God spared Nineveh because they listened to the prophet Jonah. Almighty God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah had there been found only 10 just people in them.
In our times, Almighty God sent us His best, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and She shows us the "Peace Plan of Heaven" — Eucharistic Adoration, Prayer — especially the Rosary, Penance and Reparation, the Five First Saturdays all coupled with the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary — in order that the world might yet be saved.
How loving, how merciful is Almighty God to give our sinful and ungrateful world such simple solutions to save our souls and bring peace to all mankind.
Still He and Our Blessed Mother are ignored, even disbelieved. How long can we remain complacent? How much longer will God allow us to throw away our only solution to peace in the world?
Leena Rego is a mother of two children, who resides in Bombay, India. She was one of the delegates at the All India Laity Congress who does much to promote devotion to Our Lady and Our Eucharistic Lord. Above, she offers us her reflections on the Fatima Message.
Return to
Table of Contents
|