"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves" (John 14:11).
In our look at
Fatima, we have seen Mary repeatedly asking for prayer and sacrifice for the
salvation of all sinners. She allowed the visionaries to see Hell. She taught
them prayers. She asked them to pray the rosary. For two more months Mary
repeated her message to the children. She emphasized the need for prayer,
sacrifice, rosary and dedication to saving souls. How much more could she do?
Well, in October of 1917, she gave the miracle she promised Lucia from the
beginning. Let’s see how this last visit to all three visionaries occurred and
what Mary wanted all of us to learn from it.
On the13th of October, 1917, tens of thousands of
pilgrims arrived at Fatima. They prayed the rosary and withstood a heavy
rainfall as they waited for the promised vision and miracle to occur. When Mary
did appear to the children around Noon, she told them she wanted a chapel built
there in her honor. She called herself the “Lady of the Rosary” and reminded
the children to pray the Rosary every day. She then promised the war would end.
When Lucia asked her to heal many people, Our Lady responded that people must
amend their lives and ask for forgiveness first. Mary grew sad and said, “Do
not offend God anymore, because He is already so much offended.” Then Mary rose
to the air and opened her hands toward the sun. The heavy rain clouds left and
the sun began to “dance.” Witnesses reported that many different colors emanated
from it as it swirled, and at one point looked as though it were hurling toward
the earth. People feared they would be killed, but the sun stopped moving, and
everyone was completely dry, as was the earth. (based on
a passage from: http://www.theotokos.org.uk/pages/approved/appariti/fatima.html#anchor126812)
We could spend a
great deal of time discussing why Mary performed a miracle with her vision. She
had done this with Juan Diego at Guadalupe, transforming Juan Diego’s tilma into a backdrop for an
image of her never seen before, and which is still preserved in Guadalupe today
for all the world to see. Miracles were part of Jesus’ ministry as well. He
claimed to be the Son of God, but why would anyone believe Him? First of all,
He preached the truth. Mary brought the truth to the children at Fatima, going
so far as to give them a vision of hell. Jesus preached conversion of hearts, a
turning away from sin and an acceptance of the laws of God. Mary did the same
at Fatima. Jesus performed many miracles as well, healing the sick, walking on
water, raising the dead. We are all stubborn people. We don’t want to hear,
much less believe, what is uncomfortable or challenging. We want to live our
lives as we please. Miracles command attention. They gave an audience to Jesus:
Mark 16:20: And they went out and preached everywhere, while the
Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs…
…and many thousands
turned out to see Mary’s promised miracle at Fatima. But Jesus was right when
He said: Matthew 12:38-39: Then
some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign
from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks
for a sign…." Miracles are wonderful for
proving that the spiritual realm exists. We all pray for miracles in our lives.
We almost expect God to work them for us. But faith based on miracles is
worthless. Mary gives simple messages in her apparitions. She warns of dangers
to come. She reveals the mysteries of the after-life. She even performs
miracles at her apparitions, since everyone always demands a sign. Let us not
be like that. Let us not demand a sign from God that He loves us. Let us not
get mad at Him when He doesn’t do it. We must live by faith, not by signs. We
must love God for who He is and not for what we think He can do for us. The
miracle of the dancing sun made headlines; Mary's message of prayer and repentance
did not. Listen to Mary’s message. Let us follow every word of her requests and
dedicate our lives to bringing those who choose sin over God back to the Son,
the true miracle of the Son.
The prayers taught
to the children at Fatima are simple in structure and profound in
depth. To a world
poor and needy in faith and charity, these prayers stress ancient
truths of our Holy
Catholic Church... especially concerning the Holy Eucharist and
Mary, the
Immaculate Mother of God.
Pardon Prayer
My God, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love thee! I
beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not
love thee.
The Angel’s Prayer
With the Blessed
Sacrament suspended in the air, the angel at Fatima prostrated himself, and
recited the prayer:
O most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—I adore
thee profoundly. I offer thee the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity
of Jesus Christ—present in all the tabernacles of the world—in reparation for
the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite
merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the
conversion of poor sinners.
Eucharistic Prayer
This prayer
stresses that most beautiful truth—that the all-powerful, all-loving God is
upon the altar at every Catholic Mass.
Most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love
You in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Sacrifice Prayer
Our Lady taught the children a prayer to be said when
they would have something to offer up to God... such as some suffering, or an
act contrary to what they wanted to do but which was necessary in order to
please God.
O my Jesus, it is for love of You, in reparation for the
offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion
of poor sinners.
Decade Prayer
Our Lady asked
that the following prayer be inserted after each decade of the Rosary:
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins; save us from the fires
of hell; lead all souls into Heaven, especially those who are in most need of
thy mercy. http://static.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/assets/Fatima_Prayers.pdf
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