Day 9 - 13 May / 13 October
In Fatima… Perhaps the greatest suffering for Lucia during the apparitions was that her own mother did not believe her. However on October 12th, the day before the final apparition and promised miracle, Maria Rosa dos Santos asked Lucia to go to confession with her. She was convinced that a miracle would not occur and that her daughter would be lynched by the angry crowd. There were also rumours that the government was going to explode a bomb near the children. But Maria decided to stand by Lucia and share her daughter’s fate. Hence she wanted to be well prepared for death.
The eagerly awaited day, October 13th, began with torrential rain. But this did not deter the huge crowds (estimated at about 70,000 people) who had come from all over Portugal. All were freezing, and those without umbrellas were soaked to the skin. The ground underfoot had turned into a mud-bath. It was with great difficulty that the children made their way through the huge crowd and muddy fields.
When they eventually arrived at the holm-oak tree, Lucia asked the people to close their umbrellas and pray the Rosary. Shortly afterwards the children saw the familiar flash of light signalling Our Lady’s approach and then she appeared above the holm-oak tree. As before only the three visionaries saw her.
Lucia began as always by asking, “What do you want of me?” “I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honour. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes.”
Lucia replied: “I have many things to ask you: the cure of some sick persons, the conversion of sinners, and other things…”
“Some yes, but not others. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins.” Then Lucia recalls: “Looking very sad, Our Lady said, “Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended.”
Our Lady began to ascend towards the east and then opened her hands from which came forth rays of light. Lucia cried out, “Look at the sun”. Then an event occurred which thousands of people would remember for the rest of their lives. Suddenly the rain stopped. The clouds parted, and the sun appeared behind them shining brightly. It became increasingly larger and brighter, but amazingly it did not dazzle those who gazed at it. Then it glowed and dimmed, and then spun around, emitting multi-coloured rays in all directions. The whole landscape changed in turn into various colours - blue, yellow, red, green… People were enchanted, speechless with delight.
But after a while their mood changed as the sun suddenly stopped spinning and started falling. The enormous, bright sphere sped towards the terrified crowd. People shouted in fear, cried, fainted, fell to their knees, calling for mercy, confessing their sins. However before it struck the earth, the sun suddenly stopped and returned to its place. All were amazed that their clothes were dry and the ground sun-cracked, as if it had not rained for ages.
At the time when the crowds were passing from rapture to terror, the children had another vision. Lucia later described it in these words: “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 appeared to bless the world, for they traced the sign of the cross with their hands. When, a little later, the apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our Lady; it seemed it was Our Lady of Dolours. 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.”
News of the miracle spread rapidly throughout the country. Witnesses spoke of it excitedly to everyone they met. The little village of Fatima was soon on the lips of people across the world.
Reflection… And so the beautiful Lady kept her word to the children by both revealing her name and giving them the promised miracle. It is interesting that Our Lady identified herself as “The Lady of the Rosary”.
We have seen how at every apparition Our Lady stressed to the children the importance and urgency of praying the rosary, as well as its power to bring peace and convert sinners. So one of our resolutions in response to the Fatima message should be a commitment to pray the rosary faithfully and expectantly, if possible every day of our lives.
We can include in our intentions our contrition for the many ways in which God continues to be offended by human sin, such as drug addiction, abortion, human trafficking and injustice of all kinds. Mary wants our prayers! Our prayers have power! We also have a window in this apparition into the sadness which our sins cause in heaven: “Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended.” You can hear the deep sadness in Mary’s heart behind these words.
Of all God’s creatures, no one’s heart is as filled with love as the heart of Mary. So to see God offended by our sins is an enormous suffering for one so filled with his love. In addition, she knows better than any other human the price that Jesus, her Son, paid on the cross to win forgiveness for our sins. So let us take to our own hearts this sadness of God and of Our Lady, and so ask for the grace to leave behind our sinful habits and attitudes. We can sometimes feel stuck in our sins like the soldiers trapped in the muddy trenches of the First World War battlefields. But if we truly want to be freed of these burdens, then nothing is impossible for God.
