Mary, the Theotokus, who has been also the Queen of Heaven and Earth upon her Assumption, made six apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, from May 17 to October 17, in 1917, as Our Lady of Fatima, as well as Our Lady of the Rosary.
It was the year before a great pandemic, known as
the Spanish Flu, while many lives were being lost and many cities were
destroyed as World War I was raging. Many
had been losing their souls to atheism, a form of relativism, which had been wide-spreading
across Europe. In response, Pope Leo XIII encouraged Catholics to pray the
Rosary as our spiritual weapon against Satan’s works against the Church and the
faithful, with his 12 encyclicals and 5 apostolic letters. He also denounced modernistic
relativism in his Humanum Genus
(1884), as Karl Marx’ communism was gaining popularity around that time in
response to capitalism tainted by materialism, consumerism, and greed. As such,
the post-industrial revolution Europe had become a dangerous place for the faithful
as relativism had been turning many believers into atheists and communists and
freemasons, pulling them away from the Communion of Saints. So, apostasy was
not unusual.
Though Pope Leo XIII tirelessly shepherded the
faithful to act more with the Rosary, Satanic forces were becoming ever
stronger through relativism. His successor, Pope Benedict XV, continued on with
the Church’s fight against relativism.
In such a worldly backdrop, Mary came to the world
from heaven with three important warnings: the reality of hell, the imminent
danger of another world war upon World War I (namely, World War II), and
advancement of persecution against the Church and the faithful into the
post-modernistic period. This third warning included the prophecy of
assassination attempt against pope. In regard to her prophecy of another world
war after World War I, Mary urged the faithful to pray for the conversion of
Russia and for Russia’s consecration to her Immaculate Heart so that this might
be averted. And, she pressed on the importance of praying the Rosary daily for
penance and fight against relativism and all other enemies of the Church and
the faithful.
Mary knows so well, who she can best convey her
important and urgent message to keep our souls from damnation. So, she directly
appeared to three shepherd children: Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, whose
hearts were rather innocent and not contaminated with relativism, as to reflect
what her Son has said in Matthew 18:1-0; 19:13-15; and Luke 18:15-17. And these
three children were obedient to Mary, conveying her warning messages to adults.
But, these adults were not necessarily receptive, while some actually persecuted
these three children. So, on September 13, 1917, during her fifth apparition, Mary
told Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, “In
October, I will perform a miracle for all to believe.”
So, as she promised, on October 13, 1917, many
witnessed the sun dancing. As it cannot be explained with science, it was
certainly a supernatural phenomenon. And it proves that Mary certainly
intercedes for us to make God’s power to manifest in such a supernatural occurrence.
Not to mention, many of those who witnessed the
dancing sun, as Mary promised, on that day, had repented and converted and
returned to God.
As his mother, she must have been so sadden to see
how people had abandoned her Son and his salvific teaching – even though he had
purchased the chance for us, sinners, to enter into his Kingdom at the
eschaton, so that we may not end in the eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire,
through his blood – as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Agnus Dei, qui tolis peccata mundi)(John
1:29). She was so heartbroken to see her children, as she is also our mother
(John 19:27), she came from heaven, where she has been residing as the Queen of
Heaven, since her Assumption, to give us the three-fold warning so that wrath
of God the Father may not come upon us.
So, she reminded us of the reality of hell to tell us to avoid sins, not to get lost in relativism but to remain in her Son, Christ, who has said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it”(Luke 11:28), as found in the Gospel Reading for the Memorial Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, October 13 (Luke 11:27-28). To juxtapose the significance of the six apparitions of Mary as Our Lady of Fatima, as well as Our Lady of the Rosary, to the Gospel Reading for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, (Matthew 22:1-14), it is to make sure that we will not end up being like the man, who was expelled by the king from his banquet hall, for not being dressed for the occasion of his son’s wedding feast. Being dressed for the occasion of the wedding feast of the king’s son means wearing the robes washed white by the Lamb’s blood (Revelation 3:5; 7:14), having endured tribulations of the war against Satan’s attacks, including attacks by relativism. And for us, the faithful, as Mary has reminded, upon Pope Leo XIII emphasized through his magisterium, we need to pray the Rosary, which taught us through St. Dominic in 1208, in his struggles with a spiritual warfare against heresies. Along with this powerful spiritual weapon against Satan and his demonic effects, we keep our prayers so that we will abide by the Word of God, thus enjoy blessing of God, being prepared for the heavenly wedding banquet (Revelation 19:6-9), whenever God calls.
Yes, Mary, as Our Lady of Fatima, through the
Rosary, points us to her Son, Christ, so that we may enjoy his wedding feast,
when the Father calls us to come join!
Blessed are we to have Our Lady of Fatima as Madonna Della Strada al banchetto di nozze
di suo figlio, Gesù (Our Lady of the Way to the wedding banquet of her Son,
Jesus)!
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