Reflecting on Our Lady of Fatima’s Messages to the Children and to Lucia as a Religious Sister

Two months later, in February, 1926, Lucia went out to the courtyard behind the convent to empty the trash. There she was surprised to encounter a small boy, who had somehow gotten inside the convent enclosure. She asked him if he knew the Hail Mary, and then instructed him to visit a certain church and recite the prayer. A short time later she encountered the same boy. This time, when she asked him if he had followed her instructions (about visit­ing the church and reciting the Hail Mary), he turned to her and said, “And you, have you fulfilled My Mother’s instructions to spread devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?” Then the Child disappeared, for it was the Child Jesus!

In 1927, Lucia was given permission to reveal the first two parts of the Secret, given to the children on July 13: the vision of Hell and the urgent need for devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This permission was given to her by Our Lady while she was praying at the convent in Tuy, Spain. Two years later, in 1929, Our Lady again appeared to Lucia while she was praying in the convent chapel at Tuy, to ask for the fulfillment of her previous request. (“I shall come to ask the consecration of Rus­sia to my Immaculate Heart… If they heed my request, Russia will be converted and there will be peace.”) Lucia made known this request to her confessor, who told her to write it down. He then transmitted it to the bishop.

Three years passed during which nothing was done about the request, so Lucia again wrote to the bishop, adding the following words of Our Lord: “As long as the King of France did not listen to My request (when He asked St. Margaret Mary to obtain the consecration of France to the Sacred Heart by the king)… The Holy Father will conse­crate Russia to Me, but it will be late.”

At the end of August, 1931, Lucia was sent to the town of Rianjo, Spain. While she was there, she visited the small church of Our Lady of Guadalupe and prayed for the conversion of Russia, Spain and Portugal, and Our Lord spoke to her again as follows: “You console Me a great deal by asking Me for the conversion of those poor nations (Russia, Spain and Portugal)… Make it known to My ministers, that given they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My request, they will follow him into misfortune. Like the King of France, they will repent and will do as I have requested, but it will be very late: Russia will already have spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions against the Church. The Holy Father will have much to suffer! But it will never be too late to have recourse to Jesus and Mary.”

These further apparitions to Lucia are very much a part of the message of Our Lady of Fatima to the world. As such, they deserve our study, reflection and applica­tion. As for Lucia, she was at last able to realize her desire of becoming a Carmelite. She entered the Carmelite Order in the convent in Coimbra, Portugal, on May 13, 1948, where she spent her remaining years on earth. Apparitions and the “Fatima Prayers”

What are the main points and dates of the Fatima Apparitions?

Now let us briefly review the various events of the nine apparitions at Fatima— three of the Angel of Portugal in 1916 and six of Our Lady in 1917. Fatima is unique in that the apparitions of Our Lady were preceded by those of the angel, who thus pre­pared the children for Our Lady’s messages. We also find in the apparitions (especially those of the angel) several of the prayers that we know as the “Fatima Prayers.” Since you are all familiar with the various apparitions, I will not dwell on them in detail, but will merely summarize the main points.

When Our Lord appeared to Lucia while she was visiting a small church in Rianjo, Spain, He said “You console Me a great deal by asking Me for the conversion of those poor nations… Make it known to My ministers, that given they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My request, they will follow him into misfortune…”

The first apparition of the angel occurred at the Cabeco, a rocky outcrop on the hillside, a favor­ite haunt of the children, in the spring of 1916. Appearing to them in dazzling brilliance he said, “Fear not! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.” Having said this, he knelt down and bowed low to the ground, saying: “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.” After repeating the prayer two more times, he said, “Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.”

His second apparition took place in the heat of the summer. While they were rest­ing in the shade of the trees surrounding the well in the back of Lucia’s home one hot afternoon, the angel suddenly appeared saying: “What are you doing? Pray! Pray a great deal! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy for you. Offer unceasingly to the Most High prayers and sacrifices.” When Lucia asked how they were to make sacrifices, the angel replied: “Offer up everything within your power as a sacrifice to the Lord in an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. Thus invoke peace upon your country. I am her Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings that the Lord may send you.”

After these words, Our Blessed Mother opened her hands, shedding on the children an intense heavenly light, which prompted them to fall on their knees and recite this prayer: “Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee! My God, my God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament.” Finally, Our Lady spoke again, saying “Say the Rosary every day to earn peace for the world and the end of the war.” With that, she slowly rose and disappeared in the direction of the east.

The second apparition of Our Lady, June 13th, was a festival day in Fatima (and in all Portugal), in honor of the great Portuguese saint, St. Anthony of Padua. The parents had hoped that the festival would distract the children and make them forget about the vision, but nothing could deter them from going to the Cova. At noon, as promised, Our Lady came. Once again she asked for the daily recitation of the Rosary, with the additional request that they insert after each decade this prayer: “O My Jesus, forgive us. Save us from the fire of hell. Bring all souls to heaven, especially those in most need.” As the apparition came to an end, the children were once more engulfed in light. But this time they saw Our Lady with her right hand extended, in front of which was a heart being surrounded and pierced by thorns. They understood this to be the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The next apparition is especially remem­bered as the one during which Our Lady showed the children a vision of the fires of hell. But first, she asked again for the daily recitation of the Rosary and promised that in October, she would work a miracle so that all would be compelled to believe. She also taught the children another prayer, the sacrifice prayer. She told them: “Say often, especially when you make some sacrifice, ‘My Jesus, it is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’” The apparition concluded with the vision of hell, during which Our Lady gave them the secret, something that was to cause them a great deal of suffering inflicted by those who wished to pry it from them.

On August 13th the children were kid­napped by the chief magistrate of the dis­trict and taken to his residence in Ourem. After he unsuccessfully tried to coerce them into telling him the secret, he released them, to the great relief of their parents. A few days later, Our Blessed Mother appeared to them at a place called Valinhos. Again she asked for the Rosary. She also told them that during the miracle in October (which would have been greater had the children not been kidnapped), Saint Joseph would come with the Child Jesus, and that Our Lady of Sorrows would also come. Again she asked for sacrifice, because “many souls go to hell for not having someone to pray and make sacrifices for them.”

On the 13th of September the Cova was filled with people, for by now word had spread throughout the district and beyond. Once again, Our Lady asked for the Rosary: “Let the people continue to say the Rosary every day to obtain the end of the war.” Again, she promised a great miracle in October, one which will not be as great as it would have been, had the children not been kidnapped, but nevertheless a miracle so great that all will be compelled to believe.

Finally, the great day dawned. But it was a soggy, dreary day, for it had been raining hard all night. The elements, however, did not dampen the enthusiasm of the vast multitude who had traveled to the Cova da Iria to be present for the promised miracle. At this final apparition, Our Blessed Mother requested that a chapel be built on the spot, and she revealed her identity: “I am the Lady of the Rosary… they must continue to say the Rosary every day. The war will end and the soldiers will return to their homes soon… Offend not Our Lord any more, for He is already much offended.” These words were followed by the magnificent Miracle of the Sun, the likes of which had never been seen — a miracle which set heaven’s stamp of approval to all the children had reported.

What was Our Lady’s Primary Request?

Now, we might ask, why did Our Lady come to Fatima in the early 20th century? Her primary request was for amendment of life. Just as at La Salette Our Lady complained of the sins of the people, and predicted that God would punish them by means of famine if there was not a sufficient amendment, so likewise at Fatima the pri­mary request was for amendment of life.

This is something we must never forget. You may perhaps be disappointed that I have passed over the details of the extraor­dinary miracle of the sun, the 100th anni­versary of which is tomorrow. But I do so only due to the limited time we have, and also because the more important point about the apparitions is Our Lady’s request for amendment of life. If we fail to amend, nothing else we do — even the daily recita­tion of the Rosary — will be able to take the place of that necessary amendment.

Regarding the necessity of amendment, let us listen to the words of the Holy Ghost in the Book of Ecclesiasticus, chapter 21: “My son, hast thou sinned? Do so no more: but for thy former sins also pray that they may be forgiven thee. Flee from sins as from the face of a serpent: for if thou comest near them, they will take hold of thee. The teeth thereof are the teeth of a lion, killing the souls of men. All iniquity is like a two-edged sword: there is no remedy for the wound thereof.”

Fr. Michael Mueller, in his wonderful book Prayer, the Key to Salvation, points out that a sinner “who prays to God for salvation without having the desire to quit the state of sin, must not expect to be heard” (p. 124). He then quotes St. Alphonsus as saying, “There are some unhappy persons who love the chains with which the devil keeps them bound like slaves. The prayers of such are never heard by God, because they are rash, presumptuous, and abominable.” And Isaias the prophet, on the part of God, declared: “It is of no use your praying to me, for I will turn my eyes from you, and will not hear you; when you stretch forth your hands I will turn away my eyes from you, and when you multiply prayer I will not hear” (Is. 1:15).

These quotations remind us of the words of St. Louis Marie de Montfort in his wonderful book on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, where he lists seven kinds of false devotees of Our Lady. The one group that draws his strongest words of condemnation is that of the “presumptuous devotees.” These are the false devotees who convince themselves that they can live on in sin, and that Our Lady will save them at last because they practice some devotion in her honor. As St. Louis states: “Nothing in Christianity is more detestable than this diabolical presumption” (paragraph 98). Let us always remember that a true devotion to Our Blessed Mother always leads one, first and foremost, to amend his life and abandon sin.

Our Lady Deplored the Abominable Sin of Scandal

In regard to the necessity of conquering mortal sin, let us also call to mind the fright­ening words of Our Lord on scandal: “Woe to the world because of scandals!” etc. How great is the scandal today. Everywhere our eyes and Christian sensibilities are assaulted by occasions of sin, by sights and sounds which tend to drag us away from God. One shudders when he considers the anathema pronounced by Jesus upon those who cause such moral harm!

[T]he sins that bring most souls to Hell are the sins of the flesh. Certain fashions are going to be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much… The sins of the world are too great. If only people knew what eternity is, they would do everything to change their lives.

Jacinta to Mother Godinho

The same can be said of Vatican II and its aftermath. For the evil of Vatican II and the various changes it spawned is not only to be found in the Novus Ordo and its various doctrinal errors, but also in its encourage­ment for Catholics to embrace the world, as though the words of Jesus (“My king­dom is not of this world”) no longer apply. And what was the result? Shortly after the completion of Vatican II, the convents and monasteries practically emptied. Religious removed their habits and began to embrace the styles and fashions of the world, con­fession of sin was practically eliminated, and even the concept of personal sin was destroyed. Is it any wonder that so many Catholics have abandoned the practice of their Faith? Such are the miserable fruits of that false council.

Tragically, we live at a time when the vice of impurity has become endemic. Whereas, in the years before Vatican II the sin of lust caused shame and odium, today it is praised and accepted as good. Marriage, in particular, has been assaulted and rede­fined, in order to accommodate unnatural vice. Divorce and remarriage are becoming commonplace, with the connivance of the false Conciliar Church, which has been handing out annulments by the truckload, not to even mention the recent infamous decree Amoris Laetitia! In this regard, let us call to mind the words of the sagacious little Jacinta, spoken to Mother Godinho, the superior of the orphanage in Lisbon, where she spent a few weeks, shortly before her death:

“My dear Mother, the sins that bring most souls to hell are the sins of the flesh. Certain fashions are going to be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much… The sins of the world are too great. If only people knew what eternity is, they would do everything to change their lives. People lose their souls because they do not think about the death of Our Lord and do not do pen­ance. Many marriages are not good; they do not please Our Lord and are not of God….”

Let us, then, never forget that if we wish to please Jesus and Mary, if we wish to take the Fatima message to heart, there must be an amendment of life, that is, an elimination of sin — at least all mortal sin.

How and when did Our Blessed Mother begin requesting Devotion to her Immaculate Heart?

Another vitally important part of the Fatima message is the request for devo­tion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Although this devotion was not entirely new, it certainly was not widely practiced by the majority of Catholics before the 20th century. Before commenting further on this devotion, let us briefly review the beginnings of this devotion in the Church.

We see Our Blessed Mother herself pro­moting this devotion in the 19th century. In 1830 she appeared three times to St. Catherine Laboure in Paris, asking for a medal to be made and widely used. Our Lady promised great graces to those who devoutly use this medal, especially when they wear it suspended from a chord or chain worn about the neck. We know it as the Miraculous Medal. On the reverse side there is a large M surmounted by the Cross, and underneath are the hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Six years later, Our Lady inspired a priest in Paris to consecrate his parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Despite the dev­astation caused to the faith and piety of the people, devotion in his church (Our Lady of Victories) began to flourish immediately. The priest also composed the rules for a confraternity to be established under this title. In 1838, Pope Gregory XVI renamed this confraternity the Archconfraternity of the Holy and Immaculate Heart of Mary for the Conversion of Sinners.

A few years later, Our Lady once again appeared to another of the Sisters of Char­ity, this time asking for a badge with an image of her Heart, more commonly called the green scapular, to be made and distrib­uted. She promised graces, especially the grace of conversion, to those who would use the badge devoutly, praying the invocation “Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.”

We find this devotion first taught by that pious French priest, St. John Eudes, who wrote a wonderful book on the Pure Heart of Mary and venerated Our Lady under this title. In the early 19th century, the liturgical devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was first approved by Pope Pius VII, who gave permission for a feast of Our Lady to be celebrated under this title by all dioceses and religious communities that had requested it. Later, Pope Pius IX approved a proper Office and Mass for the feast. Finally, in 1942, Pope Pius XII sol­emnly consecrated the entire human race to the loving heart of the Mother of God and instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be perpetually observed by the whole Church on August 22.

But what does this devotion, such an integral part of the message of Fatima, mean for us? First, on the physical side, we recall that it was this most pure heart that nurtured the Divine Infant, the Word made Flesh, for nine months before His sacred birth. Further, the heart of Mary is a veritable furnace of love for God, beyond anything we could comprehend. And it is this love of God that overflows into a love of mankind in her heart. Our Blessed Mother has a tender compassion for all those for whom Christ shed His precious Blood and died. Even though we are responsible by our sins for the death of her Son Jesus on the Cross, Mary does not abandon us, but lovingly pleads with her Son for our conver­sion, repentance and salvation. The tears of Our Lady at La Salette convey what she then said to the children: “However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have taken for you.”

The Immaculate Heart of Mary has been variously represented, often surrounded by white roses signifying Our Lady’s Immacu­late sinlessness or pierced by a sword, recall­ing the words of Simeon which indicated her lifelong sorrows. But at Fatima, the Immaculate Heart was seen by the children surrounded by thorns. As we said earlier, it was the Christ Child Himself who told Lucia in the apparition at Pontevedra in 1925: “Have compassion on the heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.”

At La Salette, Our Lady appeared weeping and overcome with sorrow: “However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have taken for you.”

These words of the Christ Child indicate another important aspect of that Fatima message, and that is reparation. By our lov­ing acts of prayer and sacrifice we are able to console the hearts of Jesus and Mary, and to obtain the conversion of sinners. For, as Our Lady said, “So many souls go to hell, because there is no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.”

Do You Pray the Rosary Every Day?

No discussion of the Fatima message would be complete without recalling the urgency with which the Mother of God requested the daily recitation of the Rosary. Note that this was the one theme that occurs in every single one of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima: the daily recitation of the Rosary. If we would be truly devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, eager to fulfill her requests, let us faithfully recite the Rosary every day. And let us make every effort to do so with reverence, attention and devotion.

Above all, pray the Rosary as a family. In our days, when the family is assaulted on all sides, we need the strong shield of the Rosary to deflect these attacks of hell. The devil would love nothing more than to undermine the family and defile the souls of our precious children, and he works day and night to achieve that end. Let parents especially take to heart Our Lady’s request for the daily Rosary and pray it with your children.

Perhaps the most striking endorsement of the value of the Rosary can be found in the words of Lucia, then a Carmelite nun, to Father Fuentes during an interview in 1957. Here is the quote: “The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary, to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary… With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves; we will sanctify ourselves; we will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.”

What importance are we to give concerns that The Consecration of Russia Has not been done?

Now a few words should be said about the consecration which Our Lady requested. Lucia said that Our Lady wanted the pope to make it in union with all the bishops of the world. In October, 1942, Pope Pius XII recited a beautiful consecration of the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. His Holiness repeated this consecra­tion on December 8 of that year. But the consecration contained only an oblique mention of Russia. Then in 1952, the same Pontiff consecrated the world with a special mention of Russia.

There is much discussion among Fatima scholars as to whether this consecration was adequate. In particular, according to Lucia, Our Lady had requested that the consecra­tion of Russia be made by the Holy Father in union with all the bishops of the world. It is my opinion, however, that such discus­sions can be a waste of time. Why? They can lead one to so focus on the consecration of Russia according to Our Lady’s wishes as to ignore the living and promotion of the message itself. I even read of one otherwise intelligent clergyman who, in his arguments against sedevacantism, stated that the sede-vacantists can’t be correct; otherwise, who is going to make the consecration of Russia in union with the bishops? Talk about fallacious reasoning! Some, in their preoccupation with the consecration, turn a blind eye to the complete apostasy of the modern hierarchy. In fact, we might pose the question: If a false pope and heretical bishops were to make the consecration, would it fulfill the requirements?

There are some who think that all that is needed to transform the world is for the consecration to take place. Now, far be it from any of us to minimize or fail to heed Our Lady’s requests, but we must also remember that an act of consecration of itself does not change one’s life. It must be lived. What especially matters is amend­ment of life. If there is a consecration with no amendment, what does it accomplish? It would seem to me that the reason Our Lady wanted this consecration to be done by the Pope in union with all the bishops of the world, was that they should explain it to their flocks, so that it might be lived. Our Lady wanted bishops and priests all over the world to preach the message of Fatima and to admonish the faithful that war is a punishment for sin. It is sin that causes all the harm in the world, whether the errors of Communism, war, or other disasters.

Let us, then, not waste time in an aca­demic discussion of the proper form of consecration. Rather, let each of us con­secrate himself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and make every effort to live that consecration. Let us do all we can to heed Our Lady’s requests in our own lives, and to spread the knowledge and love of Mary to others.

Why was the Third Secret not published in 1960 as Lucia instructed?

Finally, a few words are in order regarding the Third Secret. More properly referred to as “the Third Part of the Secret,” this mes­sage was revealed to the children on July 13 and never revealed to the world. During an illness of hers, which many feared might be her last illness, Lucia wrote down the Third Secret and gave it, in a sealed envelope, to her bishop. It was then sent to the Vatican with instructions that it was to be opened and revealed in 1960. Later, when asked why that date was given, Lucia said that its meaning would be more apparent by then.

As you know, in the year 2000 the Vatican published what they claimed was the Third Secret, which had to do, supposedly, with the assassination attempt on the life of John Paul II. But if that was the case, why wait until the year 2000? Rather, it is my opinion that the Third Secret deals entirely with the infiltration of the Church by modernism. Note the words of Lucia when she gave the Second Part of the Secret. She states that Our Lady said, “In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved, etc.” It is this et cetera that, in my opinion, reveals the tone of the Third Secret.

In other words, Our Lady is speaking about a time when faith would be nearly extinguished throughout the world. Notice her words about Portugal always retaining the dogma of the Faith — words which have no relationship to the preceding words. If this message was a warning of the coming catastrophe for the Church, then it is no wonder that Angelo Roncalli and the other modernists in the Vatican did not wish to reveal it. Notice that it was in January, 1959, just a few months after his election, that John XXIII shocked the cardinals by announcing to them his intention to con­voke a general council, one which would undermine everything that 2,000 years of Catholicism stood far. The gears had long before been set in motion, and the last thing the modernists wanted was the publication of Our Lady’s words which would reveal their evil designs.

“Are you fulfilling the requests of My Mother?”

Now some may ask: What sets Fatima apart from the various other apparitions of Our Blessed Mother? First, the message of Fatima is a universal message, whereas some of Our Lady’s apparitions were more for local reasons. Also, one only needs to reflect on the epochal events of the 20th century to understand the pre-eminent significance of this message. At the time, the world was engulfed in a world war—the likes of which had never been witnessed. The ensuing years would reveal even more the dire consequences of ignoring the requests of the Mother of God, as Commu­nism spread throughout the world wreak­ing untold havoc in families and nations.

We might also add that Fatima is the most recent apparition of Our Lady with such a universal appeal, to have been approved by the highest authorities of the Church. Here a word of caution must be given regarding the numerous claims of apparitions, espe­cially over the last 50 years. If these appari­tions were truly authentic, then Our Blessed Mother would have warned the seers of the heretical nature of Vatican II and of the evil nature of the Novus Ordo. But none of them make this claim. They must be rejected by faithful sons of the Church, who adhere to what the Church has approved.

Let us, then, take the message of Fatima to heart. We rejoice this year, in celebrating the centennial of Our Lady’s apparitions. But what matters is the message of Fatima, the requests of Our Lady. You will notice that in this address, I have not elaborated on the great Miracle of the Sun, the 100th anniversary of which we will celebrate tomorrow. Why? Because our limited time this evening made it far more imperative to speak about Our Lady’s message, rather than that extraordinary miracle which is the confirmation of that message.

What does this anniversary mean for us? Take to heart the words of Our Lady; exam­ine your conscience; live the message. Many are excited at this year’s anniversary, but is Our Lady pleased with their lives? Many speak of Our Lady of Fatima but reject the Church’s teaching on modesty. They fol­low the “New Mass” and the teachings of Vatican II, which represent nothing more nor less than a new religion.

Truly, we live in evil times, when iniquity abounds. How can we persevere in the Faith? We have sadly wit­nessed the lapse of others, and we have reason to fear (knowing our own weak­ness) that we too—may God forbid — we too may gradu­ally become cold, lose our fervor, and turn away from our faith. How then, can we persevere in this age? The simple solution is to take the message of Fatima to heart: Eliminate all mortal sin and, as far as possible, the occa­sions of sin, from your life; pray the Rosary devoutly every day; and consecrate yourself to the Immacu­late Heart of Mary. Let us address to ourselves the words of the Christ Child at Pontevedra, Spain, when He asked Lucia, “Are you fulfilling the requests of My Mother?”

My dear friends in Christ, let us stay close to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for she will always crush the head of the ancient serpent; she will triumph over sin and hell. In the end, her Immaculate Heart will triumph!

–Taken from the Reign of Mary Quarterly Magazine, Issue 168