The Miracle of the Sun was not well known outside of Portugal, at least not at first. In October of 1917, World War One still raged in Europe. The months-long battle of Passchendaele was nearing its conclusion, with the British advancing the front five miles at a cost of more than 300,000 casualties. Three weeks following the Miracle of the Sun, Lenin and the Bolshevist party would seize power in Russia. The first American troops faced combat in November. The news of the great miracle in Fatima was drowned by the bloodshed in Europe.
Over time, news of the Marian appearances and the Miracle of the Sun spread beyond Portugal. While Catholic faithful are not obligated to believe in the Miracle, the Church has declared the events at Fatima “worthy of belief,” and multiple popes have encouraged devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. Today Fatima is visited by four million pilgrims each year.
The “three secrets” of Fatima also garnered great attention. These were prophecies and visions revealed to the children by Mary. Lucia did not reveal the first two secrets until 1941, and the third was only released in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. You can read about the secrets here – but before you do that, let’s consider the core message of Fatima below.
The message of Fatima is an amplification of the Gospel message itself: a call to repentance. This comes across again and again, both in the message of the Angel of Portugal who appeared to the children three times in 1916, and of Mary in her six appearances to the children in 1917. Mary and the Angel call on us to offer penance. They speak again and again of the efficacy of prayer and sacrifice, not only for ourselves but also for other sinners. They emphasize that Jesus is anxious to offer his forgiveness. And they remind us that we should not be concerned with the things of this world, but rather, with the final dwelling place of our eternal souls.
The Angel of Portugal first appeared to Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta in the spring of 1916. In his first appearance he taught them this simple, powerful prayer:
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.
Before he left them he said: “The hearts of Mary and Jesus are ready to listen to you.”
When the Angel appeared to them again in the summer (the children were playing at the time), he emphasized the urgent need for prayer, saying “What are you doing? You must pray! Pray! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs for you. You must offer your prayers and sacrifices to God, the Most High.”
Lucia asked how they should sacrifice, and the Angel replied, “In every way you can offer sacrifice to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for sinners. Above all, bear and accept with patience the sufferings God will send you.”
It is tempting to think that sacrifice means martyrdom or something extraordinary, because it gets us off the hook. In fact, there are no shortage of small sacrifices – household chores, foregoing dessert, forgiving the slights of others – we can make in our daily lives that will please God. Rather than begrudging these small sacrifices, we can offer them up joyfully to Jesus, who made such a great sacrifice for us.
Mary emphasizes this point in her July 13, 1917 appearance to the children:
“Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a sacrifice: O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
Mary and the Angel help us understand God. While he is offended by our sins, he is consoled by our prayers and sacrifices. God is the happiest of beings, yet God is incredibly offended and saddened by the rebelliousness and ingratitude of his children. Imagine a mother spending an hour preparing a nice dinner, only to have her children turn up their noses without even trying it, and you’ll have an inkling of how God is offended by our indifference and hostility towards him.
But think how delighted that mother is to spend a few minutes with her child on her lap, reading a story, making each other laugh. Or how she treasures forever the homemade card or gift from her child. So too is God delighted when we spend time with him in prayer, or offer up our sacrifices to him.
We can especially please God by our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary urged the children to say the Rosary every day. She told them: “Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on earth. It is to save poor sinners that God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace.”
There would be peace in the world if we all prayed the Rosary every day, concentrating on the sacred mysteries. There can be peace in your life if you pray the Rosary every day. And by the grace God bestows when you pray, you can spend all eternity with him.
Mary is waiting patiently for you.
