October 13, A.D. 2017 – Fatima 100th Anniversary
Exactly 33 years (span of our Lord’s life) to the day prior to the great Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, that is, on October 13, 1884, Pope Leo XIII had a remarkable vision. When the aged Pontiff had finished celebrating Mass in his private Vatican Chapel, attended by a few Cardinals and members of the Vatican staff, he suddenly stopped at the foot of the altar. He stood there for about 10 minutes, as if in a trance, his face ashen white. Then, going immediately from the Chapel to his office, he composed the prayer to St. Michael, with instructions it be said after all Low Masses everywhere. When asked what had happened, he explained that, as he was about to leave the foot of the altar, he suddenly heard voices – two voices, one kind and gentle, the other guttural and harsh. They seemed to come from near the tabernacle. As he listened, he heard the following conversation:
The guttural voice, the voice of Satan in his pride, boasted to Our Lord: “I can destroy your Church.” The gentle voice of Our Lord: “You can? Then go ahead and do so.” Satan: “To do so, I need more time and more power.” Our Lord: “How much time? How much power?” Satan: “75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves over to my service.” Our Lord: “You have the time, you will have the power. Do with them what you will.”
On Sunday May 13th, 1917, the children were pasturing their flock as usual at the Cova da Iria, which was about a mile from their homes. They were playing when suddenly a bright shaft of light pierced the air. The lady spoke to them and said: “Fear not! I will not harm you.” “Where are you from?” the children asked. “I am from heaven” the beautiful lady replied, gently raising her hand towards the distant horizon. “What do you want of me?”, Lucia asked. ” I came to ask you to come here for six consecutive months, on the thirteenth day, at this same hour. I will tell you later who I am and what I want.”
It was Mary’s final appearance, on Oct. 13, 1917 (exactly 33 years, to the day, after Pope Leo XIII’s vision), that became the most famous. An estimated 70,000 people were in attendance at the site, anticipating the Virgin’s final visit and with many fully expecting that she would work a great miracle. As everyone gazed upward, and saw that a silvery disc had emerged from behind clouds, they experienced what is known a ‘sun miracle.’ Not everyone reported the same thing; some present claimed they saw the sun dance around the heavens; others said the sun zoomed toward Earth in a zigzag motion that caused them to fear that it might collide with our planet . Some people reported seeing brilliant colorsspin out of the sun in a psychedelic, pinwheel pattern. The whole event took about 10 minutes.With these apparitions at Fatima, God asked for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Pope in union with all of the bishops of the world. Our Lady of Fatima said that if the Consecration of Russia was done, Russia would be converted and there would be peace. However, if the Pope and the bishops did not obey the request, Our Lady said that Russia would spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church and of Holy Father, the martyrdom of the good and the annihilation of nations. Our Lady appeared in Fatima with these warnings exactly 100 years before the 500th anniversary of the Protestant revolt (1517-2017).
At Rianjo, Spain in August 1931, Our Lord communicated to Sister Lucy His dissatisfaction with the Pope’s and the Catholic bishops failure to obey His command to consecrate Russia. He said: Make it known to My ministers, given that they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My requests, they will follow him into misfortune. In another text Lucy wrote that Our Lord complained to her: They did not wish to heed My request! Like the King of France they will repent of it, and they will do it, but it will be late. Russia will have already spread its errors in the world, provoking wars and persecutions against the Church. The Holy Father will have much to suffer. A few years after the French Revolution broke out in 1789, Louis XVI attempted from his prison cell to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart, but the deadline had passed—and so this sincere but belated attempt did not spare him from the loss of first his throne and then his life. Likewise, if the Holy Father waits until after 2017 to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart, there may well be unnecessarily tragic consequences for the Church and for humanity as a whole More ominously, an “unholy” or diabolical historical pattern can be found in these three years: 1517, 1717, and 1917— each of which represents a major assault on the unity and authority of the Catholic Church. 1517 marked the beginning of the so-called Protestant “Reformation,” which tragically divided Western Christianity even to this day. In 1717 the secret society commonly known as Freemasonry was officially established—an organization that, in conjunction with the Illuminati, has consistently denigrated, opposed, and worked to infiltrate and undermine Catholicism. (Most members of Masonry see only the fraternal and charitable activities it uses to disguise its true nature, and are unaware of its diabolical origin and purpose. The Church, however, has never been deceived in this regard; the popes have officially condemned Freemasonry over 200 times, and Catholics are still forbidden to join the Masons.)
1917, of course, was the year of horrific Russian Revolution, just a few weeks after October 13, 1917, the calamitous Russian Revolution occurred (following Our Lady’s revelation to the three shepherd children that, if the world did not repent, Russia would be God’s chosen instrument to chastise sinful nations)—then the time of Satan’s power as the “prince of this world” (Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) is rapidly drawing to a close. This would, of course, be reason to celebrate—except for the fact that Russia has seemingly not yet been consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the manner Our Lady requested at Fatima. This is an urgent matter because Our Lord revealed to Sr. Lucia, one of the Fatima visionaries, that, as a way of honoring His Mother’s Immaculate Heart, He would not bring about the promised era of peace until this had been done.
Fortunately, Our Lady had predicted during her apparition of July 13, 1917 that “in the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.” This good news does not automatically mean, however, that in the meantime all potential dangers will be averted.
What should we do to prepare for such coming events? Live the message of Fatima—by praying (especially the Rosary) for the conversion of sinners, by doing penance and offering sacrifices for the moral and spiritual renewal of our country, and by making acts of reparation to console the gravely-offended Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of His Mother. Prayer and penance of this sort are never wasted, are of great spiritual benefit to ourselves and our loved ones, and are a wonderful way of assuring ourselves that Our Lady will assist us and cover us with her mantle of protection. There are many indications that we are entering a crucial time in world history, and while we cannot predict exactly how future events will unfold, we can be sure that those who live out their faith in Jesus will be preserved from harm and, in the end, be given every reason to rejoice.