The sheep grazed lazily, drifting about with heads to the ground and eyes half-closed. The three children who herded them were busy about a little furze bush, building a wall with the loose rocks lying about. A bee buzzed nearby in the last of the spring flowers.
Suddenly, a flash lit the air.
The children hesitated, dropped their stones, and looked at the sky.
“We’d better go home,” said the oldest, “that’s lightning; we may have a thunderstorm.”
They had pushed the reluctant sheep onto the road when a second flash like lightning flickered around them. Then, on a holmoak quite near them, a radiant Lady appeared and said to them, “Do not be afraid. I will do you no harm.”
Thus began the Fatima apparitions, wherein the Blessed Mother appeared to the children six times, bringing them a message that urged repentance. If the world did not repent soon, she said, God would send horrific punishments upon it.
The visionaries of Fatima: Jacinta, Lucia, and Francisco
We know what happened over the next one hundred years: the horrors of World War I ended, only to return with greater force in World War II; Russia, “spreading her errors,” embroiled the world in the Cold War and the influences of the Communist ideology; countless martyrs shed their blood for the Faith.
It would be easy to draw a breath of relief and say, “Well, thank goodness all that is over now.”
But is it? Lucia warned us that—because the Fatima message has been ignored—another terrible punishment will fall on the world.
“The final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan,” she said, “will be about marriage and the family.”
In our times, we can see that the battle has begun—but it’s not too late. God’s punishment is not fixed. Just as He offered the city of Nineveh an opportunity to repent of their sins, so He now offers a way by which mankind can be saved. If we turn to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and follow her plan for peace, we can lessen the full consequences of our sin by means of penance.
Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima! Our Blessed Mother desires to transform the world under this powerful title. Bring Our Lady of Fatima’s beautiful message into your home with this Our Lady of Fatima Handmade Platter. With a charming illustrated design honors the apparitions while reminding us to pray the rosary and place ourselves in the Immaculate Heart of Mary daily. Order yours today from The Catholic Company!
