Along with Lourdes and Guadalupe, Fatima is the
most visited country as far as religious pilgrimages are concerned. And as if
to further accentuate its importance in history, May 13, 1917 was replicated in
1981 for a moment of importance, although in a negative way. On that day Pope
John Paul II was shot inside the Vatican Square and almost died. But he
recovered enough to make a pilgrimage a year later on May 13, 1982, to thank
the Blessed Mother for her intervention in saving his life.
But very much like Lourdes and Guadalupe, the
quietness of these small little villages was turned upside down when the
Blessed Mother appeared to 3 young children, Francisco and his sister Jacinta
Marto, and Lucia dos Santos. Nobody would believe them at first, and were almost
imprisoned for fabricating lies. But eventually, religious leaders, priests and
bishops in Fatima, Portugal investigated the whole story and found it to be
true, with the Vatican officially proclaiming that the apparitions were
believable. Francisco and Jacinta died shortly afterwards and were canonized a few years ago, but Lucia became a
nun and lived into the third millennium in a monastery in Portugal, being
visited by 2 Popes. A huge basilica was built on the spot where the
Blessed Mother appeared to the children, encouraging them to pray the Rosary,
and pray for the conversion of souls. She even gave the children some well-kept
secrets, which were only shown to the reigning Popes, but we know now that they
spoke about the conversion of Russia and other tragic events that took place over
the years, and other historic events which were predicted, like the end of
World War I. Thousands of pilgrims visit Fatima every year, and the devotion to
the Blessed Mother and the Rosary spread far and wide.
No comments:
Post a Comment