IPVS

The Message of Fatima in Our Lady's Own Words

by John Haffert

PART ONE

"Fatima is one of the greatest signs of the times in the 20th century because it announces many of the later events, and conditions them on the response to its appeals," said the Pope in his Fatima letter of October 13, 1991 (L'Osservatore Romano, October 24, 1991). His Holiness said the greatness of Fatima lies not so much in the miracle, but that it offers the specific response necessary to save mankind from self-destruction.

Many books have been written about the miracle and about these messages which are of vital importance to every man, woman and child on earth. To better know the message of Fatima, and to continue to discover its meaning in relation to current events, we present here all the words of the apparitions, with answers to some of the questions. ^[1]

The First Apparition

In the Spring of 1916, a year before the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima, God sent an angel three times to prepare the three children to whom Our Lady would soon appear. The children were Sister Lucia and her cousins, Blessed Francisco and Jacinta.

The angel in the first apparition said: "Do not be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me." Prostrating himself on the ground the angel prayed three times: "My God, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love You. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love You."

Then the angel rose and said: "Pray in this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to your supplications." The children were speechless with awe. The words of the angel's prayer were imbedded in their memories.

The Meaning

"Angel" means messenger. God sent His angel before the appearance of the Queen of the World at Fatima to deliver the message that Our Lady Herself would afterwards affirm with a warning, a promise, and a great miracle.

In this first apparition the Angel does not identify himself by his name but by his mission. He is the "Angel of Peace." Peace for mankind is the promise of Fatima. Appearing a year later Our Lady said that if the world responds to Her Fatima message "An era of peace will be granted to mankind." More recently Sister Lucia has said that all the wars of the past century, after the Fatima apparitions, could have been avoided if the world had responded.

"Pray with Me"

The Angel of Peace invites us to pray with him. When we pray for the reign of God in the world, all the angels and saints are joined with us in that prayer. He asks us to pray in reparation for all who deny God, and to believe, to adore, to trust, and to love Him. It is a message not just for Catholics. It is a basic message delivered by God's Angel of Peace to all the people of the earth. The last part of the Fatima message (the Third Secret), made public on June 26, 2000, reveals that if the message of the Angel of Peace continues to be ignored, the Angel of Justice stands ready to cast fire upon the earth.

The Sacred Hearts

The Angel of Peace concluded his message with reference to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He said these Sacred Hearts eagerly await the prayer of reparation for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust, and do not love God.

Why did the Angel say that the Hearts of Jesus and Mary await this prayer? Should he not have said that God awaits it? In His Mercy (as Our Lady of Fatima would reveal in due time) God has entrusted the peace of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, one with the Sacred Heart of Her Son.

We deserve God's Justice more than did Noah's generation in the Old Testament. But after the time of Noah, two Hearts redeemed us on Calvary: the Heart of Jesus pierced by a lance and the Heart of Mary pierced by sorrow. These are times of God's Love manifested through those two Hearts.

The angel speaks of the Heart of Mary in close relationship to the Heart of Jesus. These two Sacred Hearts together restored man to God's Grace which the two hearts of Adam and Eve together had lost for us.

The Second Apparition

It was in the summer of 1916 that the angel came a second time while the children were at play. He said: "What are you doing? Pray! Pray much! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs upon you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High."

Lucia asked: "How must we sacrifice?" The angel answered: "Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your country. I am its Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send you."

Lucia said: "These words were like a light which made us understand Who God is, how He loves us and how much He desires to be loved…and how pleasing sacrifice is to Him and how, on account of it, He grants the grace of conversion to sinners." ^[2]

The Meaning

In this second apparition the Angel asks: "What are you doing?" The children were playing. The angel might ask us the same question if he came while we were watching television. He would explain that God now wills that we make of whatever we are doing a sacrifice, something holy. (The word "sacrifice" means "to make holy.") Even the hours before a television set we can offer to God.

"The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs on you," the angel adds. Their Love can no longer be contained. They desire to enflame all hearts with love of God.

We are not asked to do something new. We are asked "above all" to accept whatever God may send us in the course of the day, uniting our hearts to the Sacred Hearts Who offered all for us.

Our Own Nation

Again, as in the first angelic apparition, the angel identifies himself by his mission rather than his name. He is the Guardian Angel of the nation. Our nation shames its angel before the Face of God with many sins, especially 4,000 innocent babies slaughtered in the wombs of their mothers each day in our beloved country.

It may be too much for us to think of all the sins of the world which cry out to God for Justice. But we can think at least of the sins of our own nation. As the angel tells us, we can offer up the trials of each day in reparation "to draw peace upon your country."

The Third Apparition

The children were praying with the words taught to them by the angel when suddenly, holding a chalice and Host, the angel appeared before them. Leaving the Host suspended in the air he then suspended the chalice beneath it. Drops of Blood came from the Host and dripped into the chalice.

Prostrating himself, as had the first time, he asked the children to pray with him and say three times: "Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference, by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I pray for the conversion of poor sinners."

Rising, he took the chalice and the Host in his hands. He gave the Host to Lucia and gave the chalice to Francisco and Jacinta saying: "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by the sins of ungrateful men. Repair their crimes and console your God." The angel then prostrated himself again. Once more he repeated three times the prayer to the Most Holy Trinity, offering Jesus from all the tabernacles of the world in reparation and for the conversion of sinners.

The Meaning

At once we think of so many talking and hastening from Church just after receiving Our Lord. They seem not aware, as was the Angel, that they are now living tabernacles containing Jesus (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) before Whom all the angels of Heaven fall down to adore.

In this third apparition, the Angel does not identify himself. But we understand that he is the Archangel Michael. There is reason to believe that the chalice and Host were taken by the Archangel from the tabernacle of the church of St. Michael in Juncal, about twenty miles from Fatima. Fr. Luis da Costa, the parish priest there at the time, had always left a Host in the tabernacle, together with his chalice. He later revealed that. at the of time of the apparition, the Host had disappeared from the tabernacle and the chalice had been moved. ^[3]

As Blood dripped from the Host to the chalice, the Angel offered Jesus in the Eucharist to the Trinity in reparation. He then prayed that sinners be converted "by the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary".

An entire book could be written about this. It is linked to the "final" vision of Fatima, which took place on June 13, 1929, of which we shall speak in due course.

But let us address just the three most often asked questions: Why the bleeding Host? Why was the Host given to Lucia and the Blood to Francis and Jacinta? How can we speak of the "infinite merits" of the Heart of Mary?

Answers

Over six hundred years before this apparition, a woman in the town of Santarem (half way on the road between Lisbon and Fatima) took a Host from her mouth after Communion for an unholy purpose. It bled profusely. Overcome with remorse, she and her husband reported the wonder to the bishop. The Host was solemnly enshrined in Santarem's "Church of the Holy Miracle." For more than six hundred years it has remained incorrupt, evoking reparation as though in preparation for this third angelic apparition of Fatima.

Nothing offends the Sacred Hearts more than irreverence to the Blessed Sacrament. Indeed Our Lady, following the apparitions of the Angel, would request a special Communion of Reparation on the First Saturday of every month in honor of Her Immaculate Heart, just as Jesus had previously asked for a Communion of Reparation on the First Friday in honor of His Sacred Heart.

Perhaps the Angel communicated Francis and Jacinta from the chalice because they had not yet made their first Communion. Several commentators see this as a reference to the Church in Russia, where Communion is given with the Precious Blood. Others have suggested it might have been because they were soon to die and Lucia was to remain on earth.

When Francis at first did not understand fully what it meant, Lucia explained that Jesus is wholly present under both species. At once he said (as though now he fully understood): "Oh, I knew God was inside me... but I did not know how."

The Angel prostrated himself after the children had received Jesus. Now prostrate in front of the children, the Angel again offered the prayer of adoration three times. The Angel was adoring and offering Jesus now present in three little children in reparation to the Trinity, and for the conversion of sinners "through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

Infinite Merits of the Sacred Hearts

As in his two previous appearances, St. Michael refers to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He tells us to pray for the conversion of sinners through Their "infinite merits." We usually apply the word "infinite" only to God. But the Angel is affirming here what was said by St. Grignion: "Mary is by Grace what Jesus is by nature." Many other saints and doctors of the Church have spoken in a similar manner. ^[4] Her Heart is truly one with His. Their Hearts form One single Flame of Love.

Recently it has become more affirmed that Our Lady was the only one, after Adam and Eve, who lived in the Divine Will. Many saints of the era of the triumph of the Sacred Hearts, like Saint Faustina, will have this great gift which is said to give "infinite" merit to their prayers and actions. They are the infinite merits of God's Own Divine Will.

In Her very first apparition, following the three messages of the angel, Our Lady would explain: "God wishes now to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart." This devotion is the door to life in the Divine Will. In the course of the Fatima apparitions to follow, it would become clear that Jesus now desires "that devotion to the Immaculate Heart of My Mother be placed alongside devotion to My Own Sacred Heart." ^[5]

If there is something "new" in the messages of the angel, perhaps it is that all three times the Hearts of Jesus and Mary were acknowledged. The Angel prepared the way for the Queen of Angels by announcing the essence of the entire message of Fatima, which, in the words of Pope John Paul II, offers to the world "the specific response necessary to save mankind from self destruction."

PART TWO

THE FIRST APPARITION OF OUR LADY

MAY 13, 1917

"We were so close," Lucia wrote, "just a few feet from Her. We were bathed in the light that surrounded Her or, rather, radiated from Her. Then She spoke to us."
"Do not be afraid. I will not harm you."
"Where are you from?"
"I am from Heaven."
"What do you want of me?"
"I have come to ask you to come here for six months in succession on the 13th day at this same hour. Later on I will tell you who I am and what I want. Afterwards, I will return here yet a seventh time."
"Shall I go to Heaven?"
"Yes, you will."
"And Jacinta?"
"She will go also."
"And Francisco?"
"He will go there too, but he must say many Rosaries.
"Is Maria da Neves in Heaven?"
"Yes, she is."
"And Amelia?"
"She will be in Purgatory until the end of the world. Are you willing to offer yourselves up to God and to bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and for the conversion of sinners?"
"Yes, we are willing."
"Then you will have much to suffer, but the Grace of God will be your comfort."

Sister Lucia reports that as Our Lady said those last words She opened Her hands. A brilliant light streamed from Her. In that light they saw themselves in God "Who was the Light" and moved by an interior impulse which was communicated to them, they fell to their knees saying: "O Most Holy Trinity I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the most Blessed Sacrament!"

Before ascending back into Heaven, Our Lady finally said: "Pray the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war."

Questions

The children were so close to Our Lady. Did She seem real to them or was She like a spirit, all made of light?
She seemed so real to them that they did not at first think She was from Heaven. Lucia said, despite the great light, they thought She was a person from somewhere around the country whom they had never seen before. Our Lady is body and soul in Heaven. She Herself was really present before the children.

How old was Amelia when she died? Why would she be in Purgatory until the end of time?
She was about 19. It seems that her family had thought she went quickly to Heaven and did not continue to pray for her. In Her mercy, Our Lady let it be known that this soul very much needed prayers. Let us not forget our own loved ones.

Why would Francisco have to say many Rosaries? This statement of Our Lady would seem to imply that Francisco was not as holy as Lucia and Jacinta, since they were not told they had to say "many" Rosaries.
Actually Francisco was the "contemplative" of the three children. He did not hear Our Lady speak and therefore concentrated on what he saw. What impressed him most in all the course of the apparitions was that Light shining from Our Lady. He said later: "What I loved most of all was to see Our Lord in that light from Our Lady which penetrated our hearts. I love God so much! But He is very sad because of so many sins! We must never commit sins again."

The Light

As the light from Our Lady so much impressed Francisco, it ought also to impress us.

This light prefigures the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary when She will cause the Light of God to shine upon the world, causing us to be "lost in God" and aware of Our Lord's true presence in the Eucharist.

From the time of this first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, Francisco was impelled to offer many Rosaries in reparation to Our Lord, offended by so many careless Communions and neglected in so many tabernacles.

In conclusion, Our Lady tells us in this first apparition: 1) She wants us to offer up to God whatever He chooses to send us, in reparation for our sins and the sins of others; 2) She is our real, loving Mother who can be present wherever She wills, and is always listening when we pray; 3) Purgatory is real; 4) The Grace of God will be with us and comfort us in fulfilling Her requests; 5) If we say "yes", as did the children, Her Immaculate Heart will flood us with Divine light, and make us aware of the true presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. ^[6]

SECOND APPARITION

JUNE 13, 1917

Just as in May, on June 13, 1917, there was a great light and in the next moment Our Lady was on the little tree (about six feet above the ground). At once Lucia asked: "What do you want of me?"
"I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to pray the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Later, I will tell you what I want." Lucia then asked for the cure of a sick person. "If he is converted, he will be cured within the year."
"I would like to ask you if you will take us to Heaven."
"Yes. I will take Francisco and Jacinta soon. But you are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to use you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart."
"Am I to stay here alone?" Lucia asked sadly.
"No, my daughter. Do you suffer much? Do not be discouraged. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your consolation and the way that will lead you to God." As Our Lady spoke these last words She opened Her hands and in an immense light that emanated from Her Heart, Lucia said: "We saw ourselves as though immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in the light which rose towards Heaven, and I in that part of the light poured out on the earth.
"In front of the palm of Our Lady's right hand was a heart encircled with thorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, seeking reparation."

Questions

Why the apparition of the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with thorns?
All six apparitions of Our Lady are like chapters of a book. Each one reveals a little more. Here Lucia is told she is to convey a special message to the world. Although Francisco and Jacinta will soon go to Heaven, she is to remain because Jesus wishes to use her "to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart."

How important is this message?
The Vatican document of June 26, 2000, in which the last secret of Fatima was revealed, affirmed that the very heart of the Fatima message was "to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart."

THE THIRD APPARITION

JULY 13, 1917

After the flash of light Our Lady was present again and Lucia again asked: "What do you want of me?"
"I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war because only She can help you."
"I would like to ask you to tell us who you are, and to work a miracle so that everyone will believe that you are appearing to us."
"Continue to come here every month. In October I will tell you who I am, and what I want, and I will perform a miracle for all to see and to believe."
Lucia then made requests for favors people had given her. Our Lady said it was necessary for such people to pray the Rosary in order to obtain these graces during the year. She then concluded: "Sacrifice yourselves for sinners. Say many times, especially whenever you make some sacrifice: "O My Jesus! It is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

Questions

Why did Our Lady say that She is the only one who can help us?
Jacinta answered this question with the statement: "God has entrusted the peace of the world to Her." Our Lady is not taking the place of God. She is doing the work God has assigned to Her. She is holding back the sword of fire wielded by God's Angel of Justice.

What is the principal message of this vision?
We are shown the power of the Rosary to bring peace to the world, and the need to make sacrifices of all we do, offering them for love of Jesus, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Why reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
What offends the Heart of Jesus offends the Heart of His Mother. Our Lady said that most souls go to Hell because of sins of impurity, and She offers Her Immaculate Heart as a refuge for sinners. We repair the wounds of Her pierced Heart when we seek refuge there from Satan and the world.

The Vision of Hell

Just after Our Lady taught the children to say frequently "O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary," Our Lady showed the children a vision of Hell as a sea of fire.
She then said: "You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war (World War I) is going to end. But if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI.
"When you will see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, famine and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.
"To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heard, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred. The Holy Father will have much to suffer. Several nations will be annihilated.
"Finally My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted, and an era of peace will be granted to the world."
Our Lady told them to keep this a secret for the time. Then She said: "When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need." ^[7]

Questions

How can devotion to the Immaculate Heart save many souls?
This devotion, in fulfillment of the three basic requests of Our Lady, (and the fourth of the First Saturday devotion) will make ourselves holy and our prayers effective.

How do we practice this devotion?
We begin with an act of consecration. This can be implemented by enrollment in the Brown Scapular which Our Lady held from the sky in Her final appearance at Fatima. Lucia said "this is because She wants everyone to wear it. It is the sign of consecration to Her Immaculate Heart." By doing as Our Lady asks, (by being souls consecrated to the Immaculate Heart and especially those who make the total consecration to Mary) ^[8] so many more souls may be converted and the annihilation of nations could be averted.

Why did Our Lady tell them to keep this secret?
Lucia herself said it was because at the time (in 1917) at least two parts of this message would not have been understood. This could have prevented approval of the Fatima message (which was given in 1927). When revealed in 1942, errors from an atheist Russia had already spread throughout the world. Three years later the use of atomic bombs showed the possibility of the other almost unbelievable prophecy: "Several entire nations will be annihilated."

When did the "unknown light" appear?
The night of January 24/25, 1938. It seemed that all Europe was ablaze. Millions who witnessed it thought the world was on fire. Hitler invaded Austria and the Second World War followed.

What did Our Lady require "to prevent this"?
In addition to Her basic requests She asked for the consecration of Russia and the devotion of Communions of Reparation on five consecutive First Saturdays. She said She would "come back" to explain, which She did on Dec. 10, 1927 and again on June 13, 1929. In the last apparition, She said it was time for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. Both messages were in ample time to have prevented the Second World War.

What is the meaning of "finally" My Immaculate Heart will triumph?
In Portuguese Our Lady said "por fim," which could also be understood to mean "in the end" or "at the end." This could mean when Her requests are "finally" heard, or it could mean after the annihilation of nations if Her requests are not heard. To soften this Our Lady encouraged us with two great promises: The conversion of Russia and an era of peace for mankind.

Rest of the Secret

Immediately after the last words of July 13th, quoted above, Our Lady added: "The dogma of the faith will always be kept in Portugal." Then immediately Our Lady showed the children two visions that were still kept secret until they were revealed June 26, 2000, by order of Pope John Paul II. Lucia describes them in these words:
At the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with flaming sword in his left hand; flashing it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire. But they died out in contact with the splendor that Our Lady radiated towards him from Her right hand. Pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: "Penance, Penance, Penance!"
And we saw, in an immense light that is God (something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it), a bishop dressed in white (we had the impression it was the Holy Father).
"We saw other bishops, priests, men and women religious, going up a steep mountain at the top of which was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork tree with bark.
Before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way.
Having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him. And in the same way there died, one after another, the other bishops, priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions.
Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels, each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.

Questions

What does the vision mean?
The Vatican document, in which the secret was released, explains: "The angel with the flaming sword on the left of the Mother of God recalls similar images in the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse). This represents the threat of judgment which looms over the world. Today the prospect that the world might be reduced to ashes by a sea of fire no longer seems pure fantasy. Man himself, with his inventions, has forged the flaming sword."

What does Sister Lucia herself say the vision means?
In the very beginning of the same document releasing the secret, the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith recalled that on May 12, 1982, Sister Lucia wrote to the Holy Father: "The third part of the secret refers to Our Lady's words: 'If not (Russia) will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated.'" (Emphasis added.)
Sister Lucia added: "If we have not yet seen the complete fulfillment of the final part of this prophecy, we are going towards it little by little with great strides."
The secret deals with the present world crisis in faith and morality. It is a repetition of the final words spoken by Our Lady at Fatima: "Men must cease offending God, Who is so much offended."

THE FOURTH APPARITION OF OUR LADY

AUGUST 13/15, 1917

On August 13th, shortly before they were to leave for the place where Our Lady appeared, the three children of Fatima were taken away by the civil authorities who tried to cajole or frighten the children into a denial of the apparitions. Finally on the morning of the 15th they were threatened with death in boiling oil. They thought, one after the other, that they were really going to die. But when this terrible threat failed they were set free and returned home.

That afternoon Our Lady appeared to them in a grove not far from their hamlet. As before Lucia asked: "What do you want of me." Our Lady replied: "I want you to continue to go to the Cova da Iria on the 13th, and to continue praying the Rosary every day. In the last month I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."
"What do you want done with the money that the people leave in the Cova da Iria?"
"Have two litters made. One is to be carried by you and Jacinta and two other girls dressed in white; the other one is to be carried by Francisco and three other boys. The money from the litters is for the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and what is left over will help towards the construction of a chapel which is to be built."
"I would like to ask you to cure some sick persons."
"Yes, I will cure some of them during the year. Pray, pray very much and make sacrifice for sinners. So many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray and to make sacrifices for them."

Questions

Is there any special meaning to the two litters?
Canon Barthas of Toulouse, France, perhaps the greatest of all experts about the Fatima events, believes that they refer to the two International Pilgrim Virgin statues which left Fatima on May 13th and October 13th of 1947 to be carried on litters to Russia, one circling the world from the East and the other from the West. Pope Pius XII, referring to both simply as "the Pilgrim Virgin" said: "It seemed that Our Lady went forth as though to claim Her dominion and the favors She has performed along the way are such that we can hardly believe what we are seeing with our eyes. (Both statues reached Russia in 1991 and 1992.)

Was there any other message in August?
In an interrogation by her pastor shortly after they were released from prison Lucia said that on August 15th Our Lady told them that because of what had been done to them the miracle in October would not be as great and, if they had been in the Cova on Aug. 13th (at the time they were spirited away by the administrator of Ourem), "they would have seen Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus giving peace to the world, Our Lord blessing the people, Our Lady of the Rosary with an angel on each side and Our Lady surrounded by an arch of flowers." ^[9]

Does this have some special meaning?
It shows that the evil men do affect us all. It explains the urgent need for reparation today.

Why did Our Lady describe the vision the children had not seen?
First, even though the children were not present, and even though the thousands of people in the Cova did not see her, She was there. Second, part of what they missed on this day they would see on October 13th.

THE FIFTH APPARITION OF OUR LADY

SEPTEMBER 13, 1917

Our Lady appeared as usual, following the flash of light. She said: "Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He does not want you to sleep with the rope on, but only to wear it during the daytime."
"I was told to ask you many things," Lucia said, "the cure of some sick people and a deaf mute..."
"Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."

THE SIXTH APPARITION OF OUR LADY

OCTOBER 13, 1917

It had been raining heavily for hours. The Cova was a sea of mud and water. Following the usual flash of light Our Lady came. "A chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end and the soldiers will soon return to their homes."
Again Lucia presented petitions to Our Lady that people had given her. Our Lady said: "Some yes, but others, no. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins." Then looking very sad She added: "Do not offend the Lord, our God, any more, because He is already much offended."
After those last words of Our Lady the rain stopped and the crowd of some 100,000 saw the sun seem to move and revolve "like a St. Catherine's wheel." The children saw in the sky next to the sun the visions of St. Joseph with the Holy Child, Our Lord and Our Lady of Sorrows, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the Scapular.
As the visions ended, the sun (or ball of fire) plunged towards the earth as though about to engulf it. All thought it was the end of the world. Instead, the fiery ball returned to the sky. Instantly everything in the Cova....even where there had been deep pools of water....was dry and clean.

Questions

What was the meaning of the series of visions during the miracle?
Most feel that the Holy Family, followed by Our Lady of Sorrows and then by Our Lady of Mount Carmel, signify the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries of the Rosary. They also emphasize the family, the importance of St. Joseph (as He and the Holy Child bless the world together), reparation to Our Lady of Sorrows and the wearing of the Scapular of Mount Carmel as the sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

THE FIRST SATURDAY VISION

As She had promised in the July 13 apparition of 1917, Our Lady of Fatima "came back" on Dec. 10, 1925, to request the first Saturday Communions of Reparation, She appeared with the Holy Child in Lucia's very small room in the Dorothean convent in Pontevedra, Spain.

The Holy Child was elevated beside Our Lady who placed Her hand on the shoulder of Sister Lucia. Jesus was the first to speak: "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."
Then the most holy Virgin said: "Look my daughter at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and let it be known that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive e months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
Eight weeks later the Holy Child appeared alone to Sister Lucia. He asked sadly: "What is being done to promote the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of My Mother in the world?"
Lucia answered: "I told the Mother Superioress and she said there was nothing she could do." The Holy Child replied: "Of Herself, no. But with My Grace she can do it all."

Questions

Why five Saturdays?
Asked this question at the request of Lucia's confessor, Jesus explained it was for denial of the Immaculate Conception, denial of the Divine Maternity, denial of Our Lady's perpetual virginity, belittling her to children, and for irreverence to Her images.

What is the meaning of the promise: "I will assist, at the hour of death, with the graces necessary..."?
This promise implies the presence of Our Lady at the hour of death. When we promise to assist at a ceremony or to assist at a friend’s wedding, do we not mean especially that we will be present?
This new promise of Our Lady seems to add another dimension to the promise of salvation attached to the Communions of Reparation in honor of the Sacred Heart on nine consecutive First Fridays. It seems to promise a peaceful and "happy death."

Did the Superioress do anything to make the message known?
Apparently not. Sister Lucia tried to do it in letters to her family. But the sad plea of Jesus went long unanswered. We must respond now when Sister Lucia has said (in an interview in October of 1991) that Our Lady wants all Her requests heard but especially the five first Saturday communions of reparation.

THE FINAL VISION

The last vision of Fatima with a public message took place on June 13, 1929. Sister Lucia describes it:
"Suddenly the whole chapel was illumined by a supernatural light, and a cross of light appeared above the altar, reaching to the ceiling.
"In the bright light at the upper part of the cross could be seen the face of a man and his body to the waist, on his breast there was a dove also of light, and nailed to the cross was the body of another man.
"Somewhat above the waist I could see a Chalice and a large Host suspended in the air onto which drops of blood were falling from the face of Jesus crucified and from the wound in His side. These drops ran down onto the Host and fell into the Chalice. Our Lady was beneath the right arm of the cross. It was Our Lady of Fatima with Her Immaculate Heart within a crown of thorns and flames. Under the left arm of the cross, large letters, as of crystal clear water which ran down over the altar, formed the words Grace and Mercy.
"I understood it was the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity which was shown to me, and I received lights about this Mystery which I am not permitted to reveal.
Our Lady then said to me: "The moment has come when God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Heart, promising to save it by this means."

Questions

What is the meaning of this vision?
It shows the identity of Calvary with the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament, in which the Father and the Holy Spirit participate.

Why was the consecration of Russia, which Our Lady requested now in 1929, delayed until 1984?
Lucia said it was because the world had not responded to Our Lady's requests and therefore did not deserve it. Immediately after the consecration was made in March, 1984, the Soviet Union began to dissolve.

What does Our Lady mean when She says "Keep me company?"
It means that, when we make the fifteen minute meditation of the First Saturday devotion, She will be "present" in a special way.

Why are the First Saturdays so important?

Sister Lucia said they are most important first of all because this devotion renews our purpose once a month to live up to what Our Lady asks. Second, at Pellevoisin Our Lady said that what most offends Her Immaculate Heart (and, therefore, that of Her Son) are careless Communions. On the five first Saturdays we make a Confession and Communion of Reparation, prepared by saying the Rosary and meditating on the Rosary mysteries in the company of Our Lady.

Is there a preferred way to make this devotion?

The preferred way is often called the "night vigil of the Sacred Hearts." It begins with the Mass of the Sacred Heart on the first Friday evening followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and closes some time after midnight on the first Saturday, with Mass of the Immaculate Heart for the First Saturday.

There is adequate time for the Rosary, for Confession and for meditation. Furthermore these vigils are in keeping with the express wish of Our Lord Who said: "I desire that devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary be placed alongside devotion to My Own Sacred Heart."