Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “Today is the 90th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima. With her heartfelt call for conversion and penance she is undoubtedly the most prophetic of modern apparitions” (Benedict XVI, 13 May 2007). With these words the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, while in Brazil at another important Marian Shrine, that of Our Lady of Aparecida, recalled the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima.
It is wonderful to see the Mother of Jesus and our mother present from one continent to the other to all her children to bring them closer to the heart of the faith, the Risen Lord. Still in Aparecida, certain of Mary's maternal mediation in the life of the Church everywhere, the Pope said: “continue to learn from Mary. Draw inspiration from her teaching, accept and preserve in your heart the rays of light which She, by divine mandate, sends from heaven” (Benedict XVI, 12 May 2007).
Precisely in Fatima these lights from heaven were particularly intense and Our Lady of the Rosary, according to God's will, let them shine through the three shepherd children to whom she appeared all those years ago on 13 May 1917. Among the lights confided to the Church we find the one on 13 July 1917, when she showed a glimpse of the horrors of hell to the children: “we were terrified. We lifted our eyes to the Lady for help and she said sadly and gently ‘You have just seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. God wishes to establish all over the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart that they may be saved’.”
“God wishes to establish all over the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart”! The specific reason for this is to save mankind. To save souls which without this devotion would be lost for all eternity. The message of Fatima has become for the whole Church an eloquent call to be more than ever concerned for the eternal destiny of all humanity. We must each be concerned for the conversion of others.
To this truth we could apply the magnificent lesson of the Good Samaritan, who unlike the others passing by, “was filled with compassion” for the man attacked by brigands and left “half dead” and cared for him until he had completely recovered (cfr. Lk 10, 30-35). How much evil stalks like a “brigand” through our towns and cities to shake and steal souls plunging them into darkness and confusion!
The message of Fatima is a call to responsibility to realise that our prayers, conversion and penance can truly make a change in the world! One sick person's suffering and recitation of the rosary offered for peace, is more effective than the most powerful army deployed to defend borders! “I want you to continue to recite the Rosary every day… Pray, pray frequently and make sacrifices for sinners because many souls go to hell because no one prays or makes sacrifices for them”. This heartfelt call from the Mother of God awakens us from our drowsiness and inspires us to offer our daily contrarieties, sacrifices, things that "go wrong”, little “hitches” and also great suffering should it come, for the salvation of souls.
When we pray we are united with Jesus and our suffering, united with His, becomes most valuable! This is the important message of Our Lady of Fatima, who came not to increase suffering but to say that suffering can acquire a salvific power and promote the redemption of all. If we live this message of Mary we will be filled with peace and the cross will become lighter because it will have a new meaning.
If it were not for Fatima the world would not be the same: who knows how many atomic bombs would have already exploded! If Our Lady had not appeared, our vision of the world and the times would be desolate. Let us thank divine Providence for giving us in this Marian epoch illuminated by the lights of Fatima, Popes who appreciated and made their own these lessons, these lights and repeated them to the whole Church in many appeals to conversion and new evangelisation under the banner of Mary to whom they have repeatedly entrusted and consecrated peoples and nations. Following John Paul II the Pope of “Totus tuus”, we have Pope Benedict XVI who never misses an opportunity to call the whole world to conversion, entrusting it to Mary, Mother of Jesus, Our Lady, who appeared in Fatima and assists and protects us from heaven. (Agenzia Fides 16/5/2007; righe 53, parole 758)
