August 13: - Our Lady of Fatima: Prelude to the Fourth Apparition

[Weedy]

August 13: - Our Lady of Fatima: Prelude to the Fourth Apparition

In May 1917, Our Blessed Mother began a series of visits with three
Portuguese shepherd children: Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. During
the months that followed the initial visitation, the three visionaries
were graced with six messages from the Blessed Virgin, as well as
three apparitions of the “Angel of Portugal,” all of which culminated
in the spectacular “Miracle of the Sun,” witnessed by tens of
thousands of the faithful. Each month, on the 13th day, Our Lady of
Fatima delivered a message to the children-- a message of the
importance of devotion to the Immaculate Heart and praying the
Rosary—through which the ruinous course of humanity could be converted
and redeemed.

Following the initial visits of the Angel of Portugal, who had taught
the children how to pray, and prepared them for the first apparition
of Our Blessed Mother, Mary had appeared in a wondrous light,
conversed with the children, and instructed them: “Say the Rosary
every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.” She
promised to return the following month. During her second visitation,
in June 1917, Our Blessed Mother taught the children what has come to
be known as “the Fatima Prayer:”


Oh my Jesus,
Forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Your Mercy.
Amen.

During the July 1917 apparition, Our Blessed Mother revealed to the
visionaries the three secrets of Fatima—secrets they guarded carefully
until after the deaths of Francisco and Jacinta, and revealed only by
Lucia at the behest of her bishop. Our Lady of the Rosary showed a
vision of hell to the children, and said to them (among other things):
“Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a
sacrifice: O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of
sinners, and in reparation for offences committed against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

Following the last apparition, the children had been placed under
great scrutiny by both the Church and the local government. As the
date of Our Lady’s next apparition approached, the local district
administrator, Artur de Oliveira Santos, imprisoned the children.
Against their families’ wishes, he held Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia
for two days, during which time he threatened them with various
tortures (including boiling them in oil) to procure the release of the
secrets of Fatima. Each of the three seers demonstrated great courage,
refusing to reveal any of the truths sworn to them, and withstanding
all threats and fears. All three—but Francisco in particular—believing
themselves to be killed during interrogation, were filled with joy at
the thought of being reunited with Our Blessed Mother in heaven.

On August 13, 2010, while the children were imprisoned, approximately
20,000 people visited the Cova da Iria, awaiting the appearance of Our
Lady of the Rosary. Despite the children’s absence, Our Blessed Mother
appeared. One faithful woman present described the scene:

“The clap of thunder was more or less similar to that of the preceding
time. Some say that it came from the road, others from the holm-oak ….
It seemed to me that it came from very far. Everyone kept quiet,
frightened .... At the clap of thunder there followed lightning, and
at once we began to notice a small cloud, very pretty, white in color,
very light, which hovered some moments over the holm-oak, then rose
towards the sky, and disappeared in the atmosphere.

While looking around us, we observed a strange thing, which we had
already seen the previous time, and which we were going to see again
in the future. The faces of the people had all the colors of the
rainbow: pink, red, blue ... The trees did not appear to have branches
and leaves but only flowers; everything seemed laden with flowers, and
every leaf appeared to be a flower. The ground was covered with
squares of different colors. Clothes were also of every color of the
rainbow.”

Our Lady would return to speak to the visionaries in just six days—on
August 19, continuing her message of penance and salvation. Through
prayers of adoration and reparation, we turn to Our Lady of Fatima—to
whom God has entrusted our redemption through her grace and
cooperation with her divine spouse—to rectify the state of the world,
reduce the influence of evil, save the sinful, and draw ourselves
closer to Our God through devotion to the Immaculate Heart
by Jacob

Bible Quote
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.  (Matthew 6:16-18) DRV


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Most Holy Virgin, who has deigned to come to Fatima to reveal to the
three little shepherds the treasures of graces hidden in the
recitation of the Rosary, inspire our hearts with a sincere love of
this devotion, so that by meditating on the mysteries of our
redemption that are recalled in it, we may gather the fruits and
obtain the conversion of sinners, the conversion of Russia, and this
favor that I so earnestly seek, request which I ask of you in this
novena, for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the
good of all people. Amen.