An Amazing Thing Happened 100 Years Ago Today! But Are We Responding?

A View of the Nightly Candlelight Procession at the Shrine of Fatima, Portugal taken May 2017.

Why I Write about Fatima and Questions to Ponder for Today:

I was about 8 years old when I first heard about the events of Fatima. 
Something in me was so deeply touched that I have never been the same again. 

Since Jesus had ascended to the Father, I had never heard of anyone coming from heaven to help us!! 
I was (and still am) amazed at the thought of Jesus sending His Mother to us to be Our Mother! 
And wondered, how could this be? How amazing! 
And yet, if she came down from heaven to speak to us, it has to be really important! How can we not listen to her? 
How can we ignore her words when she has come to remind and warn us that Heaven and Hell are REAL and TRUE?!  And that people go to both places?!

In her messages, she has given us the answer to all the problems the world is wrestling with to this day -- She tells us God's plan to achieve world peace, to the end of war, to the conversion of ourselves, our friends and family, and has given us guidelines in how we are to live!!!

And yet, the answers heaven gives us are conditional. They are based on our response!
So, the million dollar question is: 
Will we respond?

But first, what exactly happened? 

An Amazing Thing Happened 100 Years Ago Today!

100 years ago today, on August 19th, 1917, in the midst of World War I, a beautiful lady from heaven appeared to three shepherd children for the fourth time in four months. She asked them to renew their sacrifices, saying:

“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.”

The Background:

Every month since May, “a beautiful lady from heaven” had come to the children and requested that they return on the 13^th of the following month to see and speak to her. She promised she would visit them through October. 
So, why are we celebrating something today, that took place on August 19th, instead of the 13th? What happened that the seers were unable to see the Lady as she promised?

It was because the local civil administrator, Arturo Santos, kidnapped, threatened and imprisoned the three little children on the 13^th of August to prevent them from seeing the Lady at their appointed meeting time. Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta were only 10, 9 and 7 respectively. Santos hated all the talk of heaven that children were inspiring; and he was determined to make the children stop lying about seeing Our Lady and to stop the great influx of people who were coming in ever greater numbers to witness these heavenly events, so he held the little seers captive from August 13-15th! (By the way, August 15^th is the Feast of Mary being released from this earth and taken up to heaven by God.)

The children, however, would not recant their story: they had seen a beautiful lady from heaven and they could not deny it.  Nor would they share the secret that was revealed to them the month before -- even when threatened with death. The children were told if they didn’t reveal the secret or deny the "Lady" they would be put into a vat of boiling hot oil that was on the other side of the door. Each one went willingly through the door, rather than to deny they had seen the Lady.  (They lived because there really was no pot of boiling oil).

These littlest ones endured three days apart from their families, suffering from the anger, insults, threats and abuse of this official set against them.  They were even put in the same room with the criminals in the prison! (These same convicts eventually became so inspired by the children that they began to pray the rosary with them)!

Yet, despite all they endured during this trial, the little ones revealed their deepest pain was not being able to see the beautiful Lady and to fulfill her request to be at the appointed spot to meet her. When the 13^th came and went, they were heartbroken at fear of offending the Lady by not showing up… and because they didn't know if they would ever see her again. 

While enduring this suffering, they often reminded themselves and each other: “Why should we fear? If they kill us, we’ll just go straight to heaven!” (They were given a glimpse of heaven during the first appearance of the Lady in May, in which they received the promise that they would all go to heaven).  
And they remembered their mission to offer sacrifices to save souls. So they often said, as they were making some sacrifice, the prayer our Lady taught them:

“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.”

The mission to pray and sacrifice for sinners began to fill every part of their lives, especially following what they had seen and heard during the previous apparition, which occurred on July 13th.  That day, like all the other appearances since Mary, Mary asked them 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.”

Then a three-part secret was revealed to them that would only be shared in part in 1941, when Lucia revealed that the children had seen hell and all its horrors. The terrible sufferings and the images of damned souls, as well as the words that Mary spoke to them never left the children. It would drive them to make tremendous sacrifices – even unto death for the two youngest, (who died heroically from illness not long after these appearances ended).

This is what the Lady said to them after they witnessed the vision of hell. She said with great sadness:

“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 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 see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you 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 heeded, 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; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”

These words are so important to remember. Perhaps it is a good idea to read them again and again, until the plan of God penetrates our hearts, for amazingly, it is revealed that the salvation of many souls rests on our response. 

August 19, 1917:

After the children were released, they went back to their lives as shepherds, except for Jacinta, whose mother began to keep her at home because she feared so much for her little girl's safety. Yet, they still feared they would never see the Lady again. The children need not have worried, the Lady did come again. But, it wasn’t until the 19th of August, while Lucia and Francisco were tending to their sheep not too far from their homes, (at a property named Valinhos), that they sensed Our Lady was coming. Francisco and Jactinta's older brother, John, was with them; so they sent him home to bring back Jacinta. Our Lady waited for Jacinta to arrive before instructing them, saying:

“Go again to the Cova da Iria on the 13th and continue to say the Rosary every day.”

She also continued to promise that a great miracle would take place so that all would believe, however she added that if they had not been kidnapped the miracle would have been even greater.  She then spoke the words that began this article:

“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.”

My daughter praying at Valinhos in May 2017, during our 100th Anniversary Pilgrimage

These words, this TRUTH, has echoed through my being since I first heard them. 

And, I ask myself, if we truly hear these words, how can we fail to respond to them? 

I don’t always feel like praying the Rosary, but how do my feelings or experiences compare when faced with the reality that immortal souls go to hell for eternity, because there is no one to pray and sacrifice for them???

Each time I don’t feel like praying the rosary, or I’ve been so overwhelmed and busy that I haven’t been able to pray the rosary unto the wee hours of the morning, this reality comes to my mind: Souls are going to hell because there is no one to pray and sacrifice for them. 

If I take the time to ponder this, this thought expands my heart enough for me to begin to pray. 

Likewise with sufferings, when I’m inconvenienced, sick or suffering, when trials come upon me or upon my family… it has become a habit to think of the souls who can escape hell, if only I offer up this as a sacrifice for them! 

What a glorious exchange for things that we all must endure anyway! For suffering comes to all of us in different forms, but how differently can we react to them! So, I strive to offer up all I am and all I experience for love of Jesus, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for all the sins committed against the hearts of Jesus and Mary (who love us so!!!) 

This is ultimately what consecration is and what God so often asks of us through Our Mother’s repeated intercessions for us.

Each day, we have multiple opportunities to either say “yes” or “no” to God. 

If we say "yes" repeatedly to God's calls, our heart truly does expand; and thus, God is able to use us, for we are open to his inspirations and we are able to do more and more with, in and through Him. 

Likewise, each time we say “no” our heart becomes a little harder, which makes it harder to hear God's voice; until eventually, if we keep saying “no” our heart becomes so hard that it is increasingly difficult to say “yes” and go beyond ourselves – and thus, we hinder the amazing experience of allowing God "to live and move and have His Being in us!"

Yet, God, in His Most Gracious Mercy, gives us an infinite number of times to begin again, for our human frailty often fails us! 

So, it is not about perfectly responding, but never giving up in responding. 

If we continue to strive, He continually pours out His Grace and Life to help us!

During this time of such great darkness and deceit, when Satan is inviting violence and despair, I know God is calling ALL WHO WILL LISTEN TO HIM,  to live the answers He has sent to us!!!! 

Can you imagine how transformed our world would be if a countless multitude of little souls answer His Call to pray much and offer sacrifices to save others?? For He is able to:

"do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" Ephesians 3: 20.

Thank you for taking the time to read through to the end of this article. 

I pray that God may bless you and all your loved ones today and always! Know that I pray for all who read my words and have prayed for you for many years (that is another story to tell at a later date). 

May you accept God's gift of Mary and "Behold your Mother" as Jesus requested from the Cross; and may these words from heaven come alive for you: 

“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.”

Please watch for further posts on Fatima to see what happened next... the Great Miracle... Why is it so important to Pray the Rosary?... Practice 1st Saturday Devotions? and Consecrate Ourselves to God through Mary? What is the 3rd Secret of Fatima? Also, why would God send Mary to us?

© Janet Moore 2017. All Rights Reserved. 

For further Reading:

100th Anniversary Year of Fatima 

Pope Francis declared this 100^th Anniversary Year of Fatima as a time of great grace. He even journeyed to Fatima himself to declare Francisco and Jacinta saints, giving a beautiful homily that began:

“[There] appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the sun”.  So the seer of Patmos tells us in the Book of Revelation (12:1), adding that she was about to give birth to a son.  Then, in the Gospel, we hear Jesus say to his disciple, “Here is your mother” (Jn 19:27).  We have a Mother!  “So beautiful a Lady”, as the seers of Fatima said to one another as they returned home on that blessed day of 13 May a hundred years ago.  That evening, Jacinta could not restrain herself and told the secret to her mother: “Today I saw Our Lady”.  They had seen the Mother of Heaven. " 

All our recent Popes have reiterated the urgency of Fatima's messages. St. John Paul II believed Our Lady of Fatima saved his life on May 13, 1981, and afterward proclaimed the message of Fatima extensively, saying:

“… the evangelical call to repentance and conversion, uttered in the Mother's message, remains ever relevant.... It is still more urgent.
 ...Mary's appeal is not for just once. Her appeal must be taken up by generation after generation, in accordance with the ever new "signs of the times". It must be unceasingly returned to. It must ever be taken up anew.”

In the Face of Modern Day Persecution, What Can We Learn from the Early Christian Martyrs?

In our day and age, we can no longer presume we will not be asked to suffer martyrdom.  Christianity and adhering to the Truth Christ reveals is becoming an increasingly dangerous   way of life to live in America and throughout the world.  

With this ever in Her mind, the Church is wise to hold up for us courageous witnesses who have gone before us in faith!  Reminding us of the fact that those who have endured "to the end" now enjoy heavenly crowns of glory!  As 2 Tim 2: 11-12 states:

Portrait of Cornelius in St. Paul Outside the Walls

"If we have died with him we shall also live with him;                                  If we persevere, we shall also reign with him."

We recently celebrated the memory of two martyrs of the early Church, Pope St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian.  In Cornelius' biography he is characterized as the "reluctant 21st pope, elected after a year-and-a-half period during which the persecutions were so bad that papal ascension was a quick death sentence."  He was elected in 251 during the time of the Decius persecutions.   The threat of schism also loomed darkly upon the Church as Novatian claimed that he was the rightful Pope. In this time of great uncertainty, he called a synod of bishops that confirmed Cornelius to be the rightful pontiff and opposed Novatian. Two of his staunch supporters were Saint Cyprian of Carthage (with whom he shares his feast day) and Saint Dionysius. 

One of the great legacies of his Papacy is the mercy he showed to those who apostacized during the persecutions of Decius.  He taught that the Church welcomes back those who disowned and betrayed their Savior and fellow Christians out of fear when confronted with torture and death.  His pastoral teaching on this matter settled a great debate within the Church and is seen as evidence that the Pope has final authority in dealing with disputes.  

He was exiled within a year of his election (due to the belief that Christians provoked the gods into sending plagues against Rome) and was martyred just a year later.  A document from Cornelius shows the size of the Church in Rome during his papacy --noting that Rome had 46 priests, 7 deacons, 7 subdeacons, and approximately 50,000 Christians.

St. Cyprian of Carthage

In the face of Cornelius' courageous witness, his friend Cyprian, Bishop in Carthage (in Northern Africa), wrote him a letter of encouragement. Amazingly, nearly 1800 years later, we can still read his words:

Cyprian sends greetings to his brother Cornelius. My very dear brother, we have heard of the glorious witness given by your courageous faith. On learning of the honor you had won by your witness, we were filled with such joy that we felt ourselves sharers and companions in your praiseworthy achievements. After all, we have the same Church, the same mind, the same unbroken harmony. Why then should a priest not take pride in the praise given to a fellow priest as though it were given to him? What brotherhood fails to rejoice in the happiness of its brothers wherever they are? 

Words cannot express how great was the exultation and delight here when we heard of your good fortune and brave deeds: how you stood out as leader of your brothers in their declaration of faith, while the leader’s confession was enhanced as they declared their faith. You led the way to glory, but you gained many companions in that glory; being foremost in your readiness to bear witness on behalf of all, you prevailed on your people to become a single witness. We cannot decide which we ought to praise, your own ready and unshaken faith or the love of your brothers who would not leave you. While the courage of the bishop who thus led the way has been demonstrated, at the same time the unity of the brotherhood who followed has been manifested. Since you have one heart and one voice, it is the Roman Church as a whole that has thus born witness. 

Dearest brother, bright and shining is the faith which the blessed Apostle praised in your community. He foresaw in the spirit the praise your courage deserves and the strength that could not be broken; he was heralding the future when he testified to your achievements; his praise of the fathers was a challenge to the sons. Your unity, your strength have become shining examples of these virtues to the rest of the brethren. 

Divine providence has now prepared us. God’s merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand. By that shared love which binds us close together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common. These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defenses, the God-given armaments that protect us. 

Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart. Let us pray without ceasing, you for us, we for you; by the love we share we shall thus relieve the strain of these great trials.  (See Divineoffice.org)

Saint Cyprian of Carthage, would go on to suffer martyrdom five years later, during the persecutions of Valerian in 258.  

So, what can we learn from these two great men of faith as we face our own present day persecutions?   

I'm sure there are countless things we can learn, but there are five in particular that I would like to point out:

1. How good and holy it is to take notice of the trials others are enduring and to make the effort to encourage them in concrete ways (such a writing a letter).  

"Cyprian sends greetings to his brother Cornelius. My very dear brother, we have heard of the glorious witness given by your courageous faith."

2.  Cyprian notes that the honor shown to Cornelius is shared by all those who are united with him in heart and spirit.  Cyprian proclaims that we are "sharers and companions [in each others'] praiseworthy achievements."  Therefore, should we not rejoice in each others' gifts and graces -- knowing that we share in every good gift given to one another for we are all one in Christ?! With this proper understanding, there is no room for envy in the Church.  Rather, because the saints are alive in Christ, we not only share in the graces that helped them remain faithful, but we also share in their living prayers offered for us still today!!! 

"After all, we have the same Church, the same mind, the same unbroken harmony."

3. Notice the joy, glory and honor Cyprian attributes to Cornelius and to all those who are courageous and declare their faith in Christ in the face of persecution and death!  What a wondrous paradox that echoes the witness of the apostles who "rejoiced that they will able to share in the sufferings of Christ"(1 Pet 4: 13; Acts 5: 41) and Jesus' proclamation:

"He who wishes to save his life will lose it and he who loses his life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel will save it!" Mark 8:35

4. Note the interconnectedness of the Body of Christ -- the Church!  When the Pope stands up in courage he encourages and ennobles his whole flock to stand fast in faith and courage as well.  Likewise, the Pope is strengthened and encouraged by his people's witness and faithfulness!  

Thus, each time we bear witness to Christ with 

"one heart and one voice, it is the Roman Church as a whole that has thus born witness."

5. Lastly and most importantly, how urgent, how vital it is for us to never cease loving and praying for one another!  What great compassion, love and gratitude we should have those who are being MARTYRED TODAY!!! How we must stand united in love and prayer with them! These men, women and children are holding fast to Christ; and in the unity of the Church, they are strengthening every one of us by their bravery and witness!  How deeply should we love them for their sacrifice and all those who hold us up in prayer as we undergo our trails!  These events in our modern world should help us recognize that 

"Divine providence has now prepared us. God’s merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand." 

THEREFORE, OUR LOVE FOR CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH SHOULD COMPEL US TO NEVER CEASE PRAYING!!!!  Not just halfhearted prayers murmured occasionally whenever we remember, but constant, heartfelt prayers, which plead for mercy and grace upon ourselves and upon the world!  

"By that shared love which binds us close together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common. These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defenses, the God-given armaments that protect us."

When I read these words I had to ask myself:

Are we doing all we can to exhort one another? 

Are we doing all we can for ourselves and for those undergoing the trial? 

Are we giving ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common? 

Do we recognize that these are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure?  

Do we recognize they are the spiritual defenses, the God-given armaments that protect us?

I understand.  No one wants to think about things these things.  I don't either.  It is easier to look away when we see Christians being lined up and brutally murdered.  It is easier to look away and pretend that over 1 BILLION BABIES worldwide (YES, heartbreakingly you read that correctly) haven't been torn apart in their mother's womb.  

But, what are the consequences of our complacency?  

What are the consequences for our souls and for future of the world?

These are sobering times and this is a sobering message.  But, it is one that is filled with hope!  For "we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!" (Rom 8:37). For His faithful ones, He has prepared a place for us so wondrous that 

"Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor mind conceived what God has in store for us!" (1 Cor 2: 9).

Dear SS. Cornelius and Cyprian, assist us with your prayers, so that we can hold fast to your example and words exhorting us to:

"Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart. Let us pray without ceasing, you for us, we for you; by the love we share we shall thus relieve the strain of these great trials."

For more writings by St. Cyprian and for a firsthand account of his martyrdom, see below:

You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother.... God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body.... If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace. - Saint Cyprian, from The Unity of the Catholic Church

Whatever a man prefers to God, that he makes a god to himself. - Saint Cyprian

Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides of death always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father's mercy. - Saint Cyprian from Letters, 253

On the morning of the 14th of September, a great crowd gathered at the Villa Sexti, in accordance with the order of the governor Galerius Maximus. That same day the governor commanded Bishop Cyprian to be brought before him for trial. After Cyprian was brought in, the governor asked him, "Are you Thascius Cyprian?" The bishop replied, "Yes, I am." The governor Galerius Maximus said, "You have set yourself up as an enemy of the gods of Rome and our religious practices. You have been discovered as the author and leader of these heinous crimes, and will consequently be held forth as an example for all those who have followed you in your crime. By your blood the law shall be confirmed." Next he read the sentence from a tablet. "It is decided that Cyprian should die by the sword." Cyprian responded, "Thanks be to God!" After the sentence was passed, a crowd of his fellow Christians said, "We should also be killed with him!" There arose an uproar among the Christians, and a great mob followed after him. Cyrprian was then brought out to the grounds of the Villa Sexti, where, taking off his outer cloak and kneeling on the ground, he fell before the Lord in prayer. He removed his dalmatic and gave it to the deacons, and then stood erect while waiting for the executioner. When the executioner arrived, Cyprian told his friends to give the man 25 gold pieces. The most Blessed martyr Cyprian suffered on the 14th of September under the emperors Valerian and Gallienus, in the reign of our true Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong honor and glory for ever. Amen. - from the Acts of the Martyrdom of Saint Cyprian by Saint Pontius

You who are envious, let me tell you that however often you may seek for the opportunity of injuring him whom you hate, you will never be able to do him so much harm as you do harm to yourselves. He whom you would punish through the malice of your envy, may probably escape, but you will never be able to fly from yourselves. Wherever you may be your adversary is with you, your sin rankles within. It must be a self-willed evil to persecute a person whom God has taken under the protection of His grace; it becomes an irremedial sin to hate a man whom God wishes to make happy. Envy is as prolific as it is hurtful; it is the root of all evil, the source of endless disorder and misery, the cause of most sins that are committed. Envy gives birth to hatred and animosity. From it avarice is begotten, for it sees with an evil eye honors and emoluments heaped upon a stranger, and thinks that such honors should have been, by right, bestowed upon himself. From envy comes contempt of God, and of the salutary precepts of our Savior. The envious man is cruel, proud, unfaithful, impatient, and quarrelsome; and, what is strange, when this vice gains the mastery, he is no longer master of himself, and he is unable to correct his many faults. If the bond of peace is broken, if the rights of fraternal charity are violated, if truth is altered or disguised, it is often envy that hurries him on to crime. What happiness can such a man enjoy in this world? To be envious or jealous of another, because such a one is virtuous and happy, is to hate in him the graces and blessings God has showered down upon him. Does he not punish himself when he sees the success and welfare of others? Does he not draw down upon himself tortures from which there is no respite? Are not his thoughts, his mind, constantly on the rack? He pitilessly punishes himself, and, in his heart, performs the same cruel office which Divine Justice reserves for the chastisement of the greatest criminal. - Saint Cyprian

http://catholicsaints.info/saint-cyprian-of-carthage/

© 2015 Janet Moore. All Rights Reserved.