Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
Things become old much too quickly.
Imagine my delight, then, when last Friday I met someone who told me his Grandmother was present on October 13, 1917 at Fatima; she was personally present at the moment when the sun danced and fell out of the sky.
Suddenly Fatima jumped out of history like the sun did that day and became relevant and modern to me.
I jotted down the account she had told him so I would not miss any of the details. I write it here because, first of all, it’s a miraculous story, and second of all, even if we might already know what happened at Fatima, an eyewitnesses account of a miracle always serves to freshen the memory and more importantly our faith.
News spread throughout the village that Lucia de Jesus and Francisco and Jacinta Marto—whose feast day it is today, February 20th—had received an apparition of a “lady brighter then the sun.” The Lady was holding a Rosary and told the children to return for five consecutive months, on the thirteenth of each month; moreover, on the day of the last apparition there would be a sign visible to all. That day had finally arrived.
His grandmother left her nine year old brother to watch the sheep and headed out into the driving rain and dropping temperature. The ground was completely muddy and the rocks were slippery. Over seventy thousand people had made the trek that morning, making the traveling conditions even worse. By the time she reached the apparition sight she was covered head to toe in mud and her clothes were completely soaked.
All types of people had gathered: those with faith who knelt and prayed the Rosary, those who were curious, and then there were the communists and atheists, many of whom were cursing, chiding, and yelling out cat-calls to Jacinta and Lucia. As the time went on and conditions worsened, it seemed as though nothing would happen and it became very tense among the people.
Then the rain stopped and the clouds parted. The sun shined and began to change colors and spin around itself in a mad whirl. It glittered and began to whirl even more wildly. Suddenly it loosened itself from the sky and fell threateningly toward the seventy thousand gathered below. People screamed. Many dropped face down into the mud or dropped to their knees. Those next to her who had been swearing began to cry for mercy. Then, just as quickly as it had started, it ended. The sun was back in its place.
Her hair, skin, and clothes were completely dry. The ground around her was dry. There was no trace of mud on her. She felt completely clean, both inside and out. A man from her village who was crippled was able to walk. Several others who were sick were cured.
She prayed three Rosaries daily for the rest of her life in honor of what Mary asked, that we “say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to war.”
I know what my Lenten resolution will be this year: three daily Rosaries for peace. I invite you to the same.
If you haven’t seen it already I wholeheartedly recommend the 13th Day, an incredible film about the historic, but not ancient, event of Fatima.
Biltrix 
Sends goose bumps doesn’t it??? I cannot even imagine. Thanks so much for sharing it. God Bless, SR
You are welcome, SR. Thanks for your comment and God bless you!
How wonderful to hear a first-hand account and thank you so much for sharing it! I have always been fascinated by Fatima and will definitely have to check out that film!
It was a true, faith inspiring blessing. I hope you get a chance to see the movie. Thanks for you comment, and God bless!
May I have permission to re-blog this on my blog? I’d like to put the entire post there. I’d give Biltrix credit, of course. Blessings, Rebecca
Of course, Rebecca! We would be honored. Thanks for asking.
Reblogged this on From The Pews and commented:
“If you haven’t seen it already I wholeheartedly recommend the 13th Day, an incredible film about the historic, but not ancient, event of Fatima.”
I want to see this…
And best of all, it’s a REAL TRUE STORY!!!
Pingback: Miracle Story: An Eyewitness to the Miracle at Fatima Remembers
Did all the other people in Europe who could see the sun that day and at this time see it do this, or just the people who gathered to stare at the sky during a communal religious experience? Did people take pictures of the sun moving from place to place, or otherwise provide evidence? I’m guessing that the sun didn’t actually move, as we aren’t careening off through the Universe, which would presumably happen if our gravity well decided to lurch a few billion miles away and back. I know that this is an occasionally sensitive topic in Catholicism, but we orbit the sun. It’s not making too many sudden moves.
My understanding is that the people who went saw various different things, including the sun moving in a zig-zag, the sun changing color, rays of light, apparitions of Mary or the saints, the sun becoming hotter, the sun spinning, the sun descending, a combination of these, or nothing at all, among many other conflicting reports. As staring into the sky while expecting a religious manifestation in an atmosphere of enormous piety is a great way to get yourself to hallucinate, I have a really hard time taking this miracle seriously as a reason to believe that there’s any truth to Catholicism. Is the standard for miracles really so low?
Thanks for the post.
Of course there is always room for skepticism. I mean think about it. Even scientific theories need to be falsifiable if they are to be accepted as valid scientific theories. Where there’s room for inquiry, there’s room for doubt.
Is that the official position of the Catholic Church? That there’s “always room for skepticism” regarding its teachings? I feel like I learned differently…
First, who said I was stating the official Catholic position. Second, in matters like these, The Church does not say you have to believe it, it just says that it does not oppose that belief. So… there’s room for skepticism.