On this date in 1917, Our Lady appeared to the three children at Fatima a second time. The day is not only the feast of St. Anthony, but the feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament as well.
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13 June 1917
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About fifty people turned up at the Cova da Iria on June 13, as the three children assembled near the holmoak tree where the Lady had appeared. The children then saw a flash of light followed immediately by the apparition of Mary, as she spoke to Lucia: "I want you to come 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."
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Lucia asked Mary to take them to heaven and was reassured in this way: "I will take Jacinta and Francisco shortly; but you will stay here for some time to come. Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to My Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne." This last sentence is found in a letter written in 1927 by Sr. Lucia to her confessor.
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Lucia was sad at the first part of this reply, saying: "Am I to stay here alone?" Mary replied: "No, my daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Don't lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God."
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One of the witnesses to this apparition, Maria Carreira, described how Lucia then cried out and pointed as Mary departed. She herself heard a noise like, "a rocket, a long way off," and looked to see a small cloud a few inches over the tree, rise, and move slowly towards the east until it disappeared. The crowd of pilgrims then returned to Fatima where they reported the amazing things they had seen, thus ensuring that there were between two and three thousand people present for the July apparition. - Source
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Pray the Rosary every day.
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At every appearance Our Lady asked that the Rosary be prayed every day: "Pray the Rosary every day." It is also important to note that Our Lady promised the children: "He (Jesus) wishes to establish the devotion to My Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by Me to adorn his throne."
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Our Lady never said go here or there to find out secrets and see signs, she came to call sinners to repentence, to ask that we consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart; she came to help us on the narrow path to salvation for the glory of God. All of this is contained and obtained in and through the secret of the Rosary. Our Lady's assurance to Lucia is for us as well: "My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God."
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Don't go to strangers.
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Icon: T. Nelson
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI really want to tweet this, but I love you, so I won't.
Ooh, is this the on where the Blessed Mother "clearly" condemns women wearing pants?
ReplyDeleteAll kidding aside, I find that praying the rosary makes it much more difficult to fall into serious sin. There's probably a theological explanation involving the workings of grace, etc., but when it comes down to it, it's hard to say, look at pornography and then pray the rosary later. One's got to give way to the other, so if I just keep plugging along praying the rosary, however imperfectly, I will shy away from the bad stuff.
A woman wearing pants is like a fish riding a bycycle.
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But what caught my eye was: she commanded Lucia to "learn to read".
ReplyDeleteRead? For a girl? Next thing you know they'll be asking for the vote and all kinds of dangerous things.
I'm not a Fatima-adherent, but I dearly love this icon.
ReplyDeleteHello Terry,
ReplyDeleteLove the icon! Very nicely done.
Pax,
John