Shrine at Valinhos. Fourth apparition.
Our Lady appeared there August 19, 1917.
So-called "New" Fatima revelations.
Apparently the Carmel of Coimbra has released a biography of Sr. Lucia and included therein excerpts from the seer's diary, which include details of mystical experiences/visions subsequent to the first apparitions at Fatima, and possibly more details from the famous apparition at Pontevedra wherein Our Lady requested the First Saturday devotion of reparation to her Immaculate Heart. It is difficult to know the details of the newly revealed private revelations contained in the Coimbra text, since as of this writing, the only accounts in English have been translated by Google translate - which is always unreliable and incomplete as concerns sentence structure, grammar, correct terms, and so on. Once again - the badly translated text can be interpreted according to the bias of the reader - or the journalist.
The very first consideration one must keep in mind is that the Carmel of Coimbra will never contradict what the Holy See has already established regarding the third secret. Likewise - as one is reminded in the current texts alleged to have been published, the Blessed Virgin told Sr. Lucia to write down what she sees, but the interpretation - it's significance - is not hers to interpret. In Life, Sr. Lucia said as much when asked about the third secret - she explicitly stated it was not for her to interpret, which is why she submitted it to the Holy See.
Fatima is not over by any means. St. John Paul II declared the message is as relevant in our time as it was in 1917. Pope Benedict XVI also intimated as much. In the texts connected with the CDF's interpretation of the third secret, he said something to the effect, "though it seems these things have been fulfilled..." likewise, while at Fatima, the Holy Father said it was a mistake to believe the 'mission' of Fatima was complete.
What we add to these sayings, how we personally interpret the texts and visions is mere speculation - often based or reinforced by dubious revelations or sayings attributed to the Pope himself - as was done with what St. John Paul II was alleged to have said at Fulda regarding the third secret.
We sensationalize the messages and apparitions in and through private interpretation and speculation. To overlay private revelations and prophecy onto Scripture is often misleading and can be a source of greater confusion. Though the imagery may appear to fit and events seem to coincide, we cannot of ourselves determine the meaning. That is always the responsibility of the Holy See.
As any good Carmelite, and like her holy mother in religion, St. Teresa of Jesus, Sr. Lucia was and is 'a daughter of the Church' - she submitted her writings to the discernment of the Holy See. The Holy See has faithfully documented the message, as well as interpreted Sr. Lucia's account here: The Message of Fatima.
We live in dangerous times and it strikes me things are getting worse. Sr. Lucia recognized this as well. The requests of Our Lady at Fatima still hold. The consecration was made, as the Holy See affirms. It was late, as Our Lord told Lucia it would be. We suffer the consequences now. We still can respond to Our Lady's requests. We can still perform the work of the First Saturday devotion, we can still repent, convert, and pray. The First Saturday devotion directs us to the Church, to the sacraments - especially the sacrament of penance and the Eucharist. The entire message of Fatima is established upon the Eucharist - the source and summit of Catholic faith. In preparation for Our Lady's visitation, the children were introduced by the Angel to Eucharistic devotion, adoration and reparation. Sr. Lucia herself often commented that the rosary is in fact a Eucharistic/Trinitarian prayer. Fatima calls us to penance and sacrifice - Our Lady has been called catechist - which also means she is the model of the so-called new evangelization.
In the message of Fatima we have the perfect prescription for peace and the salvation of souls - it remains the remedy for the errors and delusion which have shrouded the truth in our day. It is a path of sanctification. There is no need to add scare tactics or invent novel interpretations to what has already been revealed - the call of Fatima is one of hope - even in the midst of the darkness of martyrdom. Rumors and falsehoods circulating about Fatima is what has caused it to be ignored and even mocked by otherwise good Catholics. It's important to subject ourselves to the authority of the Holy See when it comes to the correct interpretation of Fatima.
Of course, this is my 'private' opinion - so don't pay any attention to me either. That said - be careful what you read online - and avoid sensationalizing the message. And do pay attention to what the Holy See has said.
Links:
Holy See: The Fatima Message
Socci: NOVITA’ APOCALITTICHE DA FATIMA
Emmett O'Reagan: A New Text
Pat Archbold: A New Fatima Revelation?
Pray the rosary every day.
Make a sacrifice of everything you do.
The good will be martyred.
Pray, pray, pray.
My father's mother died when he was two: his 'maiden aunt' then raised him: ....Among this my Grandmother's 'effects' were several type-written pages, obviously typed on her own typewriter: a well-used carbon paper had been used as well. It was the Divine Mercy revelation, and the Chaplet ! Of course: it was suppressed in the late 1950's, and these papers were tucked away, but never discarded, in all those years: she died in 1980. It was the poor translation....ah ! All those souls ! uninformed !
ReplyDeleteI lived with her, the summer I was 16, in the heat of the South Side of Chicago...my boyfriend was in Michigan, and I would "visit" him there, each weekend: she was too pure to ever suspect or speculate on my behavior, or the 'trips' I took that summer. Forgive the many quotation marks....she would walk a long way with me to Mass at St. Thomas Church - never, never saying a word, never, never a 'lesson', a 'lecture': and yet she among all those I have know taught me the most. She sacrificed a very great deal, something I did not see then. Marriage. a career. many many 'small' indignities, occasions for humbling herself to her relatives...I miss her.
Terry, I used to bring her to my drawing classes: as we only had young, smooth models from which to draw: she was....in her 80's. they would fall silent for three hours.
anyway: sacrifice. God is So Good: invariably, a sacrifice gives us more than we give, eventually. It is really Good for us to do so, it is for Our Good as well as an offering.
I love her simplicity - she is the type Pope Francis praises.
DeleteI am reading Emmett'e book on the Apocalypse. It is the best ever that I have read of apocalyptic literature.
ReplyDeleteThanks - that is good to know. I will have to try and get it. I'm very interested in the new book from Sr. Lucia - I hope that is translated soon. I also read the updated translation of the section on Emmett's blog.
DeleteI was searching apparitions for any indication of the confrontation with Islam and came across some interesting false apparitions in the 1930's - as well as a host of other apparitions - if I get time I will write on it. I found nothing to suggest a confrontation with Islam however.