Sanctuary of Fatima, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary

Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS

We just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the last apparition of Fatima and the famous Miracle of the Sun, but the messages that rocked the world a century ago continue to speak to the hearts and minds of the faithful everywhere.

The first apparition of Fatima took place on May 13, 1917. It was a Sunday, the Feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, when Lucia dos Santos and her two cousins, Jacinto and Francisco Marto took their flocks to a vast natural hollow known as the Cova da Iria.

The three were reciting the rosary when they were startled by two brilliant flashes of light. The second flash revealed a Lady standing atop a small holm oak. The children were enraptured by the beauty of the Lady who explained that she had come from heaven. When Lucia asked what she wanted, she said, “I came to ask you to come here on the thirteenth day for six months at this same time, and then I will tell you who I am and what I want. And afterward, I will return here a seventh time.”

The Lady then asked the question that has been posed to the hearts of Catholics ever since. “Would you like to offer yourselves to God, to accept all the sufferings which He may send you in reparation for the countless sins by which He is offended and in supplication for the conversion of sinners?”

This question, which was posed to three children, ages 7, 9 and 10, sums up the whole message of Fatima – a message that is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.

How willing are we to offer our lives to God, to suffer (without complaint!) whatever He chooses to send us, to make reparation for the horrible outrages committed against him in our world, and to pray for the conversion of hearts?

This year-long commemoration of Fatima was the perfect time to look for opportunities to celebrate the divine call to a deeper life with God for the sake of the world.

For example, renew your commitment to praying a daily Rosary. In the new book, The Rosary: Your Weapon for Spiritual Warfare, authors Johnnette Benkovic and Thomas K. Sullivan remind us that the rosary isn’t just an optional Catholic devotion for the old and dying. It’s a vibrant and powerful intercessory tool that has worked countless miracles in the hands of the faithful, whether they be valiant spiritual warrior saints or everyday people like you and me.

During July apparition, our Lady told Lucia: “I shall come to ask... that on the First Saturday of every month, Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world.” Known as the First Saturday devotion, the faithful are asked to go to Confession, receive the Eucharist, and spend 15 minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary with Our Lady on five consecutive Saturdays. Try to make this powerful Act of Reparation as often as possible.

Fatima also called upon the faithful to renew their devotion to the Eucharist and to repent of the many outrages committed against Our Eucharistic Lord. Visit the Eucharist as often as you can. If your parish has a perpetual adoration chapel, make the sacrifice of an hour of your time every week to repair for these outrages.

Take to heart Our Lady's call to become a force for good in the world.

What better time than this to start a Women of Grace or Young Women of Grace group in your parish or community? These study programs change hearts!

And for those Catholic women who want a deeper immersion in the call to become active leaders and mentors in the world, Women of Grace® Benedicta Leadership Institute for Women® is offering accredited courses at Holy Apostles College and Seminary.

This institute was founded by Johnnette to help identify, educate, develop, and train Catholic women to become leaders in society in accord with their state in life. As St. Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865) once said, "How rare it is to find a valiant woman! It is perhaps necessarily so, since Scripture says that they are more precious than pearls and diamonds. Let us however work to train a few."

Raising up and training these valiant women is precisely the work that the Institute is about through our annual Enrichment Seminars as well as course offerings for women in search of higher education in this area of study.

As we look for ways to make the Fatima message relevant to our lives and to our world, let us remember that the best way to thank Our Lady for these divine visits to our struggling world is to make her messages our own!

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