HISTORY OF FATIMA - May 13, 1917 - Oct. 13, 1917 to Present
As Traditional Lay Carmelites, we preserve the Traditions that have been lost over the years such as True Devotion to Our Blessed Mother. By being faithful to the Fatima message, we can pray for the Church in imitation of Our Lady. By wearing our Scapular daily, we are consecrating ourselves to Her service and begging Her for guidance and protection as we journey toward our goal which is Heaven.
To remind the three children of their special vocation and to inspire them to greater fervor and courage for the future, Our Lady said: "Sacrifice yourself for sinners and say often, especially when you make some sacrifice, 'My Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.' "
In each of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, she insisted on praying the Rosary. "Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world." Lucia often repeated and emphasized what Our Lady had first recommended to her: "Yes, she wishes people to recite the Rosary; people must recite the Rosary." Our Lady asked them to add after each decade the short prayer: "Oh my Jesus forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to heaven especially those most in need of Thy mercy." In the final apparition on October 13, 1917, Our Lady silently held out the scapular (the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel). Lucia had said that the Blessed Mother wants everyone to wear it: "The Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable."
Lucia spoke to Our Lady of the sick who had been recommended to her. "Yes, I shall cure some of them within the year." But she went on teaching them to pray rather for the health of souls than of bodies. "Pray! Pray a great deal and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them."
Lucia asked Our Lady about two girls who used to come to her house that had recently died. "Is little Maria Das Neves, who died recently, in Heaven?" "Yes, she is in Heaven." . . . "and Amelia?" "She will be in Purgatory till the end of the world."
Remember also that when Our Lady told Lucia that they were all going to Heaven someday, She also stated that Francesco would have to say many Rosaries. He was only nine years old.
Our Lady predicted that God would work a great miracle on October 13, 1917 to prove the authenticity of the apparitions. A tremendous prodigy happened on that day just as Our Lady had promised. For four minutes, the noontime sun spun around giving off various colors, one after the other. It stopped and started again for four more minutes, this time giving off even more beautiful colors. Then it stopped again. Then it started again. This time it detached itself from its regular position and began to zigzag in the sky. It "danced" for about four minutes, then started to plummet to the earth. It looked like it was the end of the world. Many people fell on their knees to ask for mercy of God. The sun then returned to its original position in the sky. It was witnessed by over 70,000 people who all, both believers and unbelievers, came away
acknowledging that a great miracle had occurred. Several learned men present testified: "I have seen it but I cannot explain it."
This miracle, after the Resurrection, was the first public miracle that was predicted to happen and did. This makes Fatima a different kind of message. Yes, it is a private revelation but being that God wanted a public miracle to take place means that the message is for all and that it is a serious one.
As stated in our Formation Binders, there is so much to the Fatima message for us today.
We, as Carmelites must be diligent in giving The Hearts of Jesus and Mary many prayers of Reparation to repair for the offences received by them from ungrateful souls. There are also many souls falling into Hell each day and each hour – we must be attentive to that and pray the Rosary for their salvation. She had asked the children to pray for the souls that are falling into Hell because there is no one to pray for them.
This gives our Carmelite vocation true meaning. It gives us a means to strive for perfection through our daily duty and our prayers that are scattered throughout our busy day. By wearing Our Scapular and praying the Rosary, and making acts and prayers of Reparation – we are Carmelites.
We must strive to do our Little Office morning and night for Our Lady and to give Our Eternal Father worship for all those who do not love Him – we must thank Him for all that He gives the world each day! This gives our day meaning and a great participation in the redemptive work of the Trinity. As stated in our hand-out on the Scapular, praying the Little Office is requested for the Sabbatine Privilege. We are fulfilling the obligation necessary for Our Lady to look upon us as true Carmelites and to give her the opportunity to release our souls from Purgatory on the Saturday after our death. This is a great gift from God.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us, All the Carmelite Saints pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us.
To remind the three children of their special vocation and to inspire them to greater fervor and courage for the future, Our Lady said: "Sacrifice yourself for sinners and say often, especially when you make some sacrifice, 'My Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.' "
In each of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, she insisted on praying the Rosary. "Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world." Lucia often repeated and emphasized what Our Lady had first recommended to her: "Yes, she wishes people to recite the Rosary; people must recite the Rosary." Our Lady asked them to add after each decade the short prayer: "Oh my Jesus forgive us our sins; save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to heaven especially those most in need of Thy mercy." In the final apparition on October 13, 1917, Our Lady silently held out the scapular (the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel). Lucia had said that the Blessed Mother wants everyone to wear it: "The Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable."
Lucia spoke to Our Lady of the sick who had been recommended to her. "Yes, I shall cure some of them within the year." But she went on teaching them to pray rather for the health of souls than of bodies. "Pray! Pray a great deal and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them."
Lucia asked Our Lady about two girls who used to come to her house that had recently died. "Is little Maria Das Neves, who died recently, in Heaven?" "Yes, she is in Heaven." . . . "and Amelia?" "She will be in Purgatory till the end of the world."
Remember also that when Our Lady told Lucia that they were all going to Heaven someday, She also stated that Francesco would have to say many Rosaries. He was only nine years old.
Our Lady predicted that God would work a great miracle on October 13, 1917 to prove the authenticity of the apparitions. A tremendous prodigy happened on that day just as Our Lady had promised. For four minutes, the noontime sun spun around giving off various colors, one after the other. It stopped and started again for four more minutes, this time giving off even more beautiful colors. Then it stopped again. Then it started again. This time it detached itself from its regular position and began to zigzag in the sky. It "danced" for about four minutes, then started to plummet to the earth. It looked like it was the end of the world. Many people fell on their knees to ask for mercy of God. The sun then returned to its original position in the sky. It was witnessed by over 70,000 people who all, both believers and unbelievers, came away
acknowledging that a great miracle had occurred. Several learned men present testified: "I have seen it but I cannot explain it."
This miracle, after the Resurrection, was the first public miracle that was predicted to happen and did. This makes Fatima a different kind of message. Yes, it is a private revelation but being that God wanted a public miracle to take place means that the message is for all and that it is a serious one.
As stated in our Formation Binders, there is so much to the Fatima message for us today.
We, as Carmelites must be diligent in giving The Hearts of Jesus and Mary many prayers of Reparation to repair for the offences received by them from ungrateful souls. There are also many souls falling into Hell each day and each hour – we must be attentive to that and pray the Rosary for their salvation. She had asked the children to pray for the souls that are falling into Hell because there is no one to pray for them.
This gives our Carmelite vocation true meaning. It gives us a means to strive for perfection through our daily duty and our prayers that are scattered throughout our busy day. By wearing Our Scapular and praying the Rosary, and making acts and prayers of Reparation – we are Carmelites.
We must strive to do our Little Office morning and night for Our Lady and to give Our Eternal Father worship for all those who do not love Him – we must thank Him for all that He gives the world each day! This gives our day meaning and a great participation in the redemptive work of the Trinity. As stated in our hand-out on the Scapular, praying the Little Office is requested for the Sabbatine Privilege. We are fulfilling the obligation necessary for Our Lady to look upon us as true Carmelites and to give her the opportunity to release our souls from Purgatory on the Saturday after our death. This is a great gift from God.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us, All the Carmelite Saints pray for us. St. Joseph, pray for us.
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