I grew up when Catholic culture in Northern New Jersey, especially in Catholic schools, was still strong. As a boy I often heard about the events and messages of Fatima and was deeply struck by them. Nevertheless, as the years went on, the events and messages grew dim, and I was no longer saying the rosary as often as before. My focus on the eternal consequences of not believing in and obeying Heaven were especially dim.
I experienced a deep conversion when I was a senior at the University of Notre Dame, through the Cursillo Movement, and I returned to the fervent practice of my faith—but with no renewed appreciation of Fatima. After my first year studying for a doctorate in philosophy at Princeton, a friend and I, who had also been deeply impacted by the Cursillo at Notre Dame, realized that we were on an “automatic” academic track and hadn’t unreservedly opened our futures to the Lord. So, we decided to spend the summer after our first graduate philosophy years at a Benedictine monastery in upstate New York, seeking the Lord’s guidance as we baled hay and participated in the life of the monks.
At the end of the summer, we shared with the prior of the monastery what we were “getting” in prayer—a scripture passage that said, “Sell all you have and come follow me.” We expected that he would say consider doing that after you have gotten your doctorates. Instead, he surprised us, saying that if that is what we thought the Lord was saying, then we should do it right away.
So, we did, and that began a long journey of trying to live as fully for the Lord as we could. It took us through working for the national office of the Cursillo Movement, at that time in Lansing, Michigan, and afterwards for the International Office of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, first in Ann Arbor, where my wife and I currently live; and then in Belgium for four years; and now the office is in Rome in one of the Vatican Palacios. It all led eventually to getting a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum University in Rome, and teaching at the Detroit Archdiocesan seminary for 23 years.
It was in connection with a big gathering of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, held in Fatima, at which I was invited to speak, that I returned to Fatima and this time (I had visited previously and had a positive experience but not life-changing) met the children of Fatima in an impactful way. Their tombs in the Basilica were moving to see, as were their humble homes in Aljustrel. But what was most life changing was being given a copy of the book written by Lucia, Fatima in Lucia’s own words*, which deeply impacted me. As I was reading it one night after my return to Michigan, I found myself weeping, deeply convicted of my sins, and deeply inspired by the response of the three children to the requests of the “beautiful lady from heaven.” From three very ordinary Catholic children as they responded to the events and messages of Heaven, they became saints. And so can we.
From that time on I have wanted to respond to the requests of Heaven as they did. What first moved me were the messages of the angel, which later also were repeated by the Beautiful Lady.
The angel appeared three times during the spring, summer, and fall of 2016, but since space in this article is limited, I would like to particularly highlight the second apparition that occurred in the summer of 1916. The angel communicated an urgent message: “What are you doing? …Pray! Pray very much! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the most high.”
According to Lucia’s account, she was the only one of the three children who felt comfortable asking any questions, either of the angel or, later, of the “Beautiful Lady.” This time Lucia asked the angel what sacrifices they should be making. The angel answered:
Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your country. I am its Angel guardian, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission, the suffering which the Lord will send you. (Lucia’s Memoirs, pp. 78-79, emphasis added)
This was, and is, a very significant request, which was repeated by the Beautiful Lady the following year.
Contained in the angel’s request is an implicit revelation of the seriousness of sin and the need for believers to take responsibility for, making reparation for—making up for, compensating for—our own sins and the sins of others. And most of all, by this sacrifice and prayer, the necessity to desire the conversion of unbelievers to a life of holiness and love.
Also contained in the request is a strong witness to the overarching Providence of God, containing within it the sufferings that come our way. The sufferings which God sends, or simply permits, are the occasions for our growth in love for God and for the salvation of others. While God may not directly cause suffering, He makes amazing use of it to draw us into deeper union with Him and to save souls.
Suffering is difficult—it was for Jesus, too—but accepted in trust and love, it can save souls and sanctify us. This is a very important lesson from Fatima and profoundly marks the path to holiness that the three children were led on, a pathway later to be recognized by the Church in the canonizations of Jacinta and Francisco.
Lucia comments on the effect of this second visit of the angel:
These words were indelibly impressed upon our minds. They were like a light which made us understand who God is, how He loves us and desires to be loved, the value of sacrifice, how pleasing it is to Him, and how, on account of it, He grants the grace of conversion to sinners. (Lucia’s Memoirs, pp. 171-172)
One of the big “takeaways” from the events and messages of Fatima is that our prayer and sacrifices can make a significant difference for our growth in holiness and for the salvation of souls. An eternal difference. Let us ask God for the grace to receive these heavenly words and live them as the three holy children did.
*Author’s Note: Fatima in Lucia’s Own Words, 22nd ed., ed. Fr. Louis Kondor, S.V.D., trans. Dominican Nuns of Perpetual Rosary (Francisco and Jacinta Martin Foundation, 2018), is imported from Portugal and is often hard to find in the United States. We make a point at the Catholic ministry I am involved with (www.RenewalMinistries.net) of having copies available as much as possible.
Editor’s Note: For more on Our Lady’s message at Fatima, and how exactly it relates to you, check out Dr. Ralph Martin’s Hearts Beating As One: The Spiritual Heart of Fatima, available from Sophia Institute Press. This book invites you to encounter the spiritual heart of Fatima and help you incorporate it into the rhythms of your daily life.
Image by Andreas Trepte via Wikimedia Commons
