An invaluable new
This 13th of June 1917 has to be appreciated as the great day in the history of the world, when Almighty God allowed Our Lady to reveal to the world her greatest secret, her deepest intimacy, the infinite treasure received from the Most Holy Trinity, the inmost value of her personality and the source of her whole being: HER IMMACULATE HEART!
All future apparitions, as well as the life of the children of Fatima and the events around Fatima, are only an enhancement, a continuation, and an application of this mystery revealed on this day.
We can make the following summary: Fatima is the revelation of the Immaculate Heart to the world, as well as the full heavenly explanation of the meaning, purpose, and necessity of the Immaculate Heart for all; it is, finally, the exhortation of Mary herself, what she wishes our answer to this revelation to be. Or yet shorter: Fatima shows who Mary really is for us, and how we have to react to such a will of God! And the keyword is the Immaculate Heart of Mary
But what happened this June 13, 1917?
Here are the words of Lucia recalling the second apparition:
“As soon as Jacinta, Francisco, and I had finished praying the Rosary, with a number of other people who were present, we saw once more the flash reflecting the light which was approaching. The next moment, Our Lady was there on the holm oak, exactly the same as in May.
– What does Your Grace want of me? I asked.
– I wish you to come here on the thirteenth of next month, to pray the Rosary each day, and to learn how to read. Later, I will tell you what I want.
I asked for the cure of a sick person.
– “If he is converted, he will be healed during the year.”
I would like to ask you to take us to Heaven.
– “Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world the Devotion to my Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation; these souls shall be dear to God, as flowers placed by me to adorn His throne.”
– “Am I to stay here alone?” I asked, sadly.
– “No, my daughter. Do you suffer much? 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.”
As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands, and, for the second time, she communicated to us the rays of that immense light. We saw ourselves in this light, as it were, immersed
in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light that rose towards Heaven, and I, in that which was poured out on the earth.
In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a HEART encircled by thorns that pierced it. We understood that this was the IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, outraged by the sins of humanity and seeking reparation.
We all have to become Apostles of Fatima
On this day, Our Lady, for the first time, announces the great design of God for the whole world, and she does this with two lapidary sentences each Apostle of Fatima should know by heart:
- First:Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion I promise salvation; these souls shall be dear to God, as flowers placed by me to adorn His throne.
- Second: My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.
On this day, too, Our Lady shows for the first time in the history of the world her Immaculate Heart: “In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a HEART encircled by thorns that pierced it. We understood that this was the IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, outraged by the sins of humanity and seeking reparation.“
We can therefore distinguish two major parts: Our Lady speaks about her Immaculate Heart; afterwards, she shows it to the children, and through them, to the world.
First, she explains the effects and power of her Immaculate Heart, if only the people would approach it and follow its wishes;
afterwards, she allows us to see her Heart itself, in other words, she opens her Heart to us that we may enter into this ineffable sanctuary of the Holy Ghost.
Both parts of this revelation changed the life of the children completely, and this is exactly what Our Lady wants to accomplish in each of us: through the contact of our heart with her Immaculate Heart we will be purified, we will receive its treasures, we will be submerged in the only great reality for which it is worthwhile to live: the overwhelming LOVE of God present in this heart and pouring out of this Heart.
