On October 13, 1917, as on the other previous occasions, the seers noticed the flash of light and afterward, they saw Our Lady appear over the holm-oak tree.
LUCY: “What do you want of me?”
OUR LADY: “I want to tell you to have them build a chapel here in my honor; I am the Lady of the Rosary. Let them continue to say the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and all the soldiers will soon return to their homes.”
LUCY: “I had many things to ask of you. the cure of some sick persons, the conversion of some sinners, etc.”
OUR LADY: “Some yes, others no. It is necessary that they amend their lives, and ask pardon for their sins. Let them offend God no more, for He is already much offended.”
And opening her hands, she made the light emerging from them ascend to where the sun ought to be. And while she was rising, her own radiance continued shining toward the sun. At that moment Lucy exclaimed: “Look at the sun!”
When Our Lady disappeared in the immense distance of the sky, three scenes developed successively before the seers’ eyes, symbolizing first the joyful mysteries of the Rosary, then the sorrowful mysteries, and finally the glorious mysteries. (Only Lucy saw the three scenes, while Francisco and Jacinta saw only the first one.) The scenes were as follows:
(1) St. Joseph appeared next to the sun, with the Child Jesus and Our Lady of the Rosary. It was the Holy Family. The Virgin was dressed in white, with a blue mantle. St. Joseph was also dressed in white, and the Child Jesus, in bright red. St. Joseph blessed the crowd, making the sign of the Cross three times. The Child Jesus did the same.
(2) Then came the vision of Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lord oppressed by sorrow on the road to Calvary. Our Lord made the sign of the Cross to bless the people. Our Lady did not have a sword in her breast. Lucy only saw the upper part of the Body of Our Lord.
(3) Finally, there appeared, in a glorious vision, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, crowned Queen of Heaven and earth, with the Child Jesus on her lap.
The Miracle of the Sun
While these things were unfolding before the eyes of the three children seers, the great multitude of 50 to 70 thousand spectators witnessed the Miracle of the Sun.
It rained during the apparition. At the end of the conversation of Lucy with Our Lady, at the moment when the Holy Virgin arose and Lucy shouted “look at the sun,” the clouds opened up, showing the sun like an enormous silver disk. it shone with an intensity never before seen, but it did not blind. This only lasted an instant. The immense ball began to “dance.” Like a gigantic circle of fire, the sun revolved rapidly. It stopped for a while, only to begin revolving dizzily again. Then its borders became scarlet and it slipped down the heavens, like a whirlpool scattering red flames of fire. That light was reflected on the ground, in the trees, on the bushes, even on the faces of the people and on their clothing, taking on brilliant tones and different colors. Animated three times by a crazy movement, the globe of fire seemed to tremble, to shake itself, and to rush zigzaggedly over the terrified crowd.
All this lasted some ten minutes. Finally, the sun zigzagged back to the point from which it had rushed, once again remaining calm and brilliant, with the same splendor of every day.
The cycle of the apparitions had ended.
Many people noticed that their clothes, sopping wet from the rain, had suddenly dried.
The Miracle of the Sun was also observed by numerous witnesses located outside the place of the apparitions, up to a distance of 40 kilometers. (Cf. Memoirs II, p. 62; IV, pp. 348 and 350; de Marchi, pp. 165-166; Walsh, pp. 129-131; Ayres da Fonseca, pp. 91-93; Galamba de Oliveira, pp. 95-97).
Fatima Today
Sometimes I think about how far we’ve come since that long ago day back in 1917 when the sun danced. Actually, 105 years really isn’t that long when you consider the history of the world, and especially when you consider eternity. Have we grown in our faith and zeal for God since Our Lady appeared to the Fatima children, or are we still struggling with the same issues, the same challenges, the same sins. I would suggest that as a world, we have gotten much worse. If things were bad then, how much worse must they be now? Little (and not so little) victories have been won, that is for sure. Roe vs. Wade has recently been overturned in a historical court decision, removing the stain on our nation that has plagued us for nearly 50 years. And most recently the Georgia Guidestones were destroyed under mysterious circumstances. Some say it was from a lightning strike, while others claim that a person set off a bomb or some type of explosive device. What we, as Christians, must understand is that there was nothing godly about that horrible monument. In fact, it was purely satanic. Reducing the global population is not from God, that we may be absolutely sure of. You can read more about the Georgia Guidestones here.
So much has changed in the world since 1917, and yet so much has remained the same. As Christians, we must be on a mission to spread the light of truth and fill the earth with our love and zeal for the Lord. We must be the light that shines through the darkness and the salt that brings new flavor to the things of this planet that have grown stale, cold, and in some cases, downright evil. Jesus told us that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We need to be the messengers of His truth, and even when it seems that all hope has been lost, we must stay steadfast in our Christian beliefs and turn to Our Lady for help and guidance, the way we would turn to our own mother in times of confusion and travail. And by the way, this message is for all Christians, not just the Catholics!
Several years ago, two priests were giving a talk, and one of them said that the gray is going away, and soon all that will be left is the black and the white, and when that time comes, a side must be chosen. I believe that time has come. When I was in my college years, I went to visit my boyfriend who attended a different college and lived in a house with a few of his friends. I remember the day as if it were yesterday. I was cleaning their house (crazy me… what was I thinking?) while they were off in another room. I came upon a picture on a wall, and the image was that of a boat floating on the water. The words that accompanied the image went something like this: “We must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must sail, and not drift or lie at anchor.” For some reason that memory stuck, and I guess it’s a good way to end this post today. Let’s all decide that we are going to do one spectacular thing for the Lord. And whether or not we are met with resistance or with praise, let’s resolve to do it rather than to remain stagnant. As I’ve quoted in a previous post, Mother Angelica used to say: “We are all called to be great saints. Don’t miss the opportunity!”
The next post will be about private visions of Jacinta that she had in the period comprising the apparitions and the period that followed. You will be astonished to hear some of the things that Our Lady revealed to her!
1 thought on “Our Lady of Fatima – Sixth and Last Apparition of the Virgin Mary”
Thank you, this is the first time I read your message and I look forward to seeing MORE!
Blessed Mother, you entered this world without stain, obtain for us from God that we leave this world without sin.