Our Lady asked the three children to meet her once more at Cova da Iria on the 13th of July, 1917. That hot summer day arrived. Word about the mysterious appearance of the Holy Virgin was becoming widespread around Fatima that a crowd of about four thousand people came to witness the supernatural events for themselves. For the third time, Our Blessed Mother appeared to the three shepherd visionaries, standing above a holm oak tree, same as before.
This third apparition was to be filled with precious promises and messages from Our Lady. On this day, she would reveal three astonishing secrets to the children. She would teach them two important prayers as well.
At that time, the children had yet to know the name of this Lady from Heaven. That’s why Lucia said, “I would like to ask you to tell us who you are and to perform a miracle so everyone will believe that Your Grace appears to us.” Our Lady, in reply, made a promise to the children, “Continue to come here every month. In October, I will tell you who I am and what I wish, and I will perform a miracle that everyone shall see so as to believe.” Our Lady’s promise of a miracle in a few months, when she would also reveal her name, was definitely something the children would look forward to.
Like in previous Apparitions, Our Lady asked the children to continue praying the Rosary every day, to obtain peace for the world and special graces. She then taught them a short prayer, which they could say many times whenever they would offer some sacrifice for sinners. We can pray this also, especially when we make sacrifices for the Lord.
Fatima Sacrifice Prayer
“O Jesus, it is for the love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
The following revelations came to be known as ‘Secrets’ of Fatima since the Blessed Mother asked the children to tell no one about them, to which they faithfully obliged. It was only after more than twenty years later, in 1941, when Sister Lucia wrote about two of the Secrets in her memoir. The third Secret, she narrated in sealed writing in 1943, but was only officially released by the Vatican to the public in the year 2000.
The First Secret: the Vision of Hell
What a terrifying vision Our Lady showed the three children seers- it was a vision of hell. They saw what looked like a “sea of fire under the earth.” Burning among the fires were not only such frightful-looking demons but also “souls in human form,” which are like “transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair.”
The vision briefly lasted for an instant, but it horrified the children and made them tremble with fear. Lucia later shared how they all felt so much gratitude to Our Lady who had already promised during the First Apparition that she would take them all to Heaven. Without any doubt, the children became certain of the reality of the existence of hell where Our Lady said, “the souls of poor sinners go.”
There were other Saints and mystics, some from long before the time of Fatima and some from years later, who had also experienced visions of hell through personal revelations, similar to what the children had seen.
The Second Secret: A Call for Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
To save the souls of poor sinners, Our Blessed Mother told the children, “God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.” If this would be done, not only “many souls” would be saved; the war would end and there would be peace.
But if people would continue offending God, “a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI.” There would be a “great sign” in the sky, “a night that is lit by a strange and an unknown light,” a sign given by God that He is “about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.”
As the children intently listened, Our Lady further talked about another war that might start and how it could be prevented. And it was still through her Immaculate Heart: “I shall come to the world to ask that Russia be consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, and I shall ask that on the First Saturday of every month Communion of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world.”
If this would go unheeded, then “Russia will spread errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecution of the Church.” But Our Lady gave her assurance, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
These words of Our Lady indeed happened some years later. In 1929, Our Lady had actually come to ask for the consecration of Russia as she visited Sister Lucia in the convent. But Lucia’s letter to the Pope requesting that Russia be consecrated to Mary’s Immaculate Heart had been unheeded because it was at a time that the Holy See was troubled with various claims of prophecies from all over the world.
On the 25th of January, 1938, thus came the “great sign” in the night sky. A strange light of exceptional brightness became visible in France and in almost all countries of Europe, and in some at other continents. The light was glowing in vivid blood red color. Scientists called the phenomenon an aurora borealis. But this was not an accurate explanation because aurora borealis were generally seen in the north pole, never as widespread like this, and could come in different colors like green and blue, but not like fires of red.
To Sister Lucia, it could not be simply an ordinary aurora borealis; she understood it as a message from God that He was about to strike at nations of sinners, just as revealed to them by Our Lady in Fatima. Thus, in 1940, she wrote again to the Holy Father for the consecration of the world, Russia in particular, to the Immaculate Heart. And in 1942, Pope Pius XII acceded this request.
The Third Secret of Fatima: A Vision of the Holy Father, the Faithful, and their Path to the Cross
The Third Secret was surrounded by much speculation because it took many years before the sealed envelop containing the Secret could be read by the Vatican- only to be opened in 1960 as Sister Lucia told them. Then, after Pope John XXIII finally opened it for reading, the contents were kept in the archives and would not be released to the public until the year 2000. But as Sister Lucia pointed out, it was only the vision and not the interpretation that was entrusted to her. Here is the actual full written account that the Vatican published.
At the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword; it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: “Penance, Penance, Penance!”
And we saw in an immense light that is God… a Bishop dressed in white. We had the impression it was the Holy Father. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big cross; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins, and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks.
Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels, each with a crystal aspersorium in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.
Until now, there is no official interpretation on the meaning of the Third Secret vision, although Pope Benedict XVI, when he was still a Cardinal, offered some deep insights on what it could represent. He said that the vision was not about some exciting apocalyptic preview but probably a representation of the persecution that the Catholic Church and its faithful followers experienced in the 20th Century. He also said that the vision was an invitation to all of us to draw closer to God, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, through penance and conversion.
There was another prayer that Our Lady taught the children in this third apparition. Our Blessed Mother instructed that it was to be said after each decade mystery in the Holy Rosary. It is one of my personal favorite short prayers that I ardently pray. Here you will find its original version as given by Our Lady of Fatima.
Fatima Decade Prayer
“O my Jesus, forgive us; save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need.”
Sister Lucia dos Santos, Servant of God, pray for us!
St. Francisco Marto, pray for us!
St. Jacinta Marto, pray for us!
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
St. Joseph, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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