4th Week of Easter – Tuesday C - Our Lady of Fatima

Published on 13 May 2025 at 07:44

As we continue our Easter journey towards the Ascension of our Lord and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we encounter yet another grace as we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima, a profound reminder of God's ongoing call to conversion, prayer, and trust in His divine plan. The messages of Fatima continue to resonate deeply within our hearts, urging us to live lives rooted in faith, humility, and devotion.

The core messages of Our Lady of Fatima in her apparitions to the three shepherd children—Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta—were not merely personal visions but divine invitations to all who would listen. She called for prayer, especially the Holy Rosary, penance for sinners, and a sincere commitment to live according to God's will. Her words echo through the ages: "Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of wars."

She emphasized the importance of penance—offering sacrifices to repair the sins of the world—and living in a state of true repentance. We can ask ourselves how we are doing with both these gifts from God: the Rosary and penance as signs of a truly repentant soul. Her message is a reminder that God's mercy is always available to those who turn to Him with a contrite heart. Moreover, she pointed us toward the need for a renewed trust in God's plan, encouraging us to be vigilant and faithful witnesses of Christ.

One of the most extraordinary events associated with Fatima, for those who have not heard of this apparition in Portugal, is the Miracle of the Sun, which occurred on October 13, 1917. Thousands of witnesses, including skeptics and faithful alike, saw the sun appear to dance in the sky, change colors, and zigzag across the heavens, and then plummet towards the earth and revert to its original place. This miracle served as a divine sign confirming the authenticity of the Marian apparitions and the urgent call to conversion, but on a much deeper level God used it as an illustration of the Incarnation and then the Lord’s Ascension.

This phenomenon reminded all present that God's power is beyond human understanding and that His Mother’s messages are rooted in divine authority and love. It was a call to believe, trust, and respond to God's benevolence and mercy.

The First Reading from Isaiah speaks of God's justice and salvation, clothing His people with righteousness like a bride adorned for her wedding. Similarly, Mary, as the Mother of the Church, is portrayed as a figure of joy and divine justice, leading us to recognize her as a sign of God's saving plan.

The Responsorial Psalm emphasizes the beauty and majesty of the daughter of the king—an image of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who is beautifully clothed with grace and adorned with divine virtue. Her humility and obedience make her the perfect model of listening to God's word and living it out.

In the Gospel, Jesus affirms the blessedness not only of His mother but of all who hear and observe God's word just as she did. Yes, Mary exemplifies this blessedness perfectly—she listened, believed, and responded with her entire being.

As we reflect on Our Lady of Fatima, let us imitate her humility and openness to God's word. Like her, we are called to be attentive to God's messages in our lives and to respond with faith and obedience. The miracle of the sun challenges us to trust in God's divine power and to recognize His signs in our world today knowing that he has everything under control, and wishes to strengthen us through his peace.

Let us pray for the grace to follow Mary's example—praying fervently and trusting wholeheartedly in God's mercy for his people. May the messages of Fatima inspire us to be witnesses of Christ's love, bringing peace and hope to our broken world.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!


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