A Treze De Maio

Today is a special day to any Portuguese person who closely follows their heritige. On this day in 1917, the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to three shepherd children, Lucia Santos, and her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

Lucia described her vision of the Blessed Mother as "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal ball filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun." She appeared to the children while standing atop a rose bush, and continued to appear to them every month for 6 months on the 13th. To quell the doubt of the masses, the virgin provided the famous 'Miracle of the Sun' on October 13. In the sight of photographers, reporters, and indeed the entire world, the sun danced in the sky to prove that she in fact was truely there. This miracle can be seen on You Tube, or via many various forms of media. The children suffered much persecution from those who doubted their claims to have seen the Virgin. Even the Church itself doubted their initial claims, and today the famous 'Fatima Vision' is accepted by the Church and honored by countless faithful around the world.

What is it about such apparitions that captivates the faithful so deeply? Whenever an "image of Mary" appears on an overpass, a bulding's window, or if a cloud formation remotely resembles a religious image, the catholic faithful flock to it and proclaim it as something sent from God. Is this religious fanaticism? Yes and no. It is a clear indication of a world that desperately needs their God.

Something like Fatima crosses the lines of faith. It assures believers that what they have put their stock in is not in vein. The sun dancing over the fields of Portugal assured the faithful that the Virgin was in fact truely there. . . and we need that.

We, as human beings, have a natural tendency to not trust people. Sadly, we live a world where one persons testimony is not enough to make use feel assured. Weather it be a lover's fidelity, a child's word to his/her mother, confidence in a friend's confidence, the list goes on and on. Sadly that even extends to God.

As you all know, I spent many years studying for the priesthood, and I have alot of faith in my God, but I too sometimes need some kind of sign, some kind of something to be re-assured that He is in fact out there, and hears my pleas and my prayers. The eyes of faith see Him everyday, in the love that is shown me through others, in the silent prayers that He answers nearly everyday, and just in that feeling I have in my heart that He is there, and He does hear me...but still...its nice to have that little boost once in a while.

Mary showed the children of Fatima what Hell looked like, and the same of heaven. She also entrusted to them the famous 'Fatima Secrets', two of which were revealed pretty quickly, and the third remained a secret in the Vatican archives until 2000 when the Vatican told the world that the final secret was actually a prediction of the assasination attempt on the Pope, which happened on this day in 1981. The bullet which was removed from Pope John Paul II's body today sits in the crown atop the head of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima at the apparition site. The Pope attributed his life to the Virgin, claiming that it was her prayers which allowed him to live despite the odds against him.

The devotion to Our Lady of Fatima is one that runs deep in the veins of any Portuguese Catholic, and indeed has become a devotion beloved by all Catholics regardless of their ethnic background. I too have my own reasons for feeling so strongly about the Virgin of Fatima.

I have previously written about Father Bert Richman, the man who I had so much respect and love for, the priest who was the pastor at my parish and my inspiration to enter Seminary. He died at the end of my first year of studies. Towards the end of his life, the cancer had totally taken over his body, and he was on so many drugs and was so 'out of it' it got to the point where he could not even talk, and was tied down to his hospital bed. The man who I loved so deeply, who always had every answer, who held a PHD in American history...there he was, a speechless, heavily medicated vegetable. He had previously asked me to bring him his Rosary beads, which I did. During those last days, if you went to visit him, you would find him all tied down, working those beads through his fingers, silently praying those words he had known since his youth. On the day he died, I sat with him in his hospital room, and he suddenly said, clear as day, "She's here." I will never forget the feeling in that room. To this day I would argue with anyone, that she was there. His final words were those of the Hail Mary, "pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death." There is no doubt in my mind that she came to him, she came to bring him home to his creator.

Its the little moments like that...its those little signs that God throws our way to assure us of his presence and his undying love. It's those little signs that re-assures our faith in the God we cannot see. It's a very human experience, just like as much as we trust and love a partner, or a friend, its the little things we do for one another that re-affirms that trust, and that love. Maybe we should all today remind those we love that we do in fact love them. Maybe the message of Fatima is a reminder, a reminder that sometimes we have to re-assure our loved ones that they are loved.

On May 13 1946, Cardinal Masalla, the personal delegate of Pope Pius XII, spoke at a Vatican celebration in honor of Our Lady of Fatima. He said, "The faithful virgin never disappointed the trust, put on her. She will transform into a fountain of graces, physical and spiritual graces, over all of Portugal, and from there, breaking all frontiers, over the whole Church and the entire world." In a world that was so devoid of hope, and in fact shrouded in the darkness of World War I, Communisim in Russia, and poverty all around, the Fatima message brought a glimmer of hope.

Maybe on this day, "Fatima Day" as coined by so many Portuguese faithful, we may all have that moment where we see the "sun dance". May we all take a step back and see the many blessings in our lives, instead of all the curses. When I first started in Seminary we had a retreat, and the priest who preached at it is one of the men in my life who I respect the most. He spoke about his first days in seminary. He was so excited to finally have his own bedroom, as he had always shared with siblings growing up. He was so excited about everything that came along with starting his studies for the priesthood. When he showed his mother his room, she looked at the screen on the window and said, "Theres a hole in the screen." his excitement about everything that was happening was kind of stomped out because all his mother could see was the hole in the screen.

That's what the message of Fatima says to us today. We can't always see the hole in the screen. We have to see the blessings and the wonderful things that we have in life. Those of you who ar efaithful readers undoubtedly noticed that my last post was pretty down and out. I was totally seeing the hole the screen, and nothing else. On this "Fatima Day" may we all see past the "holes in the screen". May we see the little blessings here and there that remind us that things will get better, things could be worse, and no matter what, we are never in this alone.

AVE AVE AVE MARIA, AVE AVE AVE MARIA!