Fatima – Bolshevik Revolution and Miracle of the Sun – October 13, 1917
DURING HER SEPTEMBER 13 VISIT, The Virgin Mary asked Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia to persevere in their prayers and filled them with anticipation as they waited and prepared for some spectacular events that She said were to take place during her next visit on October 13:
“Continue to pray the rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world.”
She had kept all of her promises to this point, She had comforted them, and revealed many extraordinary things; thus, they had no reason to doubt Her when She promised a visit by Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus, Himself accompanied by a special blessing for the entire world. These future events, however, were most likely to be private revelations, like the others had been. But, then Our Lady spoke several words that must have sparked joy in their souls. Until this time, despite crowds in the tens of thousands, it was only the three who experienced the supernatural phenomena; many, including their own parents, members of the clergy, regional press agents, and government officials either were or remained skeptical of the whole series of events reported by the children. NOW, however, now the Lady was promising a miracle, a miracle not for their eyes only, but a PUBLIC MIRACLE. The public nature of this miracle was plainly revealed in the words “so that ALL may believe.”
“In October, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.”
As the three persevered in their prayers throughout September, news of the promised miracle was circulating throughout the broad Iberian countryside. A public miracle announced by the Mother of God to take place on October 13 caught everyone’s attention. On October 12, 1917, World War I was raging at a fever pitch.
The British army was stretched out along a six mile front making slight progress, German advances were being checked along the entire French front; pounding wind and rain however put a halt to any further advances on either side. Despite this torrential down pour from the evening of October 12 and into the very next day right up until the time of the apparition, an immense crowd (a crowd consisting of faithful devotees and skeptical mockers among them atheists and Masonic press agents and government officials) undeterred by the horrendous weather gathered and made their way for miles by foot to the Cova de Iria.
The children had to rise and leave home early on the stormy morning of the 13th. With the August imprisonment still fresh in their minds and the hush of threats circulating in the air, they were accompanied by a vanguard of family and friends to protect them from the swarming multitude and agents of liberalism sweeping Europe Spain and Portugal. Around noon time when Our Lady finally did appear, She told them that it was Her wish that a chapel be built there in her honor and asked them to pray the rosary every day. She also assured them that the war was going to soon end. She also instructed the children that people who were asking for cures must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins.
“What do you want of me?”
“I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.”
“Yes. Yes.”
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“Will you tell me your name?”
“I am the Lady of the Rosary.”
Again, looking very sad, She said:’
“Do not offend Our Lord any more, for He is already much offended”
After this, She opened both hands and make them reflect on the sun. She then ascended toward the luminous disc while continuing to reflect Her own light directly onto it.
Then Lucia cried out for everyone to look at the sun.
Although the rain had stopped, ominous clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly burst through the darkness as a soft spinning disk of silver.
“Look at the sun!”
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The “Miracle of the Sun” Witnessed by 70,000 on October 13, 1917
A reporter for the Lisbon newspaper “O Dia” wrote:
“…The silver sun, enveloped in the same gauzy grey light, was seen to whirl and turn in the circle of broken clouds… The light turned a beautiful blue, as if it had come through the stained-glass windows of a cathedral, and spread itself over the people who knelt with outstretched hands… people wept and prayed with uncovered heads, in the presence of a miracle they had awaited. The seconds seemed like hours, so vivid were they.”
Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of natural sciences at the University of Coimbra, was present and was frightened by the spinning sun. Afterward, he wrote:
“Suddenly I heard the screams coming from thousands of throats, it must have been about 2 PM..I looked in the same direction as all the other pairs of eyes and saw the suns as a disk, sharply outlined, sparkling, glowing, and painless fro the eyes to gaze at. The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl, when suddenly a clamor was heard from all the people. The sun, whirling, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was terrible…all the colors in the atmosphere changed. All the objects around me took on the color of an amethyst.”
Dr. Manuel Formigão, a priest and professor at the seminary at Santarém, had attended an earlier apparition in September, and had questioned the three children on several occasions. Father Formigão wrote:
“As if like a bolt from the blue, the clouds were wrenched apart, and the sun at its zenith appeared in all its splendor. It began to revolve vertiginously on its axis, like the most magnificent fire wheel that could be imagined, taking on all the colors of the rainbow and sending forth multicolored flashes of light, producing the most astounding effect. This sublime and incomparable spectacle, which was repeated three distinct times, lasted for about ten minutes. The immense multitude, overcome by the evidence of such a tremendous prodigy, threw themselves on their knees.”
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Political Events Happening in Russia at the Time of the Miracle of the Sun
At the same time Miracle of the Sun was occurring, so too was the Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia. Commonly referred to as the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin, it culminated with the seizure of state power by armed insurrectionists in Petrograd.
According to Leon Trotsky, October 13 is the correct anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution that brought the communists to power in Russia. This is probably true because according to the International Communist League:
“Basically, in what one might call a “cold insurrection,” the Bolshevik-led Soviet took control of the armed bodies of men out of the hands of the Provisional Government. By October 13, the Soldiers’ Section of the Petrograd Soviet voted to transfer military authority from Headquarters to the Military Revolutionary Committee. In other words, the Soviet now had the state power in all but name.”
Leon Trotsky confirmed the startling fact that the October Revolution was initiated on October 13, 1917. On October 13, 1932, he wrote:
“The October Revolution is finishing its fifteenth year. This simple figure gives evidence to the entire world of the gigantic force which exists in the proletarian state. No one, not even the most optimistic among us, foresaw such vitality.”
“The leaders and the masses saw in the October upheaval only the first stage of the world revolution. The thought of an independent building-up of Socialism in isolated Russia was, in the year 1917, neither defended nor sustained nor clearly formulated by anybody” (Prinkipo Letter, October 13, 1932).
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While the communists were seizing power in Russia under cover of darkness, as Our Lady had foretold in July, Jesus, Mary and Joseph were blessing the world at Fatima. They were in the process of leading it back to God through the Eucharist, Holy Rosary and Scapular as if cognizant of Our Lady’s 13th century prophecy to Her servant, St. Dominic:k
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“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the world.”
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Final Appearance of Our Lady After Miracle of the Sun
Following the Miracle of the Sun, Our Lady then disappeared into the depth of heaven and in Her place Saint Joseph and the child Jesus appeared accompanied by the Virgin Mary now robed in white with a blu
e mantle as Mother of the Holy Family. Saint Joseph and Jesus then made the sign of the cross over the world and disappeared. Then Jesus reappeared with Our Lady of Sorrows. Jesus blessed the world.
Finally, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel appeared holding the Carmelite brown scapular in her hands. During this time no words were spoken. Lucia, later said:
“Our Lady never looked so beautiful as when She appeared in Her Carmelite Habit.”
The very fact that She was holding a Brown Scapular and wearing the Carmelite habit tells us that She is emphasizing the spirituality of Mt. Carmel and wants Her children to wear the scapular! Our Lady seems to be confirming Carmelite mystical theology reaching back across the ages to the prophet Elisha and Elijah who routed the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. By holding out the brown scapular at the culmination of so great a miracle, She is calling attention to the importance of Carmel and the brown scapular necessary for spiritual battle against modern day prophets of Baal.
Lucia asked Our Lady why She held out the Brown Scapular, to which She replied:
“I want all my children to wear it.”
This prompted Lucia to proclaim that
“OUR LADY WANTS EVERYONE TO WEAR IT. IT IS THE SIGN OF CONSECRATION TO HER IMMACULATE HEART.”
This would be the last apparition seen by Jacinta and Francisco. However, as indicated in May, 1917, Our Lady wished Sister Lucia to remain on earth to spread devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. Consequently, Our Lady would appear to Sister Lucia at least five more times in 1925, 1926, 1929, 1930 and 1931 as she had promised the previous May.
In summary The Fatima message of Our Lady had an Apocalyptic Warning of War; mankind’s self-destruction and the threat of Judgment to befall the world. But, She also gave a message of Hope and Peace – The “Triumph of Her Immaculate Heart” and an “Era of Peace”.