L-R Lucia Dos Santos, Francisco Marto, Jacinta Marto
Attributed to Joshua Benoliel [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
A few years ago, the story of little Colton Burpo and his visit
to heaven was told in the book and movie, “Heaven is For Real.” Many people were
inspired by this astonishing story, but also wondered whether to believe it.
In Catholic history and tradition, many such stories have
been reported over the centuries. The Church teaches that “public revelation”
(scripture) ended with Jesus Christ and the death of the last Apostle. However,
recognizing that God can speak to His people in many ways, major reports of
visions and private messages are studied by the church. Messages found to be fully
in keeping with scripture and church teachings are approved, and Catholics are free
(but not required) to believe in the visions.
One of the most well-known of these heavenly visits occurred
in Fátima, Portugal a century ago to three shepherd children, Jacinta, age 6,
her brother Francisco, age 8, and their cousin Lucia, age 9.
It began in 1916, when the children, while watching over
their family’s flocks in the mountains near Fátima, encountered a beautiful
angel who said he was the guardian of Portugal. He taught the children this prayer,
“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and
I love You. I beg pardon for all those who do not believe, do not adore, do not
hope, and do not love You.” The angel visited twice more, teaching them to
adore Jesus in the Eucharist and to pray for sinners.
On May 13th, 1917 the children saw a “lady
dressed in white, shining brighter than the sun.” She was Mary, the Mother of
Jesus. She appeared each month, giving the children a series of messages for the
world over the next six months. This was during the First World War, and she
warned that if people did not repent, another terrible war would follow, and the
“errors of Russia” (communism) would spread to many nations, causing much suffering.
The children saw visions of both heaven and hell. She asked them to pray for
the conversion of sinners, to save souls from hell.
Soon, people learned of the visions and the children
suffered much opposition from those who did not believe them. Crowds began to
gather for the apparitions. On October 13th, 1917, a crowd of 70,000
people was present when Jesus, Mary, and Joseph appeared to the children, blessing
the people. Suddenly, the sun began to twirl, emitting a rainbow of colors, and
then seeming to fall towards the earth. The miracle of the sun was seen for
miles around, and reported in secular newspapers by eyewitnesses. But the world
did not listen. Tragically, the predicted wars and suffering came upon the
world in the century that followed.
Jacinta and Francisco died from influenza soon after that
final vision. Lucia became a Carmelite nun and lived until 2005. Recently, Pope
Francis announced that on the 100th anniversary of the first
apparition, May 13th, 2017, Jacinta and Francisco will become the
youngest saints (other than the martyrs) ever to be canonized.
The messages of Fátima still inspire prayer and conversion a
century later, all because God sent His Mother to warn us of danger, point us to
Him, and tell us how much He loves us. Colton Burpo, now 18 years old, said
much the same about his vision: “I hope that my story continues to point people
to Jesus. He really, really loves you.” That’s what messages from heaven should
always teach us. And remember, anytime the Lord is concerned enough about the
world to send His Mother to admonish us to pray, we should listen to her!
Originally published in the Tri-City Herald Spiritual Life Column, May 6, 2017
Comments
Post a Comment