Some interesting facts vaguely relating to Fatima`s miracle of the sun

realitykeeper

Many Catholics believe in the miracle of the sun which is said to have happened on October 13th, 1917.

Exactly 33 years (to the day) earlier, on October 13th, 1884, Pope Leo XIII had a terrifying supernatural encounter, known as the vision of Pope Leo. Immidiately after the vision he wrote a prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. I think this prayer is used in exorcisms.

Friday, October 13, 1972 was also the date of a plane crash in the Andes. The movie "Alive" is based upon the story of the plane crash. To survive, the passengers had to resort to cannibalism. Many of them attributed their ultimate survival to their faith. In the movie, a lapsed Catholic began to pray fervently when he heard the terrifying sound of an avalanche and whe he prayed, the avalanche immediate subsided and stoped.

The original unlucky Friday was on 13th October, 1307. That was the date the King of France made his move to have all of the Knights Templars arrested and charged with blasphemy and several other charges. I think most historians take the view that these were trumped up charges and the King of France just wanted to get out of his debt obligations to the Templars and he wanted to raid their coffers.

The Pope at the time was based in South East France not far from the Templar stronghold. I think Nostradamus, whose family were Jewish converts to Catholicism, also came from that part of France. The only branch of the Knights Templar in Europe which escaped the King`s purge, were the Portuguese templars. Their base was in Tomar , Portugal which is about 1o miles from Fatima.

100 years to the day following the original apparition of Our Lady to the children in Fatima, Portugal won the Eurovision for the first time. Around the same time, enormous wild fires broke out in Portugal, only a few miles from Fatima. 66 people were killed. Sinse then, mega fires have become an annual event in different parts of the world. I think the Portuguese winner donated his winnings to the fire victims. Another Portuguese Eurovision song left a historical footprint in 1974. The song was the agreed signal to begin a revolution in the country that year, which later led to the liberation of their colonies.

The wildfires were especially poignant because the Fatima visionary Lucia said ...

….we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that 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!’.

So I believe God wants us to do penance. Perhaps we could abstain from things that contribute to global warming, which contributes to forest fires.

I think our Lady of Fatima made mention of the apocalypse and I think one of the four horsemen is predicted to burn a third of all trees and grassland.

When the third Fatima secret was revealed in two parts, the first part pertained to the suffering of a bishop in white, which the visionaries took to refer to the Pope. Pope John Paul II was shot at 1700 on May 13th, 1981. That is the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima. I think the number 1700 was also mentioned by the visionary. The gunman was a Muslim who later converted to Catholicism. He said he was told in a dream by the Lady Fatima to carry out the assassination. The town of Fatima in Portugal is named after a Muslim convert to Catholicism. Fatima was one of Mohammad`s daughters. Our Lady told the visionary she had great love for Muslim people which is why she choose Fatima.

The attempted assination of Pope John Paul II, who is the bishop of Rome and who was wearing white at the time of the shooting was interpreted by many (including the Pope) as the fullfillment of the first part of the third Fatima secret. I disagree although I do believe Satan played a part in it. His purpose may have been to make humanity believe it was the fullfillment of the vision so that we would not be vigilant. I think the prophesy of the vision has not happened yet because the third Fatima secret refers to something more than the shooting (and subsiquent recovery) of a pope. I think it refers to something more far reaching for all of mankind.

In 1689, a French visionary (the visionary who received the messege about devotions on the first Friday of every month) received a request from Jesus to urge to King of France to consecrate France to the immaculate heart of Jesus. The King did not do so and 100 years later, his decendant lost his throne and head. France descended into chaos. The recent consecration of Russia to the immaculate heart of Jesus has come more than 100 years after the original request and did not happen until after the war started in Ukraine.

I would be interested in hearing other perspectives. Are these events just coincidences or is there more to it?

martinedwards

IMHO... the God of the Bible didn't go in for secret codes and things that could be dismissed as coincidence.

Prophets said things like "God's not happy with how you're behaving, sort it out"

not "here are 4 vaguely similar events over a period of 100 years. ooooo spooky!"

OK Revelation is a bit challenging, but its talking about last days, not an exhortation for people to change their ways.

And the Biblical prophets weren't kids who came home with a story of a one off vision. they were folk who made a life of it. Stood up and shouted about their message for a lifetime.

sorry, just not seeing it from a biblical perspective.

realitykeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120172297#Comment_120172297

I do think numbers have biblical significance. In modern times we use our God given talents for things like technology but I think God would have us use our intellect to decode and decipher biblical mysteries or at least try to. God said we have nothing to boast about and I think he was referring to what we tend to regard as the greatest human achievements. Jesus specifically referred to human philosophy but in modern times our achievements would include everything from the moon landings to Beethoven`s 9th symphony to the apple iphone.

Numbers such as 3, 40, 7, 666 and others have definate significance. For example, the Jews spent 40 years in the desert and Jesus spent forty days and nights fasting in the desert. So I think we are supposed to ponder the meaning and the connection. Also, is there a reason the crucifixion happened during the preparation for the passover? Perhaps that was a coincidence or perhaps something connects both events. Passover pertained to protection but only of those who believed. The Jews rejected Christianity and they were persecuted because of that. Today, Christians are abandoning their faith, and may suffer as a result, like the Jews (and the Soviet Union in the 20th century). The earth darkened immediately after the death of Jesus. Perhaps an enormous space rock had a near miss and passed between the earth and the sun. This is just speculation on my part but something dramatic happened to cause the sky to darken.

Revelations makes mention of the crowning of the Queen of Heaven. Catholics belives this refers to Mary. I think revelations also says something about a great rift or upheaval in heaven and the Queen of Heaven takes refuge in the wilderness. Just like when Mary went with Jesus and Joseph into Egypt. In different Marian apparitions, Mary is said to have recomended the Rosary as our means of protection from evil. Our Lady of Kibeho (who foretold the Rwandan genocide) recommended the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows.

The Revelations in the bible were to John who took care of Mary after the crucifixion. So there is a strong connection between Saint John and Our Lady and I have heard of two Marian apparitions that have included Saint John. One of them was the apparition in Knock, Ireland and the other was I think in Turkey, way back in the 3rd Century. A lot of Catholics see Mary as the new grail.

Our Lady is also revered in Orthodoxy, especially in Russia. The Miracle of the sun happened during the great war and just a few days before the October Revolution. Also, I recall reading about an elderly Russian woman who had a dream that led to the rediscovery of a painting of Our Lady. The long forgotten painting was found and saved just before the bolsheviks burned the church to the ground. It is a fascinating story, I will try to find a reference to that. Of course those who believe in the miracle of the sun also believe Our Lady of Fatima also called for the consecration of Russia. This was supposed to have been done by 1960 at the latest but it did not happen until 2022.

I know Protestants dismiss the Marian apparitions, prayers to Our Lady and traditional Protestants also dismiss modern day miracles and only believe in those recorded in the bible. I think this belief originated from a French Hugenot. My thinking is that before he conceived this idea, he prayed fervently for something and it didn`t happen. But, I think this is to be expected. One thing we can all agree on is that miracles are the exception because we need to have faith. When a miracle does happen, it is for a very important reason.

martinedwards

I believe in Miracles. I've seen healings that left doctors scratching their heads.

Prayed for by believers laying on hands and asking in the name of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

But then the bible tells us to expect that.

The elevation of Mary (Blessed among women) to very nearly equal with the trinity, and the whole immaculate conception concept for which there is no biblical evidence, and the idea that she remained a virgin after Jesus' birth (disproved by the mention of Jesus' brothers... and to be honest illegal under Jewish law) is a whole different discussion.

Marian apparitions..... dealing with someone who has died....... That'll be necromancy then.......

Deuteronomy 18:12 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,[e] anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.

Leviticus 20:27

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

Isaiah 8:19-20 

And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

Leviticus 20:6 

“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

I understand the IDEA of Mary praying for you. yes, Mary is dead. yes, because the whole heavenly realm is outside time she has already passed through judgement and is alive in heaven. and just like I'd appreciate a friend praying for me if I'm sick, I UNDERSTAND asking Mary to do the same. I GET IT..

but.

1 Timothy 2:5 

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

as I said before Biblical prophets made a career of it. and they were under the ruling that should their prophesies prove to be false, they would be put to death.

These one off apparitions (to use your word) are EXTREMELY sketchy.

I've been to Knock.

in my personal feelings...... The impression I got was the money changers in the temple. I could see Jesus making a whip and knocking over the tables.

as to Mary being the Grail....... Isn't that a Dan Brown plot line? and a different Mary?

realitykeeper

Thanks for your input. I assume you are one of the non traditional Protestants? I saw a documentary once about the miracles performed in one of those churches. A woman who has been crippled her entire life is suddenly cured, jumps to her feet and sprints around the church. Is that the sort of thing you have seen in your church and do you understand why I would find that amusing? You quote bible passages which disapprove of the use of mediums. I really don't think we have that tradition in the Catholic Church, at least I have never heard of it. If a Catholic were to partake in such a ritual it would be for the fun aspect with no belief whatsoever in the medium. Also I see those TV mediums as a joke who probably use a bit of snooping and psychoanalysis to guess stuff.

The Marian apparitions never involve evoking a spirit. In every case, the apparition is totally unexpected although in the case of Fatima and Guadeloupe, Our Lady arranged a rendezvous for follow up apparitions.

The Dan Brown story is fiction of course and Catholics believe the new Grail is the mother of God.

martinedwards

Sadly I haven't witnessed a person who was crippled from birth be healed (like James and John did in Acts 3).....

Not sure why you would find that amusing......

I HAVE seen a friend who was pregnant, diagnosed with placenta previa. the placenta attached over the entrance to the womb, so at birth the placenta detaches and comes out first, resulting in the baby suffocating. the only option is an early cesarean. After prayer she felt a lot of heat in the area. next scan, the placenta had moved away from the danger area. the medics were bewildered because the placenta embeds itself into the wall of the womb and cannot move.

Hotblack Desiato

Well that's not true as my wife had a low placenta in one pregnancy which later moved upwards as the uterus expanded and I can assure you that no prayer was involved.

realitykeeper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190508#Comment_120190508

Yes but that brash American woman who jumped to her feet and did a runner around the umteenth church of whatever your having seemed a bit fake to me.