Feast Day: Our Lady of Fatima

The feast of Our Lady of Fatima is a wonderful proof of God's love for us all ... and Mary's maternal love and care for each and every one of God's children. 

We were fortunate enough, back in 2001, to take the family on pilgrimage to the site of the Fatima apparitions.  The Cova, where the children saw Mary, and the surrounding area is still much like what it would have been back in 1917 when the children saw Mary the 13th of the month, from May through October.  We walked all around the village, did the Stations of the Cross, visited the homes of the children, and participated in the processions and Masses at the Basilica.  [Here's a link to the official Shrine site's pictures of these spots.]  We saw the statue of Our Lady to which Pope John Paul the Great added the bullet that could have killed him ... saying that Mary's protection kept him from dying on May 13, 1981.  

Pope Benedict, arriving in Fatima this past Tuesday, said:

"It is a profound consolation to know that you are crowned not only with the silver and gold of our joys and hopes but also with the 'bullet' of our anxieties and sufferings."

Since the pilgrimage in 2001, I pray the Fatima Prayer everyday (at least once, usually more often throughout the day; Our Lady asked the children to pray this prayer after each decade of the rosary):

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. 

Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us all .... 

Our Lady of Fatima still has such meaning for today ... when we have such turmoil, war and distress.  Mary's message is simple -- turn to God in all things.  Just think if everyone did that, what a wonderful world we would have!