The Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with thorns (Wednesday, June 13)
“Jesus wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever will embrace this devotion, I promise salvation. These souls will be dear to God, like flowers placed by me to adorn His throne...”
Pierced with Thorns
Today is the anniversary of Our Lady's Second Apparition at Fatima. On Wednesday, June 13th of 1917 at twelve noon, just as she had promised during her previous visit in May, the Blessed Virgin again appeared to the three shepherd children of Aljustrel. This was the day chosen by Heaven to perform the greatest manifestation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that the world has ever known. The day when our Blessed Lady presented her Heart encircled with piercing thorns.
It is of no small significance that God chose this month of June, so duly consecrated to His own Sacred Heart, to showcase the Immaculate Heart of His Mother; for Our Lord especially wishes her Immaculate Heart to be honored on the very same throne right next to His Sacred Heart.
It was a sublime vision. Through the rays coming forth from the hands of the Blessed Virgin, the children saw themselves submerged in God; and in the great light that was God, it was given to them to contemplate the secret of Mary, to see her pierced Heart:
“In front of the palm of Our Lady’s hand was a heart encircled by thorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.”
Here we arrive at the very center of Fatima's message, at the heart of its purpose. For the first time, in all clarity, Our Lady revealed to the children the great plan from the Heart of Jesus for our apostate age; and with such marvelous and astonishing words:
“Jesus wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation . . .”
Lucia recalls how on June 13th, the feast of Saint Anthony, the Patron of Portugal, it was always a day of great festivities in their parish: "My mother and my sisters, who knew how much I loved a festival, kept saying to me: ‘We’ll see if you’ll leave the festival just to go to the Cova da Iria, and talk to that Lady!’ ”
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Permalink Reply by Dawn Marie on
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I have long since believed that Saint Anthony and Fatima are intertwined somehow. It's also been my belief that Saint Anthony will play some part in the Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart. I don't know why exactly I think this nor do I have some well laid out reasoning for it, I can only say...I just think it and have for many many years.
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Permalink Reply by Gloria on
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Thank you for sharing! Most interesting about St. Anthony and Fatima both. Food for thought.
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Taken from the above link...very comforting to know Sister Lucia was so human so to speak.
THE GREAT TRIAL OF DOUBT
WHAT IF IT WAS THE DEVIL?
“ How much this reflection made me suffer, only God knows, for He alone can penetrate our inmost heart. I began then to have doubts as to whether these manifestations might be from the devil, who was seeking by these means to make me lose my soul. As I heard people say that the devil always brings conflict and disorder, I began to think that, truly, ever since I had started seeing these things, our home was no longer the same, for joy and peace had fled. What anguish I felt! ”
THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF JACINTA AND FRANCISCO.
“ I made known my doubts to my cousins. ‘ No, it’s not the devil ’, replied Jacinta, ‘ not at all! They say that the devil is very ugly and that he’s down under the ground in hell. But that Lady is so beautiful, and we saw Her go up to Heaven! ’ Our Lord made use of this to allay somewhat the doubts I had.
“ But during the course of that month, I lost all enthusiasm for making sacrifices and acts of mortification, and ended up hesitating as to whether it wouldn’t be better to say that I had been lying, and so put an end to the whole thing. ‘ Don’t say that! ’ exclaimed Jacinta and Francisco. ‘ Don’t you see that now you are going to tell a lie, and to tell lies is a sin? ’... ”
A TERRIBLE NIGHTMARE.
“ While in this State Of mind, I had a dream which only increased the darkness of my spirit. I saw the devil laughing at having deceived me, as he tried to drag me down to hell. On finding myself in his clutches, I began to scream so loudly and call on Our Lady for help that I awakened my mother. She called out to me in alarm, and asked me what was the matter. I can’t recall what I told her, but I do remember that I was so paralysed with fear that I couldn’t sleep any more that night. This dream left my soul clouded over with real fear and anguish. ”
“ My only relief was to go off by myself to some solitary place, there to weep to my heart’s content. Even the company of my cousins began to feel burdensome, and for that reason, I began to hide from them as well. The poor children! At times, they would search for me, calling out my name and receiving no answer, but I was there all the while, hidden quite close to them in some corner where they never thought of looking. ”
THE PERSECUTIONS CONTINUE.
“ The devil will be there for sure ”, her mother said, echoing the words of Father Ferreira, who took no trouble to hide his opinions, which were entirely against any supernatural explanation of the events. “ Mr. José Alves, an inhabitant of Moita — a hamlet of Fatima — who had been one of the first to believe in the apparitions, speaking one day with the parish priest of Fatima, was openly told by him: ‘ All that is the invention of the devil! ’ ”
Such statements only increased the determination of Maria Rosa to use any means she could to make her daughter deny her account. To be sure, Father Ferreira advised her not to beat her daughter physically. But before the commission of inquiry for the canonical process, she would declare that he had authorized her to strike fear into her, and assured her that, like it or not, the little one would admit she had lied.
THE FIRST CONFESSION OF JACINTA AND FRANCISCO.
Around this time, no doubt shortly after the second apparition, Jacinta and Francisco asked to make their first confession... surely with the secret hope of being able to make their first communion right after. How much they desired it! Ti Marto told Father de Marchi how he led them himself to church. After some ‘ bitter-sweet ’ remarks exchanged in the sacristy between Ti Marto and Father Ferreira, the children made their confession. However, for communion, the priest saw fit to make them wait one more year. They also received their share of trials.
“ I WILL NOT GO BACK TO THE COVA DA IRIA ”
During this time, poor Lucy, fearfully impressed by the double authority of her parish priest and her mother whom she greatly revered, sank more and more into the night of doubt and temptation. It seems that the devil, foreseeing that the message of July 13 would be a decisive event, in his rage pulled out all the stops against the little seers:
“ The 13th of July was close at hand, and I was still doubtful as to whether I should go. I thought to myself: ‘ If it’s the devil, why should I go to see him? If they ask me why I’m not going, I’ll say that I’m afraid it might be the devil who is appearing to us, and for that reason I’m not going. Let Jacinta and Francisco do as they like; I’m not going back to the Cova da Iria any more. ’ ”
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE BIG DAY.
“ My decision made, I was firmly resolved to act on it. By the evening of the 12th, the people were already gathering, in anticipation of the events of the following day. I therefore called Jacinta and Francisco, and told them of my resolution. ‘ We’re going ’, they answered. ‘ The Lady said we were to go.”
“ Jacinta volunteered to speak to the Lady, but she was so upset over my not going, that she started to cry. I asked the reason for her tears. ‘ Because you don’t want to go! ’ ‘ No, I’m not going. Listen! If the Lady asks for me, tell Her I’m not going, because I’m afraid it might be the devil. ’ ”
Francisco also wept. He did not understand his cousin’s doubts and tried to convince her:
“ ‘ How can you think it’s the devil? ’ he asked. ‘ Didn’t you see Our Lady and God in that great light? How can we leave without you, if it is you that must speak? ’ ”
Lucy, however, would hear nothing of it:
“ I left them, then, to go and hide, and so avoid having to speak to all the people who came looking for me to ask questions. My mother thought I was playing with the children of the village... As soon as I got home that night, my mother scolded me: ‘ A fine little plaster saint you are, to be sure! All the time you have left from minding the sheep, you do nothing but play, and what’s more you have to do it in such a way that nobody can find you! ’ ”
A WHOLE NIGHT IN PRAYER.
“ That night after supper, Francisco came back, called me out to the old threshing floor, and said: ‘ Look! Aren’t you going tomorrow? ’ ‘ I’m not going. I’ve already told you I’m not going back there any more. ’ ‘ But what a shame! Why is it that you now think that way? Don’t you see that it can’t be the devil? God is already sad enough on account of so many sins, and now if you don’t go, He’ll be sadder still! Come on, say you’ll go! ’ ‘ I’ve already told you I’m not going. It’s no use asking me. ’ And I returned abruptly to the house.
“ A few days later he said to me: ‘ You know, I never slept at all that night. I spent the whole time crying and praying, begging Our Lady to make you go! ’ ”
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