This 13 June 1917 has to be appreciated as the great day in the history of the world, when the Almighty God allowed Our Lady to reveal to the world her greatest secret, her deepest intimacy, the infinite treasure received from the Most Holy Trinity, the inmost value of her personality and the source of her whole being: HER IMMACULATE HEART! All future apparitions as well as the life of the children of Fatima and the events around Fatima are only an exclusion, continuation and application of this mystery revealed on this day. We can make the following summary: Fatima is the revelation of the Immaculate Heart to the world, as well as the full heavenly explication of the meaning, purpose and necessity of the Immaculate Heart for all and everybody; it is finally the exhortation of Mary herself, how she wishes our answer to this revelation to be. Or yet shorter: Fatima shows, who really Mary is for us, and how we have to react to such a will of God! And the keyword is — Immaculate Heart of Mary!

On this day, Our Lady for the first time announces the great design of God for the whole world, and she does this with two lapidary sentences, each Apostle of Fatima should know by heart:

First: “Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world the devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion I promise salvation; these souls shall be dear to God, as flowers placed by Me to adorn his throne.”

Second: “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”

On this day, too, Our Lady shows for the first time in the history of the world Her Immaculate Heart:

“In front of the palm of Our Lady's right 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.”

We can therefore distinguish two major parts: first Our Lady speaks about Her Immaculate Heart, afterwards she shows it to the children and through them to the world. First she explains the effects and power of Her Immaculate Heart, if only the people would approach it and follow its wishes; afterwards she allows us to see her Heart itself, in other words she opens her heart to us, that we may inter into this ineffable sanctuary of the Holy Ghost.

Both parts of this revelation changed the life of the children completely, and this is exactly what Our Lady wants to accomplish in each of us: through the contact of our heart with Her Immaculate Heart we will be purified, we receive its treasures, we will be submerged in the only great reality, for which it is worthwhile to live: the overwhelming LOVE of God present in this heart and pouring out of this Heart.

Therefore it is necessary for us to meditate word by word this manifestation of God's deepest mysteries:

1/ THE CHILDRENS' VOCATION — OUR VOCATION:

After a short introduction (Our Lady repeats her wishes and Lucy asks for the cure of a sick person), Lucy asks HER: “I would like to ask you to take us to heaven". The reason of this supplication was on the one hand the incredible beauty and happiness emanating from the Immaculata, and on the other hand the trials she had to suffer since one month from her most beloved.

The short answer of Our Lady again opens to our meditation infinite horizons: “Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay here some time longer.” Already the month before she promised heaven to her faithful children. In this apparition she makes an important precision: she will certainly open the gates of heaven to all poor children of Eve “who have recourse to Her", but the “when", “where" and “how" depends on the essential task God assigned us for our short life on earth. Some she will take sooner, some later depending on the specific vocation of each one. Our Lady uses the example of the three children to give us a clear illustration and let us understand, what is this our vocation on earth: in the following vision, when she communicated them again the heavenly light, “w*e saw ourselves in this light, as it were, immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light which rose towards Heaven, and I in that which was poured out on the earth."

The light has a double direction: towards heaven and towards the earth. Our vocation has a double direction, towards heaven and towards the world. Our ultimate direction is heaven, and it will be “soon": therefore our highest vocation on earth will be “to love God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our strengths". This will be the highest law and principle of our journey in this valley of tears. Later we will see, that Francisco received a special grace to understand this love in the desire to “console God who is so sad because of our sins".

The second direction goes towards the earth, towards men and explains our immediate vocation: *Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved.* It is the love of the neighbor, that he may know and love his heavenly mother and through her find the way back to the only Way, Truth and Life — Our Lord himself.

In comparison to this essential vocation all the other circumstances of our life are secondary. A short life or a long life, vocation to priesthood or religious life or marriage, active or contemplative, poor or rich, public or hidden, at home or abroad … all these circumstances certainly Our Lord through Mary will make us known, if only we never forget the deepest and highest sense of our life, our essential vocation.

However, it is also good to think about Lucy's reaction: “Am I to stay here alone? I asked, sadly." Here we have the true perspective to consider our life on earth: as an exile, a valley of tears, a long and difficult pilgrimage, a burden and cross. Here again we realize how appropriate for our times is Fatima. So much attached to this world and so indifferent towards eternity we are in terrible need to be reminded about the true appreciation of our life on earth.

2/ WORLD DEVOTION:

Our Lady continues: “He wants to establish in the world the devotion to My Immaculate Heart.”

She emphasizes: herself the importance of Fatima. Until now she never appeared to require a special devotion for the whole world. Visibly she wants Her Immaculate Heart to be known and loved everywhere and by all people. Now we know that an overwhelming majority of the people in this word do neither know neither love Our Lady. Therefore we have to understand the requests of Our Lady as a missionary call to set the whole world afire with the presence of the burning fire or Her Heart. In other words, the message of Fatima should not be understood only as a private devotion for our own spiritual comfort, but as a truly universal manifestation concerning the whole world. It is an echo to the order of Our Lord: “Go into the whole world, teach all nations..." As Jesus Christ wanted his Church to be Catholic, universal, aiming the conversion and sanctification of all people, Our Lady wants to manifest Her Immaculate Heart to all nations, so that they may find in HER the “way which leads them to God".

3/ INCREDIBLE PROMISES FOR FUTURE AND ETERNITY:

The universality and importance of the revelation of the Immaculate Heart is fostered by the most astonishing promises to motivate us lazy people to embrace that devotion. These promises concern first our future and eternity, and afterwards our daily life here on earth. “To whoever embraces this devotion I promise salvation; these souls shall be dear to God, as flowers placed by Me to adorn his throne.”

The promise of eternal salvation can be given only by him, who can grant us salvation – God himself. However, here Our Lady clearly emphasizes: “I promise"! As she said before in Lourdes “I am the Immaculate Conception", and in Fatima on the 13 May “I am of heaven", so again today she declares “I promise salvation". In fact, the mystery of the Immaculate Heart is the mystery of God himself, who chooses amongst all creatures his dwelling and presence: SHE is so full of God and his grace, that what ever she says and does, God says and accomplishes through her. In other words, when she says “I promise salvation", she is only the echo or the loud-speaker of God in Her who promises the greatest of all graces.

The object of the promise is further on explained in three times, each of which is to be considered as a precision of the others. “Salvation" is the reason of the coming of the Saviour. Salvation is the 'one and all' in each man's life. Either salvation or hell, either eternal happiness or eternal damnation. Because the whole world is addicted to sin and consequently everybody is in highest danger to loose his soul for ever, therefore this promise is so infinitely precious. The heavenly Mother knows that in the latter times it would be very difficult for her children to be saved, she comes herself and “promises salvation". To understand this word, one must understand the mystery of God : it is the overwhelming reality of the definite and everlasting victory against Satan, evil and hell. It is the eternal triumph of God's love, light, joy, mercy, fullness of grace, abundance of goodness in us.

The second term used by Our Lady is astonishing: these souls are “dear to God". Generally when meditating about our salvation we have in mind its effects on ourselves, the final purification of all our sins and the eternal reward in heaven. But there is yet a higher consideration: God's final triumph in our soul touches HIS HEART to pour out himself towards our littleness and we become “dear to God". What in fact is so “dear to God", that is moves him to overflow his gifts into our souls? It is our devotion and filial love towards the Immaculate Heart. So much Our Lord appreciates, that his mother his honoured and obeyed. In this word we have another allusion about the relationship between the Most Holy Trinity and the Immaculata. If already the devotion to Her is so dear to him to move his Heart to fill even the weakest sinners with superabundant graces, how dear to Him must be SHE herself?

The most astonishing promise however is the last one. Here Our Lady uses the picture of the use of flowers: flowers bring light, beauty and joy into the house. Flowers have the task to 'adorn', to show the importance and exceptional value of that, what they surround. When we meditate about this promise, we immediately think about the flowers at the altar, so close to the tabernacle and the place of the greatest sacrifice. They are privileged to almost touch the Body and Blood of Our Lord and express the highest virtues and love of the creatures towards their Creator and Saviour.

When the Holy Scripture, the Fathers and the Doctors of the Church write about the happiness in heaven, the eternal bliss and joy of the Saints, they have to use analogies and pictures (banquet, wedding, union of husband and wife...) to express what can never be expressed in our poor human language. What then can mean the picture used by our Lady, that the souls devoted to Her Immaculate Heart will be like “flowers adorning his throne"?

Our faith teaches us that there will be degrees in heaven, and the closer a Saint is to God's dwelling, the more he participates in God's infinite holiness and cost God's infinite love. Therefore Our Lady is always presented in heaven next to the Holy Trinity, afterwards the greatest Saints (John the Baptist, Saint Joseph, Saint Michael the Archangel). This means, that the devotion to the Immaculate Heart will not only grant us salvation, make us agreable to God, but promises an eminent holiness, and transforms our hearts to become like “flowers before God" always blossoming in his life giving presence. This devotion will bring us to a deeper intimacy with Him, to a fuller access to the “majestic throne".

Later Our Lady will add other promises and specify these ones, especially “a holy death and her very presence in the moment of the personal judgement". What must that devotion be dear to God, if he gives such promises, he hardly has ever given in the history?!

4/ PROMISES FOR NOW:

The above mentioned promises are certainly the most important concerning “the hour of our death" and eternity: “What serves a man to gain the whole world, if he harms his soul? ..." But the second important moment of our life is “now", because only the present moment is in my hands. “Now" I can please God or commit sin. Now we are in the middle of a war, now attacked by the devil, now on the pilgrimage to the eternal mountaintops. Our Lady knows that, she knows that our life is a long suffering. And again she gives as a most amazing promise: “Don't lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”

“I will never abandon you": we must cost this word. There is a poor sinner, who is too weak to get up from the spiritual mud - “I will never abandon you; as long as you live I stand by your side and offer you my Immaculate Hands and beg you to give my thine". There is another poor sinner, who fights, but almost every time looses the fight and falls into the pit of sin — “I will never abandon you; never give up! Whenever you fall, immediately give my your hand and stand up again. Don't stop to try over and over again!" There is a devout soul, who seems to make no progress in spiritual life, who passes through trials, tribulations, dark nights, temptations and discouragements — “I will never abandon you; all your sufferings I keep in my heart; and at each moment from my heart comes a special grace".

There are two essential movements in our spiritual life: the negative one concerning our attitude towards evil, temptation, sin, attacks from the devil etc.; the positive one concerning our spiritual progress and coming closer to God; the first is marked by fight, hardships, and dangers; the second is marked by practicing of virtues, of pleasing God, of helping the neighbor. In both of them we encounter many difficulties: in the first one we must face dangerous enemies, fight all the time almost alone against millions. Humanly spoken we are lost: every things outside wants to bring us to capitulation, inside we are lazy, weak, fearful and corrupt. And at the moment, when the enemy launches to crush as definitely, the great promise: “My Immaculate Heart – your refuge": the little houses in the high mountains are called “refugio", because in tempest they are the only chance to be in security.

In a war the soldiers choose hidden places called “refuge" where they are secure and cannot be discovered by the enemy. This the Immaculate Heart will be for us in the midst of our spiritual war. “When you are tired of fighting, when you are deadly wounded, when you are discouraged and getting weaker and weaker, when darkness makes you afraid, when everywhere you are pushed to fall into sin – come to my Heart and find shelter, new strength. Here is the only place where nobody can harm you!"

And for the second movement of our life towards God, there is a big danger to loose the right way, to hesitate which direction to go, to make important errors of decision, to make many efforts for nothing because we are walking besides the right way or building our house on sand. “My Immaculate Heart will be your way which leads you to God! With me no error of direction! With me never exhausted, and all efforts rewarded. In my Heart always light and you will never loose the way. And the more you are in My Heart, the easier and quicker you find GOD! Not only at the end of the long way, but already here and now, because my name is: “Dominus tecum – The Lord with you!" And my Heart is the sanctuary of the holy Ghost".

5/ THE VISION – THE PROMISE REALIZED:

Up to that moment, Our Lady spoke about the mystery of her Immaculate Heart, now she goes a step further: "As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened Her hands and for the second time, She communicated to us the rays of that immense light. We saw ourselves in this light, as it were, immersed in God. … In front of the palm of Our Lady's right hand was a HEART." The divine light is given to us through the Immaculate Heart. This mysterious infinite light, in which bathed somehow the children, is a profound expression of the very essence of God, who IS LIGHT. The ultimate goal of the vision is God's light, the fountain and channel of this light is her heart.

We all know the symbol of the "heart", which is the very depth of our being, the seat of all what is precious in us, but before all — the source of our love. We open our hearts only to our intimate friends, and only to the most beloved we say: “You are in my heart! My heart beats for you! I give you my heart etc.". In this vision Our Lady shows us her heart, allows us to have a look into the deepest mystery of her very being. Moreover, she introduces us into her heart, which becomes our dwelling and refuge and way. Consequently she treats us as the most beloved ones, worthy to receive such an immense love. If we think a bit, who we are – wretched sinners, bad children and unworthy nothings — we cannot finish with being amazed about such a condescension.

The greatness, sublimity and importance of HER HEART revealed to us poor children of Eve is explained by our Lord himself, when he said to S. Lucy: " With immense longing I desire the propagation of the cult and the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, because this heart is the magnet, which attracts the souls to me; it is the burning focus fire, which emanates into the world the rays of my light and my love; it is finally the fountain inexhaustible, from which comes out into the world the living waters of my mercy.”

Maybe these words are the deepest and greatest of all, whatosoever had ever been said about Our Lady, and we should meditate them very often.

First the immense desire of Our Lord himself who wants to reveal to the whole world, who She really is up to the end of the possibilities, up into the depths of her intimacy. These words themselves express the incredible love of God towards us, when he wants to go to the extreme limits to save us poor sinners. But — if Our Lord has such a desire — how can we be so lazy and indifferent and not concerned seeing so many people who have no idea about the mystery of the Heart of the Immaculata?!

Our Lord gives also an important precision: he wishes both “cult" and “devotion". The devotion is our personal relationship to Mary, somehow our heart in Her Heart. It is the attitude of a loving child always ready to give all honour and praise, attention and time to such a loving mother. The cult is the public manifestation and recognition of God's masterpiece, expressed in public ceremonies of veneration and consecration.

Then Our Lord uses three images to depict exactly the role of the Immaculate Heart: magnet of attraction to Him, source of fire from which the whole world receives HIS LIGHT and LOVE, fountain never drying of His infinite mercy. This means, when contemplating with devotion her Heart, we always will be more attracted to Him; we will be penetrated by His own light to know him more and more, and by His Love to love him in return and in him all other beings; and we will ever drink at the fountain of his Mercy to make of us dirty nothings — children of God.

6/ THE SORROWFUL IMMACULATE HEART:

However it is also important, in which shape the Immaculate Heart appeared: not as in the pictures made of Her purest heart since the 18th century, presenting her heart encircled with a crown of roses and with the sword symbolizing her seven sorrows. Here she appears “encircled by thorns which pierced it." Exactly as before Our Lord showed His Sacred Heart. This means, that the same crown of thorns piercing the Holy Head of Our Lord during his passion and piercing his Sacred Heart “because of the indifference, negligence and abandon of so many souls" … these thorns also pierce Our Lady's Heart and wound it immensely. Lucy writes: “We understood that this was the IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, outraged by the sins of humanity and seeking reparation."

With these words we receive the most important reason, why Mary wanted to show us her heart: she want to excite us to be touched, moved by such a love and also such suffering for us unfaithful sinners. She 'seeks reparation', because she wants to change our heart of stone into a heart of loving compassion. If a child loves his mother and sees how she suffers, the child wants to console her, wants to repair the grief done to her, first by himself, then by the others.

Summary:

Once the core of Fatima announced, the following manifestations will only be precisions and applications of the great mystery and importance of Her Immaculate Heart. On 13 July She reveals the great secret to show HER role in the militant church, specially in the finale battles between the apocalyptic Woman and the dragon with his two beasts. From 13 August to 13 September she appeals to hear and observe the requests of her Heart. On 13 October she works the great miracle as PROOF from heaven about the unique and outstanding importance of Her Heart. In the year 1925 she explains S. Lucy in Pontevedra, in what consists the devotion to Her Immaculate Heat. Finally 1929 in Tuy she asks for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart.

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