3 years ago

Historical Setting: Reformation, Masons & Communism
1517 Reformation

1717 Masons Established, set the philosophical groundwork for the French Revolution

1917 Fall of Russia to Marxism, Masons parade in square of Vatican, Horrified St. Kolbe forms Knights of the Immaculata

Fatima- The country of Portugal has a rich Marian devotion. Fatima comes from the name of a Muslim princess who converted to Catholicism. Fatima is the name of Mohammed’s most beloved daughter. Archbishop Sheen sees in Our lady’s visit to Fatima not only the conversion of Russia but reconciliation between Muslims and Christians. Both aspects are essential for world peace, the theme of Fatima. At the time of the apparitions, Fatima was a small farming village with pastures for sheep.[1]
Immediate Historical Context
1916 history

WWI Socialist Revolution in Russia extinguish religion

Russia legalized abortion

Gov allow men pay 2 rubbles sex any women ‘free love’

Refuse flogged

wives are property of the state to which every proletarian should have access[2]

35 abortions per women

People lose hope

BXV plead for peace 1917

Novena started to Queen of Peace stress urgency of Novena

May 13, 1917 8th day, Our Lady answers with her first visit

Worldwide wholescale destruction, Europe war 2 ½ yr, no one had ever seen, Benedict XV begging for peace

Our Lady always at behest of her Son and King

Lord answers prayers but not necessarily in the way expected

VII. Three Visionaries:

Lucia dos Santos- youngest of seven children. Cousin to Francisco & Jacinta. Her father had a spent his evenings after dinner in the tavern. He also was not religious and indifferent to the Faith.[3] She received First Communion a year earlier, 6 yrs, because she knew her faith well. She was 10 yrs at the time of the visitations. She is the only seer to live a long, if not sorrowful life, to 97 yrs. Feb 13, 2005+

Francisco Marto- 9 yrs. Yet barely two years after the first Fatima apparitions, Francisco dies on influenza in Spring 1919 Lucia thought his greatest defect was an attitude of indifference to injustice to himself. If another child took something that belonged to him, he shrugged it off. After the apparitions, Francisco attained an exceptional love of suffering to make reparations for the sins of others.

Jacinta Marto- 7 yrs old. Succumbs to influenza in February 1920. Though the youngest of the visionaries, perhaps she grasped the meaning of the apparitions especially zeal for souls most deeply.

Canonized May 13, 2017 gives credence to apparition

Some Marian scholars want to put Fatima in a third category of obligation, others could be considered supportive of dogmatic proclamations

[1] Fr. Andrew Apostoli C.F.R. Fatima For Today, The Urgent Marian Message of Hope (Ignatius: San Francisco 2010) 12

[2] https://www.france24.com/en/20171028-russias-brief-sexual-revolution-after-october-1917 accessed April 5, 2021

[3] https://denvercatholic.org/fatima-lucias-words/ accessed April 5, 2021

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