Those who have the grace to know the whole story of Fatima grasp its role in history – both past and present. The Fatima apparitions took place in 1917 when Our Lady came to three young children – Lucia (10) and her younger cousins Francisco (9) and Jacinta (6). In 1929, Our Lady returned to a young Sr. Lucia in the incredible Theophany Vision at Tuy, Spain. Within the sacristy of the convent's chapel, Our Lady (appearing as Our Lady of Fatima) stood beneath the right arm of a Cross, upon which hung the Savior. From His crucified Hands crystal-like streams fell, forming the word “Graces” and “Mercy.” Above the Crucified Savior, Sr. Lucia saw God the Father and God the Holy Ghost. It was during this Vision that Our Lady said, “The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to consecrate Russia to My Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means.”It was also during this Vision that Sr. Lucia said she received “lights” about the Mystery of the Holy Trinity that she said she was not permitted to reveal. Years later, however, one of Sr. Lucia’s private letters (of which not many were later made public) may have opaquely revealed at least one of those lights.
The Rosary is a Prayer Directed to God
Studying the life of Sr. Lucia, whose cause for canonization was recently opened, reveals that she humbly received and cooperated with many graces. The sole surviving Fatima visionary, she became a Dorothean nun but later requested and received permission to enter the Carmelites. Living a hidden life of prayer and sacrifice, Sr. Lucia was also a confidente of Our Lord and Our Lady throughout her long life. As Cardinal Bertone remarked about Lucia's "apparitions, visions, inner locutions...She had them for decades, all throughout the [nineteen] eighties and beyond...Sister Lucia was evasive about her continuing conversations with Mary, and she would change the subject whenever it was brought up. Her community and her prioress, who observed her at close range for decades, came to the conclusions that visions were not at all a rare occurrence with her." [1] What we have of Sr. Lucia's letters, then, are truly spiritual gems:
“Our Lady requested and recommended that the Rosary be prayed every day, having repeated this [request] in all the Apparitions, as if forewarning us that, in these times of diabolical disorientation, we must not let ourselves be deceived by false doctrines that diminish the elevation of our soul to God by means of prayer,” wrote Sr. Lucia of Fatima on December 4, 1970.
“For certain, it is not necessary that during the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that one pray the Holy Rosary, [for] besides time set aside for the Holy Mass, we must also put aside time for praying the Holy Rosary. We can and should take part in the one without forsaking the other.”
“The Rosary is, for the majority of souls who live in the world, their daily spiritual bread; and to deprive them or draw them away from this prayer is to decrease in their minds the appreciation and good faith with which they pray…”
“Unfortunately, the majority of people are ignorant in religious matters and let themselves be tossed wherever the wave carries them. Therefore the great responsibility lies with those who have the office to lead them; and all of us are each other’s leaders, because we all have the obligation to mutually help one another, and walk the narrow path.”
“Beyond what I have said, it would be well if the prayer of the Rosary were give more real meaning than that which it has been given until now – that of a simple 'Marian' prayer. All the prayers that we say in the Rosary are prayers that form part of the Sacred Liturgy. More than a prayer directed to Our Lady, it is a prayer directed to God:”
---“The Our Father was taught to us by Jesus Christ, Who said, ‘Pray thus, Our Father Who art in heaven…’ ”
---“Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost” is the hymn sung by the Angels who were sent by God to announce the birth of His Word, God-made Man.”
---“The Hail Mary, when well understood, is nothing less than a prayer directed to God: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.’ I hail Thee, Mary, because the Lord is with Thee! These words were most certainly dictated by the Father in heaven to the Angel when He sent him to earth, in order that with these words he (the angel) should greet Mary.”
“Yes! The Angel came to say to Mary that She was full of Grace, not by Herself but because the Lord was with Her! –“Blessed art Thou amongst women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb” – Jesus! These words, with which Elizabeth greeted Mary, were dictated to Her by the Holy Ghost as the Evangelist tells us: ‘When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting…she was filled with the Holy Ghost. Crying out in a loud voice, she exclaimed, Blessed art Thou amongst women, and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb. Yes! Because that fruit is Jesus, true God and true Man!”
“So this salutation is an act of praise addressed to God: Blessed art Thou amongst women because Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb; and because Thou art the Mother of God-made Man. In Thee, we adore God as in the first Tabernacle in which the Father enclosed His Word; as on the first Altar, Thy lap; as in the first Monstrance, Thy arms, before which the Angels, shepherds and kings knelt to adore the Son of God made Man!”
“And because Thou, O Mary, art the first living Temple of the Most Holy Trinity, wherein live the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow Thee. And therefore also the Holy One which shall be born of Thee shall be called the Son of God.’ (Luke 1:35).”
A Mystery of the Holy Trinity
Here Lucia briefly addresses one mystery of the Holy Trinity, which is also a mystery of Our Lady’s earthly life and Her eternal life in heaven:
“Since Thou art a Tabernacle, a Monstrance, a living Temple, permanent home of the Holy Trinity, Mother of God and our Mother – ‘pray for us poor sinners, now and at the hour of our death.’ ” What a wondrous Mystery to contemplate as we pray our Rosaries: Our Lady in Heaven is the Perpetual Tabernacle of the Holy Trinity!
“Who could deny that this is a prayer and act of praise addressed to God? Would it be better for us to direct our praise, adoration and supplications kneeling before inanimate altars of wood, stone or metal, or insensible golden monstrances incapable of praying for us?” With those words, Sr. Lucia had reiterated that the Altars of Catholic Churches throughout the world are not ‘insensible’ because the True Presence of Jesus Christ - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - awaits us in the Blessed Sacrament. Furthermore, Sr. Lucia was also referring to Our Lady, who in Heaven remains the Tabernacle of the Most High.
As for refusal to believe in Our Lady’s office as Mediatrix of All Graces, Sr. Lucia wrote, “It is certain that St. Paul said there is only one Mediator with the Father. Yes! As God, there is only One, who is Jesus Christ. But the same Apostle asks that we pray for him and recommends that we pray for each other. Therefore, could the Apostle believe that Mary’s prayer was not as pleasing to God as our prayer?”
For those who think Our Lady’s prayers or that our own prayers asking for Her intercession can not be pleasing to God, Sr. Lucia explained, “It is the diabolical disorientation that is invading the world and deceiving souls! It is necessary to confront it; for this end, what I say here can be of use to you, but as your own, without saying my name – as something that comes forth from you, running off your pen. And, in truth, it is yours, because in the quality of members of the Mystical Body of Christ which we are, everything is ours, because everything is from the Head, Christ Jesus.”
“And I remain in my place, praying for you, and for all those with whom you are going to work, that it may be a battle which gives much glory to God and brings much light and grace to souls, peace to Holy Mother Church, and peace to a world stained by the blood of wars.” Such was the purpose of Sr. Lucia’s life as a contemplative Carmelite and such, as we may hope, is her continuing role in heaven.
“Perhaps it would also be well to present the campaign [of spreading the Rosary devotion], not only as a fulfillment of the Message, but also as a campaign for prayer and penance for peace in the world, in the Church and in the Portuguese overseas provinces. And it may be that Portugal, so devoted to the Eucharist and to Mary, becomes the first nation to recognize that the prayer of the Rosary is not only a Marian prayer but also a Eucharistic prayer. And therefore, nothing should prevent one from praying before the Blessed Sacrament. As proof of this, the Holy Father Pope Pius XII had granted a plenary indulgence to those who pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament and recently, His Holiness Paul VI again mentions the grant of the same indulgence.”
“Therefore, it is necessary to pray the Rosary in cities, in towns and in villages, in the streets, on the road, while traveling or at home, in churches and in chapels! It is a prayer that is accessible to all and everyone can and should pray. There are many who do not attend the liturgical prayer of the Holy Mass on a daily basis. If they do not pray the Rosary, what praying do they accomplish? And without prayer, who can be saved? ‘Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.’ ”
“It is necessary, then, to pray and pray always. This means that all our activities and labors should be accompanied by a great spirit of prayer. It is in prayer that the soul meets God. In this meeting, grace and strength are received, even when one’s prayers are accompanied by distractions. Prayer always brings an increase of Faith to souls, even if it be no more than a momentary remembrance of the Mysteries of our Redemption – recalling the Birth, Death and Resurrection of Our Savior; and God will dismiss and pardon those distractions attributed to human weakness, ignorance and littleness.”
For those who think Our Lady’s prayers or that our own prayers asking for Her intercession can not be pleasing to God, Sr. Lucia explained, “It is the diabolical disorientation that is invading the world and deceiving souls! It is necessary to confront it; for this end, what I say here can be of use to you, but as your own, without saying my name – as something that comes forth from you, running off your pen. And, in truth, it is yours, because in the quality of members of the Mystical Body of Christ which we are, everything is ours, because everything is from the Head, Christ Jesus.”
“And I remain in my place, praying for you, and for all those with whom you are going to work, that it may be a battle which gives much glory to God and brings much light and grace to souls, peace to Holy Mother Church, and peace to a world stained by the blood of wars.” Such was the purpose of Sr. Lucia’s life as a contemplative Carmelite and such, as we may hope, is her continuing role in heaven.
“Perhaps it would also be well to present the campaign [of spreading the Rosary devotion], not only as a fulfillment of the Message, but also as a campaign for prayer and penance for peace in the world, in the Church and in the Portuguese overseas provinces. And it may be that Portugal, so devoted to the Eucharist and to Mary, becomes the first nation to recognize that the prayer of the Rosary is not only a Marian prayer but also a Eucharistic prayer. And therefore, nothing should prevent one from praying before the Blessed Sacrament. As proof of this, the Holy Father Pope Pius XII had granted a plenary indulgence to those who pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament and recently, His Holiness Paul VI again mentions the grant of the same indulgence.”
“Therefore, it is necessary to pray the Rosary in cities, in towns and in villages, in the streets, on the road, while traveling or at home, in churches and in chapels! It is a prayer that is accessible to all and everyone can and should pray. There are many who do not attend the liturgical prayer of the Holy Mass on a daily basis. If they do not pray the Rosary, what praying do they accomplish? And without prayer, who can be saved? ‘Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.’ ”
“It is necessary, then, to pray and pray always. This means that all our activities and labors should be accompanied by a great spirit of prayer. It is in prayer that the soul meets God. In this meeting, grace and strength are received, even when one’s prayers are accompanied by distractions. Prayer always brings an increase of Faith to souls, even if it be no more than a momentary remembrance of the Mysteries of our Redemption – recalling the Birth, Death and Resurrection of Our Savior; and God will dismiss and pardon those distractions attributed to human weakness, ignorance and littleness.”
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[1] Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone with Guiseppe De Carli, The Last Secret of Fatima: My Conversations with Sr. Lucia [New York: Doubleday; English translation copyright 2008 by Doubleday]: p. 82
[1] Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone with Guiseppe De Carli, The Last Secret of Fatima: My Conversations with Sr. Lucia [New York: Doubleday; English translation copyright 2008 by Doubleday]: p. 82
[Quotes from Sr. Lucia come from A Little Treatise by the Seer on the Nature and Recitation of the Rosary, which is a collection of excerpts from Sr. Lucia’s letters written between 1969-1971. It was originally published in Uma vida ao service de Fatima with an Imprimatur from the Bishop of Leira, Fatima – Dom Joae Venancio, May 13, 1971]
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