The Miracle of the Sun

10/13/24

The Miracle of the Sun took place in Fatima, Portugal, on October 13, 1917. It was the last apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the shepherd children, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. Seventy to one hundred thousand pilgrims came to the Cova da Iria. It was pouring rain, everything was very muddy. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Our Lady appeared above the oak tree.

"What do you want of me?" asked Lucia. "I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes."

Lucia said to Our Lady: "I have many things to ask you: the cure of some sick persons, the conversion of sinners, and other things . . . "

"Some yes, but not others. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins." Looking very sad, Our Lady said: "Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended."

Then, opening her hands, she made them reflect onto the sun, and as she ascended, the reflection of her own light continued to be projected on the sun itself.

Lucia cried out to the people to look at the sun. She was moved to do so under the guidance of an interior impulse which must have come from God.

After Our Lady had disappeared into the distance, Saint Joseph appeared with the Child Jesus and Our Lady was robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When this apparition disappeared, Our Lord and Our Lady appeared; it seemed that it was Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as Saint Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and Our Lady appeared once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, holding the child Jesus in one hand and the brown scapular in the other hand.

The rain stopped and a thick mass of clouds broke. The sun looked like a disc of dull silver, and began dancing wildly. The people shouted out: "MIRACLE!" The majority of the people saw the sun trembling and dancing, whirling around; it descended almost low enough to burn the earth with its rays. It shone with a brilliant intensity, but was not blinding. This lasted only an instant. Then the immense ball began to "dance". The sun began to spin rapidly like a gigantic circle of fire. It stopped momentarily, only to begin spinning again. Its rim became scarlet; whirling, it scattered red flames across the sky. Their light was reflected on the ground, on the trees, on the bushes, and on the very faces and clothing of the people, which took on brilliant hues and changing colors.

After performing a zigzag bizarre pattern three times, the globe of fire seemed to tremble, shake, and then plunge in a zigzag toward the terrified crowd. All this lasted about ten minutes. Finally, the sun zigzagged back to its original place and once again became still and brilliant, shining with its everyday brightness. The cycle of the apparitions had ended. Many people noticed that their soaking wet clothes had suddenly dried. The miracle of the sun was also seen by numerous witnesses up to twenty-five miles away from the place of the apparition. Many thought the end of the world had come, as the sun seemed to fall upon them. People reported color changes in objects on earth, caused by the rays of the sun. Some expressed sorrow for their sins aloud. Some who had come to ridicule the children now believed.

As I ponder the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, I recall a homily by Fr. Greg Staab, OMV. He said the greatest miracle occurs when a person goes to confession. 

Fr. Greg said, "Never stay away from confession. Go often and go immediately, if you have mortal sin.  If your house is on fire, do you wait six months before you call the fire department?  Of course not.  What would happen if you didn't clean your kitchen for a month? You can't wait if your house is on fire or if your kitchen has not been cleaned for a month. And so it is with your soul. Confession is the place where a soul is resurrected from the death of sin to new life through the Sacrament of Reconciliation." I think of confession as the Miracle of the Son, the healing power of the Son of God, Jesus, who heals, forgives and restores our souls.

God delights in you and He wants to do something new and unexpected in your life. Open your heart and invite Him in. Ask Him to help you let go of the things that keep you away from His Presence. He will come to you.  He will help you and He will bring new life in you.

God performs miracles all the time! Some miracles can be seen, such as when God heals and prayers are answered. Other miracles are hidden, interior, such as the conversion of a heart. Go to Confession often and bring your sins to Jesus, the Divine Physician. He is waiting for you. Make time to sit in Eucharistic adoration or before a Tabernacle in a church or chapel and ask the Lord to help you see the miracles in your life. Thank God for all He has done for you.