The Fatima Message: Prayer, Protection, and Providence

On this feast of Our Lady of Fatima, Tina Mayeux remembers the moment our heavenly Mother protected a pope and how she continues to guide us to salvation.   

The 20th century, during which the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima took place, was a tumultuous time, marked by two world wars and an increasingly secular culture. As a good mother, Our Lady came at the dawn of this century to teach us how to be holy in these changing times and to amend our lives and gain heaven. She came to remind us of the truths that we, her children, were in danger of neglecting or forgetting altogether. 

An Urgent Message 

Fatima is the most prophetic of modern apparitions, and the message of Our Lady delivered there is as applicable today as it was over 100 years ago when the heavenly visits took place. Our Lady came to three shepherd children near a tiny, rural village in Portugal, between May 13 and October 13, 1917, to deliver an urgent message to the world of the need for conversion and the call to prayer, penance, and reparation for sin. The children were urged to pray the Rosary daily for peace and for the conversion of sinners. Our Lady showed them her Immaculate Heart, encircled by piercing thorns, which represented the many sins of mankind against it.   

The children were given a brief, but terrifying, vision of hell, where, Our Lady told them, poor sinners go. However, she also revealed to them God's plan for the salvation of souls, which included prayer, especially the Rosary; penance; and sacrifice, along with the devotion to the Five First Saturdays. She said, "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” 

Praying for a Pope 

Our Lady's love and maternal protection of the Church have always been evident. From the moment Jesus entrusted Saint John to her care at the foot of the Cross, to the present time, she has faithfully guided her children and has interceded for us with her Son. Although at times we may not realize how deeply solicitous Our Heavenly Mother is toward us, certain moments in history and in our personal lives remind us of her care and concern. One such event, etched in the minds of faithful Catholics everywhere who witnessed it, occurred during the pontificate of Saint John Paul II.  

On the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady to the children at Fatima, May 13, 1981, our Holy Father, John Paul II, nearly lost his life in an assassination attempt in Saint Peter's Square. I remember hearing the shocking news as a young girl, the feeling of fear and sadness as the world held its breath and our beloved pontiff was whisked away to a hospital, and the feeling of relief when we realized he would survive the attack.  

An Invitation and a Warning 

One year later, a recovered John Paul II traveled to Fatima to thank God and Our Lady for sparing him. Recognizing the significance of the date of the attempt on his life, he said that he felt a "special call" to visit Fatima, the place where Our Lady had come, demonstrating her maternal love for us. During his address at Fatima on May 13, 1982, the Holy Father reminded us of the seriousness of the Fatima message, urging every Christian to heed Our Lady's call to prayer and conversion. He said that the message is an invitation to repentance and a warning for each individual and for the world.  

After concelebrating Mass that day, John Paul II also made an act of consecration of the modern world to Our Lady of Fatima. During this pilgrimage, as in the whole of his papacy, John Paul II looked to Mary to guide him as he fulfilled his mission to lead the Church into a new millennium.  

Our Lady's protection of Saint John Paul II from an assassin's bullet reminds us of how powerful her intercession before God is. She always stands ready to help us in our difficulties, whether trivial or life-altering. The lessons of Fatima teach us that when we turn to her in prayer, especially the Rosary, we can be confident that she will help us in every need. Most importantly, she helps us remain faithful to Jesus and leads us on the path to heaven.  

The Future of the Church 

In the days leading up to the Conclave to elect the successor of Pope Francis, individuals and families around the world asked, through Our Lady's intercession, for the cardinals to be inspired by the Holy Spirit in their decision. On this feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, and in these days when we are welcoming a new Supreme Pontiff, we can ask the Mother of God to bless and protect our new pope and to guide him in the ways of holiness and obedience to Jesus as he leads the Church.  

Under the leadership of our new Holy Father, we pray for the future of the Church and the salvation of all people. Like the three shepherd children at Fatima, we listen to and obey the message of hope that Our Lady urgently delivered long ago, when she said, "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. " 

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Copyright 2025 Tina Mayeux
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