The Miracle of Fatima.

"On the 13th of October to prove to you that what I write in my blog comes from God, there will be a great miracle worked outside my parish Church on that day at 12 o'clock"   If I made such a statement seriously I am sure that the majority of people would laugh and some would come on the day to have a good laugh at me.    Others who read my blog and agree with much of what I say would perhaps be sceptical but wish me luck though their common sense would keep them away.   But there are always those who will be ready to believe and though sceptical will turn up out of curiosity.

That was how things were in Fatima in 1917.   Three little children, the oldest of whom was ten, told people that the lady they were seeing in visions had promised a great miracle.   At least I was an adult and could argue the point but three uneducated little peasant children - surely it was a joke.

Over 70,000 people turned up many to sneer and jeer and others to witness the shame of the children when nothing happened.    But something did.   A miracle which had been foretold and could not possibly have been seen happened that day at Fatima.    The sun was seen dancing in the sky, shedding different coloured light on the people, and then falling to earth at such speed there people thought it was the end of the world.   But it was not just a visible miracle , the earth had been soaked by rain which had fallen for over 24 hours and when the miracle was over the earth was bone dry.    A newspaper reporter for the Lisbon newspaper  El Seculo who had been sent to dismiss the miraculous  wrote what he had actually seen.   He was of course criticised.    

But what about us?   Where do we stand on there story of Fatima.    The Miracle has happened, the facts are all there, but even after the event are we still saying it could not happen?    Maybe we do not want Marian devotion in the Church.   Maybe we do not want our friends laughing at us.    Maybe it is not 'ecumenical  to believe.    I will only remind you of what Our Lord said  "If Sodom and Gommorha had seen the things that you have seen, they would long ago have turned to Penance"  

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