At Fatima, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children: 10-year-old Lucia Dos Santos and 7- and 9-year-old Jacinta and Francisco Marto. From May 13 to October 13, 1917, the Virgin appeared six times to call people, her children, to conversion, prayer, and penance. Mary thus reveals to us the “true secret,” to be made known to everyone and accessible to everyone.
The three parts of the secret of Fatima
During the third apparition, the Lady revealed a secret message to the visionaries, divided into three parts, telling them to keep silent. In 1941, Lucia communicated only the first two parts of the secret of Fatima to the bishop of Leiria, Monsignor José Alves Correia da Silva. They were made public by Pope Pius XII in 1942, on the occasion of the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These two parts primarily concern the terrifying vision of Hell, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Second World War, and then the prediction of the immense harm that Russia, in its abandonment of the Christian faith and adherence to communist totalitarianism, would inflict on humanity.
The third part of the secret, written on January 3, 1944, was entrusted in a sealed envelope to Monsignor Correira, who in turn delivered it to Pope Pius XII. The secret was also read by John XXIII and Paul VI. Only in 2000, on the occasion of the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco on May 13, 2000, did John Paul II disclose the contents of the third part. Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Benedict XVI, explained its theological meaning. In prophetic language, the message speaks of a struggle between good and evil, between the Virgin and her offspring, and between the Church and the forces of evil.
Our Lady's “true secret”
And it is precisely this famous “secret of Fatima,” revealed in three parts, and its interpretation that has captured the attention of the majority of believers and non-believers.
What does the “true secret” that Our Lady reveals at Fatima consist of? We can sum it up in three words: penance, prayer, and conversion.
Sister Lucia writes: «Since the Most Blessed Virgin gave the Holy Rosary great efficacy, there is no problem, whether material or spiritual, national or international, that cannot be resolved with the Holy Rosary and our sacrifices».
In short, we can and must truly ask Mary for everything, because through her the Father gave us the one who is Salvation.
Our Lady is truly the easiest, most beautiful, and safest way to reach Jesus.
In the difficult times we are living through, God himself comes to our aid through Mary's motherly heart and points us to the “true secret,” to be revealed to everyone, made known to everyone, and accessible to everyone: the prayer of the Rosary.
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