The Secret of Fatima - OurLadyOfTheFingerLakes

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“Oh, how beautiful it will be to hear it said: Mary is Queen of the universe.   That will be a time of peace, joy and happiness which will be long . . . She will be borne like a banner and will make a tour of the world.”.

Saint Louis-Mary Grignion De Montfort
This renowned Marian saint wrote, “The salvation of the world began through Mary and through her it must be accomplished … in the second coming of Jesus Christ, Mary must be known and openly revealed by the Holy Spirit so that Jesus may be known, loved and served through her … as she was the way by which Jesus first came to us, she will again be the way by which he will come to us the second time though not in the same manner … Since she is the sure means, the direct and immaculate way to Jesus and the perfect guide to him, it is through her that souls who are to shine forth in sanctity must find him. He who finds Mary finds life, that is, Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. But no one can find Mary who does not look for her. No one can look for her who does not know her, for no one seeks or desires something unknown. Mary then must be better known than ever for the deeper understanding and the greater glory of the Blessed Trinity”. It is in this context that the approved apparitions of Mary may be considered.  

Fatima
The most famous of these took place near the town of Fatima, Portugal between May 13th and October 13th 1917. Our Lady declared to the three seers, “You saw hell where the souls of poor sinners go. In order to save them, God wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world … If people do what I ask, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” Our Lady later said, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”  It would appear that God intends Mary to become better known through devotion to her Immaculate Heart.


Our Lady of All Nations
Much less famous is the connection between the apparitions in Fatima and those experienced by Ida Peerdeman of Alkmaar, Holland. On October 13, 1917, the day of the miracle of the sun in Fatima, when Ida was twelve-years-old, she had the first of three apparitions of Our Lady on consecutive Saturdays. Nothing was said and nothing further occurred until March 25th 1945 when a series of apparitions began which lasted until May 31st 1959.

On February 11th 1951 Ida was told, “I am the Lady, Mary, Mother of All Nations. You may say: The Lady of All Nations or Mother of All Nations, who once was Mary. I come on this very day to tell you that this is who I wish to be. The people of all countries shall truly be one.” This unity implied peace and would be brought nearer by promulgation of the prayer she then recited: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate. Amen.”


The image which Ida saw was described in this manner: “I am standing on the globe and both of my feet are set firmly upon it. You also see my hands clearly, and my face, hair, and veil. The rest is as in a haze … I have let you see my head, hands, and feet as of a human being. Mark well, as of the Son of Man. The rest is the Spirit … Look carefully at what is protruding on both sides at the height of my shoulders and above my head.” With astonishment I notice that it is a Cross ... “I stand as the Lady before the Cross –– with head, hands and feet as of a human being; with the body, however, as of the Spirit, because the Son came by the will of the Father. Now, however, the Spirit shall come over the world, and that is why I want this to be prayed for … I am standing on the globe because this concerns the whole world.”

On April 15th 1951 Our Lady said, “Listen well and understand well what I am now going to explain. Once again I say: the Son came into the world as the Redeemer of humanity. The work of redemption was the Cross. He was sent by the Father. Now, however, the Father and the Son want to send the Lady throughout the whole world. For in the past, too, she went before the Son and followed Him. That is why I now stand on the world, on the globe.” And on 29 April, “… the world is caught up in degeneration and superficiality; it does not know which direction to turn. That is why the Father is sending me to be the Advocate, so that the Holy Spirit will come. For the world is not saved by force, the world will be saved by the Spirit. For it is nothing other than ideas which rule the world.”

On May 31st 1951 Our Lady said, “Now look at my hands and describe what you see.” (Now it is as if there, in the middle of her hands, had been a wound. From there, from each hand, three rays of light are coming forth, shining upon the sheep.) The Lady smiles and says, “These are three rays, the rays of Grace, Redemption and Peace. Through the Grace of my Lord and Master, and out of love for humanity, the Father sent to the world His only Son as Redeemer. Now both of them want to send the Holy, the True Spirit, who alone can be Peace. Hence: Grace, Redemption, Peace. The Father and the Son wish to send Mary, the Lady of All Nations, in this time as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate … All nations shall pray for the True and Holy Spirit. That is why I have given this short and powerful prayer. So I say once more: this prayer shall be spread rapidly. The whole world is falling into degeneration. People of good will shall pray every day that the True Spirit may come!”
       


On September 20th 1951 Our Lady said, “This prayer is short and simple, so that everyone in this quick and modern world can pray it. It is given in order to call down the True Spirit upon the world.”

On November 15th 1951 Our Lady said, “This image shall precede, once again, shall precede. Bring this image into the world. And now I am speaking not for your country alone, but for the whole world. This world is degenerating. The world will suffer disaster upon disaster. The world will be and is economically and materially ruined. Wars will continue as long as no help comes from the True Spirit. Bring the people back to the Cross.”

On February 17th 1952: ‘Now the Lady points at the globe. I see the globe rotating under her feet, and snowflakes are falling thickly everywhere. Then the Lady says, “Did you see this? The Lady of All Nations will be brought throughout the world in the same way, from town to town, from country to country. This simple prayer will create one community … Tell your bishop that the Lady of All Nations shall help and assist him; that the spreading really must be carried out. Say that the time has not yet come; that the Lady of All Nations first has to be brought throughout the whole world. The sign of the Lady of All Nations will later on be seen throughout the entire world. Let them understand this well. False powers will fall.


On May 31st 1955 Our Lady said, “Satan is not yet expelled. The Lady of All Nations may now come in order to expel Satan. She comes to announce the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will then come over this earth. You, however, shall pray my prayer which I gave to the world. Every day and every moment you shall think of the prayer which the Lady of All Nations gave to this world in this time. How strongly Satan is ruling, God alone knows. He now sends His Mother, the Lady of All Nations, to you, to all nations. She will defeat Satan, as has been foretold. She will place her feet upon Satan’s head.”
       

Pope John Paul II
When Our Lady says, “The Holy Spirit will then come over this earth.” she seems to be refering to a new Pentecost for the Church as so often spoken of by Pope John Paul II:  

“We could say that what took place in Jerusalem two thousand years ago is being renewed this evening in this Square … As the Apostles then, we too find ourselves gathered in a large cenacle of Pentecost, longing for the outpouring of the Spirit …” (John Paul II - Gathering of ecclesial movements and new communities – Pentecost Eve 1998)

“With the Apostles, the Blessed Virgin Mary received the gift of the Spirit. With her, and in communion with the new saints, let us also implore the miracle of a new Pentecost for the Church. For the humanity of our time let us ask an abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”
(John Paul II - Solemnity of Pentecost - 19 May 2002)

First, however, Our Lady comes to announce the Holy Spirit and first the Lady of All Nations has to be brought throughout the world. It would seem then, that the spreading of the prayer and the image from town to town, from country to country is to announce the Holy Spirit, since the prayer invokes the Holy Spirit and the image excluding the head, hands and feet (as in a haze) is Spirit. The Holy Spirit will then come over this earth, so too at some point (described only as ‘later’) will the sign of the Lady of All Nations be seen throughout the entire earth. What if the coming of the Holy Spirit corresponds directly to the sign of the Lady of All Nations being seen throughout the entire earth. When the sign is seen, Our Lady said, “Let them understand this well. False powers will fall.” As Our Lady of All Nations, she also said she will defeat Satan, as has been foretold. She will place her feet upon Satan’s head. Thus, the sign of Our Lady must be powerful. Yet, there is only one way to defeat Satan, the Father of Lies, and that is with the truth. Thus Our Lady said, “For the world is not saved by force, the world will be saved by the Spirit. For it is nothing other than ideas which rule the world.” If false powers are to fall when the sign of Our Lady is seen, it follows that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the True Spirit, will be dispensed on seeing the sign of Our Lady. This would imply an intimate relationship between Our Lady and the Holy Spirit, but this is nothing new, as she is known in Tradition under several titles including the Spouse of the Holy Spirit and the Mediatrix of all Graces.


Saint Catherine Labouré
The notion of a sign of Our Lady of All Nations is not confined to the messages given to Ida Peerdeman. Among the writings of Saint Catherine Labouré recounting her apparitions at Rue De Bac, Paris, in we read: ‘“Oh, how beautiful it will be to hear it said: Mary is Queen of the universe. That will be a time of peace, joy and happiness which will be long ... She will be borne like a banner and will make a tour of the world.” The Virgin foretold that this time would come only after “the entire world will be in sadness … Afterwards, peace.”’ The peace resulting from this tour with the banner seems to be the same peace offered by Our Lady at Fatima and the true peace that can only be brought by the Holy Spirit as told to Ida Peerdeman. If the banner and the sign are also one and the same, then the sign of Our Lady of All Nations may well be a banner depicting the image, in part or whole, of the Lady of All Nations. If the banner represents both Our Lady and the Spirit then, perhaps only that part of the image of Our Lady of All Nations representing the Spirit (as in a haze) will be shown.


The Ark of the Covenant
If the sign of Our Lady, in the form of a banner, makes a tour of the world, mediating the Holy Spirit, and bringing peace, then the power being exerted against all evil might be likened to an event recorded in the Old Testament. When the Israelites began to take possession of the Promised Land, the city of Jericho stood between them and success. The city walls were brought crashing to the ground after the Ark of the Covenant was borne in procession around them once a day for six days and then seven times on the seventh day.
The Ark of the Covenant had been fashioned by Moses at God’s command. A box of acacia wood was covered on all sides with gold and contained the Ten Commandments, the shew bread and Aaron’s priestly rod. The box was topped by a Mercy Seat and the cherubim of glory. The contents of the box have been likened to the womb of Our Lady in which was carried the Word, the Bread of Life, and the eternal High Priest. This comparison has led the Church to an understanding that Our Lady is the Ark of the Covenant. Confirmation has been found in the Book of Revelation (as detailed below), and the infancy narratives of Luke’s Gospel.


If the walls of Jericho equate to the worldwide structures of sin, as spoken of by John Paul II, then once again, the power of the Ark of the Covenant will be turned against Satan and the false ideas which have been spread throughout all nations. The sign of Our Lady will crush Satan’s head—the seat of his intellect and the source of all false ideas. As seven trumpets preceded the Ark when circling Jericho, so too might seven trumpets precede the sign of Our Lady—though they may not be audible. In the Book of Revelation when the seventh trumpet was sounded John saw God’s temple in heaven and the Ark of the Covenant within (cf. 11:19). He immediately wrote, “And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” (12:1) The preceding six trumpets brought only misery and woes to those who dwell upon the earth. Perhaps, this is why Catherine Labouré said that the entire world would be in sadness before Our Lady is borne like a banner and makes a tour of the world.  


Birth Pangs
When the disciples asked Jesus what the sign of his coming would be he answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.” (Mt 24:4-8) It is interesting that Jesus should describe the initial signs of his coming as ‘birth-pangs’. Such a description is more naturally associated with the pains of a woman before the birth of a child. If Jesus sees his second coming in terms of a second birth it surely makes sense that his mother will precede him to prepare for his coming, just as Saint Louis-Mary Grignion De Montfort wrote above.

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”
(Rev 22:17a)


 

And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, (Rev 12:3-5)

 
 
 
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