ALLELUIA
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
REFLECTION: "Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God. "
Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to three little shepherds in Portugal on May 13, 1917. She appeared to Lúcia Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto. She appeared to them 6 times, on the 13th of each month until October of that year.
On each apparition she left a message not only for the children, but also for the whole world to follow:
First apparition, May 13, she asked us to: "Pray the Rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world."
Second apparition, June 13, she asked us to: "God wants to establish a devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world."
Third apparition, July 13, she continued to ask to: "Pray for the conversion of sinners and all the sins committed against her Immaculate Heart." She also revealed 3 secrets to the children:
The first secret was a glimpse of what hell looks like and told them that to save future souls God wants the world to become devoted to her Immaculate Heart. If we do that many souls will be saved and there will be peace.
The second secret was the prediction of WWI. She requested for Russia to be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart.
The third secret was not revealed until 2000. You can read this disclosed secret in the Vatican website HERE. In summary, the children saw a vision of a bishop dressed in white (who they thought to be the pope) walking towards a mountain with other priests and religious figures. During their journey they go through a town that is in ruins and the pope prays for the souls of the corpses he passes along the way. As they reach the top of a mountain, the pope kneels before a cross and he and the others are killed by soldiers.
Fourth apparition, the children had been arrested on the 13th of August. She appeared to them in August 19. She asked us to: "Pray for the many souls that go to hell because there is none who pray for them."
Fifth apparition, September 13, she said: "Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. She also promised that in October Our Lord would come along with Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Carmel and Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus to bless the world. In October she would perform a miracle so that all may believe."
Sixth apparition, October 13, has been called the miracle of the sun. While the children were surrounded by a crowd of about 70,000 people, and under heavy rain, Blessed Mary appeared and revealed her identity: “I am the Lady of the Rosary, I desire here a chapel in my honor to be built and that people continue to recite the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes. Do not offend the Lord our God anymore, because He is already so much offended.” Then the miracle she promised happened: the Miracle of the Sun. Mary opened her hands and launched a ray of light in the direction of the sun; the rain stopped suddenly and there appeared an exceptionally bright sun. The sun began to turn, projecting colorful bands of light. Then the sun appeared as if it was spinning out from the sky and towards the crowd, as people fell to their knees and begged for mercy. Meanwhile, as promised, the three children saw the Blessed Lady dressed in white with a blue cape, along with St. Joseph with the Child Jesus blessing the world. Then after this vision they saw The Lord bless the world, standing next to Our Lady of Sorrows. After this vision vanished, they saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
