A Fatima Centennial Reflection

When I was a child my parents had a little booklet about Our Lady of Fatima and her apparitions to Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. What stuck out for me in Our Lady’s message to the children was the need for the soul to be a member of the Blue Army. This was important so Russia would not spread Communism throughout the world and the nation would be converted to Christianity. To me, the conversion to Christianity was the most important part, because if that happened then it would follow that the nation would not spread Communism.

When the Berlin wall fell, I knew this was part of an answer to the prayers of the Blue Army who had prayed for the conversion of Russia. You did not hear very many people talk about it, then. I did have a friend who was there when the wall came down, and got to experience it, but I did not share with her the message of Fatima. For myself, I knew for sure that it happened because Russia had been consecrated to the world as requested by Our Lady. I used to think about it a lot, that the wall came down because of the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima.

In 2010, Newt Gingrich produced a documentary, “Nine Days that Changed the World” that pointed to the relationship between Our Lady of Fatima’s prophecy concerning obtaining peace in the world, then Pope John Paul II, and President Ronald Reagan as instruments of God for this purpose of bringing Communist Russia to an end. In the 1990s we saw Russia allow Christian worship, again. Orthodox Cathedrals began opening up in the 1990s with new religious liberty. What else could have affected that except the prayers of the Blue Army? We have not seen the spread of Communism. Even in China, Communism has not spread and North Korea does not want to spread it to other nations, they just want to make us end what we have.

This goal of atheist leaders to “end what we have” which is our relationship with Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life”, has never been promised in any Marian apparition to come to an end if we pray for peace.  The atheist’s goal to destroy the peace we have achieved through faith in Jesus Christ will always be there. We can admit that in the flesh, we are fearful of their goal and we often times struggle in spirit to carry its cross. But, the thing about the spirit is that it multi-tasks for us. Through the Holy Spirit we are able to struggle and have peace at the same time. The scriptures talk about this as “knowing”. St. Thomas Aquinas equates knowing to “believing.” We believe that Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart will triumph, we believe when the last trumpet sounds that the Church will have endured and been readied like a bride to greet her groom when He comes again. We believe, so we know, so we act with faith and persevere while the Holy Spirit keeps our fear at bay.

Fifty years later, I am still not a full-fledged member of the Blue Army. The criteria are the same, to pray the rosary everyday for peace and to make five consecutive First Saturdays. I may have completed the Five First Saturdays, but my daily rosary is most often not for peace, but for some other supplication.  But, with the Centennial of the First Fatima Apparition, I hope to make reparation going forward to any lack of participation I have had in the Blue Army. The Blue Army is still marching and like a good Soldier Confirmed in Christ, I want to be a part of Our Lady’s peace plan.