fatima: 100th anniversary of the apparitions - looking at francisco

For the past three days, in our triduum, to prepare ourselves for this feast, this centenary of the apparitions of Our Blessed Mother in Fatima, we have reflected on the 3 messages of Our Lady – Prayer, especially the holy rosary and going to mass on First Saturdays; reparation for our sins and the sins of the world; and thirdly, we talked about consecration, to heed the Blessed Mother's request that we consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart.  I feel I have said too much already about Fatima, I have nothing more to say on her feast.  And so instead of looking at the apparitions of Fatima as one big picture allow me to look into the effects of the apparitions on the life of Francisco. How did the miracle of Fatima transform Francisco?  I have already cited one such incident when we meditated on reparation two days ago, his preoccupation to make God happy, to console God.  Today I will cite another two.

First effect on Francisco –humility and simplicity.  Of the three children si Francisco ang kulihot.  Ngaa?  Kay all throughout the apparitions Francisco never heard the Blessed Mother. Wala sia kabati sang tingog sang Mahal nga Birhen.  And yet wala man sia nagsiling, "ngaa daw pierdi ko ya haw, siguro indi ako palangga, ngaa la-in iya ang pagtratar sa akon.  Ngaa sila lang, ako ya wala?"  Francisco never said that.  He never felt humiliated, he never felt he was less.  He was happy kon ano man nga grasya ang ihatag sa iya.  Kontento sia kon ano man nga grasya ang matupa sa iya.  Everything is a gift.

Nadumduman ko anay ang siling ni Msgr. Piamonte sa akon sang bata pa ko nga pari kag nagahara-hara pa ako.  Siling niya patun-on ta ka tani sa Roma galing athritison ka, basi maputo ang diocese kon magmasakit ka to.  Kon kaisa you begin to hate your situation because of dreams you cannot fulfill.  But then as you grow older and as you pray harder, you begin to see giftedness everywhere, even in your pain.  Everything is a gift.  And so we look into a very important effect of the apparition of Fatima in the life of Francisco – learn to be humble and simple in your faith.

Second, learning to surrender.  For a time bisan nakita na sang duha ka bata ang mahal nga Birhen si Francisco iya wala pa sa gihapon nakakita.  It was only when Lucia asked the Blessed Mother why Francisco cannot see her, the Blessed Mother told Lucia, "tell him to pray the rosary."  Francisco did, and after the seventh Hail Mary he finally saw our Lady.  Sunod lang sia, in all simplicity he obeyed.  He did not ask why, he did not ask for an explanation, he did not verify the logic involved in the request.  He simply followed.

The bible is full of stories like this – Naaman, that proud general who was asked to very simply wash himself on the river Jordan seven times so that his leprosy would heal.  He resisted out of pride.  But when he surrendered the miracle happened.  Miracles happen when we surrender, when everything has been tried and failed.  Ikaw na bahala Lord, kapoy na ko.  Then you realize that everything just falls into place.  Sometimes you get to wonder how a very simple prayer, ang rosary, bisan gamay nga bata kabalo, why is it called a powerful prayer?  Why?  Surrender.  Prayer does not have to be complicated.  Because the main ingredient of a powerful prayer is surrender. 

And so these are two effects of the apparitions of Fatima to little Francisco.  Like Francisco let us allow the incident in Fatima to transform our faith:  first humility and simplicity which allow us to see everything in our lives as a gift; and second the attitude of surrender which makes miracles happen.