Happy Feast of Our Lady of Fatima!
I want to share with you our special moon photo from our Fatima pilgrimage. We were enjoying the extraordinary beauty of the night which happened to be Sunday, August 13, 2000–the 13th being the most important day of the month in Fatima. That is the day when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come into the city since Our Lady originally appeared to the three shepherd children on May 13, 1917.
I want to share with you our special moon photo from our Fatima pilgrimage. We were enjoying the extraordinary beauty of the night which happened to be Sunday, August 13, 2000–the 13th being the most important day of the month in Fatima. That is the day when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come into the city since Our Lady originally appeared to the three shepherd children on May 13, 1917.
After praying the rosary together on the basilica steps that evening we began to walk over to the adoration chapel. Passing through the gorgeous colonnade we were mesmerized by the stunning light of the full moon.
As my husband prepared to take a photo of the moon, our Pastor who was with us, Fr. Tim, mentioned to me that Mary is called "luna" because she is a perfect reflection of the sun. The conversation went on about how Mary is a perfect reflection of her divine son, Jesus, and so her Immaculate Heart is a perfect reflection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was a poignant moment.
When we got our photographs back, we were amazed to see a heart‑shaped moon encircled in red, and it even appeared an eagle was embracing this heart with its wing.
Bishop Sheen said in his book, The World's First Love, "As our love does not start with Mary so neither does it stop with Mary. Mary is a window through which our humanity first catches a glimpse of Divinity on earth. Or perhaps she is more like a magnifying glass that intensifies our love of her Son, and makes our prayers more bright and burning.
God, Who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. The moon would be only a burnt-out cinder floating in the immensity of space, were it not for the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother of Men. On dark nights we are grateful for the moon; when we see it shining, we know there must be a sun. So in this dark night of the world when men turn their backs on Him Who is the Light of the World, we look to Mary to guide their feet while we await the sunrise.”
Grace & peace,
Sheila
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