The End

Or the beginning? 🧐

…

On my last day I walk the way of the Little Shepherds again. Going on foot is much different than a tour bus. And being alone there’s more time for reflection.

I walk from the Basilica (where they grazed the sheep and Mary appeared) back to Aljustrel (where the kids’ homes are). My goal is to revisit the other apparition sites of Mary and the Angel.

There’s a Hungarian Stations of the Cross along the route and a church at the end I hadn’t been to before with the Curcifix on top overlooking the city.

The lone tree here is the last of the original holmoak trees from 1917. The original one Mary appeared on was stripped away long ago by pilgrims wanting a piece of peace.

The chapel to the left isnt the original either. The first chapel was blown up by Freemasons in 1922. They rebuilt.

…

My last Portuguese Lunch with Frank and great views! And wine. 🍷 🤩 It’s going to be sad going back to an American diet of no lunch wine and less bread. My waistline will probably appreciate it though

Pulling It All Together 

I’ve been to Fatima twice now and still don’t know exactly how to talk about it. The Message of Fatima is big. I learned from the nuns we talked to that even they are still learning from it!

God’s goodness and mercy is THAT big. 

When telling someone who’s never heard of Fatima where do I start? 

With the Miracle of the Sun? That was a big deal but also doesn’t encompass the whole. A good attention getter though for skeptics!

Do I start with the history of Marian apparitions?

God took human form 2000 years ago and chose to come to us through Mary as His earthly mother. Her first documented apparition was actually while she was still alive! She bi located to encourage St James who was out preaching the Good News and getting discouraged. 

Or do I need to alter how I share the Message of Fatima based on where the hearer is at in their faith journey? 🤷‍♀️

That’s probably the best. 

So what IS the Message of Fatima? There’s no short and simple one liner, which is hard for someone who’s in marketing. I like short, sweet and to the point. 

So here are my rambling thoughts on how I currently understand the Message of Fatima:

Mary asks us to return to the Lord. To pray for peace. More specifically to pray the rosary every day for peace and reparation of sins. Too many people don’t realize God made them because He wants them here. To be blunt, they are ungrateful for their gift of life. That hurts His Heart. (Imagine your kids being ungrateful that you put a roof over their head. Now multiply it by billions.) To repair the hurt and console His Heart, we can offer sacrifices to Him. Don’t go too dark here. Not like animal sacrifice. Or worse… human life sacrifice. Anything can be a sacrifice offered to God. The shepherd children would forgo their lunch and give it to other poor kids. If they got hurt, they’d unite their pain with Christ on the cross and say “for love of You, Jesus.”

• Turn your suffering into sacrifice.

• Say no to little things now when it doesn't really matter to build up those spiritual muscles for saying no later when it does matter.

We don't ask for suffering. We accept any sufferings we get with a gracious heart and offer it over to God.

Will I go back to Fatima again? 

God willing I can do this every year. Frank has been over 45 times and still learns something new each time.

After my second visit I get that. 

This round, I understand so many more connections between what was happening in the world (spread of atheistic communism) and why God sent Mary to appear in Fatima at the time she did. 

What’s next?

I love talking about Fatima and the love of God! The more I let Him in, the bigger my smile gets.

If you want to chat about my experience (and the unpublished content), I’m happy to share over a glass of wine. 🍷 😉

Until the next adventure, God bless!

Megan

PS can we also celebrate the fact that I kept up with posting DURING the journey?! I still have unpublished postes from last summer. High five to me!