The
Meaning of the Holy Family of Fatima Image
This
special portrait of the Holy Family depicts a vision that the three children of
Fatima, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, saw during the “Miracle of the Sun” on
October 13, 1917
. Though this vision is explained in all of the
major documentation of
Fatima
, not very many people are aware of it. During
the “Miracle of the Sun,” the sun swirled in the sky and great shafts of
color flooded the entire plateau of Fatima,
Portugal
. The sun then plummeted towards the Earth, and
the over 70,000 people present thought it was the end of the world. At this same
time, the children of
Fatima
saw the following vision, as described by Sr.
Lucia:
When
our Lady disappeared in the immense distance of the sky, next to the sun, we saw
St. Joseph
holding the child Jesus and Our Lady dressed
in white with a blue mantle. St. Joseph and the child seemed to be blessing the
world, making the sign of the cross (Letter from Sr. Lucia to her Bishop,
December 8, 1941, Tuy, Spain).
Symbolic additions were made to this
portrait as follows: On the garment of St. Joseph is the reverse side of the
Miraculous Medal (the cross going through the “M” and the two Hearts of
Jesus and
Mary
, all encircled by 12 stars). This shows
St. Joseph
’s love for the Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
and his protection over the Church, symbolized
by the twelve stars which represent the twelve Apostles.
Our
Lady holds the Rosary and the scapular in her left hand—summarizing the
apparitions of our Lady at
Fatima
. The scapular is the sign of our consecration to
Jesus through
Mary
and is an act of faith when worn with reverence.
The family Rosary is the primary prayer that will protect the family, and
becomes a window through which we can see, with eyes of faith, the interior life
of the Holy Family and the principal mysteries of our Faith. Through the Holy
Spirit’s illumination and power of love poured out through
Mary
, Mediatrix of all Grace, we are more and more
able to live consecrated lives as adopted members of the Holy Family.
The
image of the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus with the flame of love and
the cross above it depicts the Holy Eucharist and the Divine Mercy rays. The
rays refer to the Divine Mercy apparition of Our Lord to St. Faustina, an
apparition that Pope John Paul II has held up to the entire Church. The
Fatima
message is the formula for drawing down Divine
Mercy. Once enough families follow this formula and are consecrated to Jesus
through
Mary
in the truths of our Faith, and live these
truths with great fervor, the era of peace promised by Our Lady of Fatima will
be granted to the world.
The Immaculate Heart of
Mary
with the sword of sorrow going through her heart
depicts our Lady of Sorrows and the flame of love above it depicts devotion to
her Immaculate Heart, which is also a prerequisite for world peace.
This portrait specially done for the Apostolate for Family Consecration and
esteemed by Sr. Lucia summarizes The Apostolate’s prayer: All for the
Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all through the Sorrowful and Immaculate
Heart of
Mary
, all in union with St. Joseph
.