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)
Jerome
Coniker, founder of the Apostolate for Family Consecration, with
permission granted by Cardinal Ratzinger, personally visited Sister
Lucia and asked for her blessing on this portrait of the Holy Family
of Fatima, the work of the Apostolate for Family Consecration,
Familyland Television Network, and the special television production
about the
Fatima
message.
During
Sister Lucia's half-hour interview with Mr. Coniker, she spoke a lot
about this beautiful portrait. She said, "It's the best
that any human being could do." She also liked the symbolic
additions that were made to the portrait. For instance, 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.
Sr.
Lucia was happy to see our Lady holding 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
rosary-heart outlining the Holy Family shows that the Rosary is an
integral part of the
Fatima
message. 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, symbolized by the flames and dove above the
heart-shaped Rosary, 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. This rosary-heart outline is also the logo of the
Apostolate for Family Consecration.
Sr.
Lucia noticed the image of the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus
with the flame of love and the cross above it, which 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 our
Holy Father, 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 flame of love above it depicts
devotion to her Immaculate Heart, which is also a prerequisite for
world peace.
The
portrait 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
.
At
the end of the interview, Sr. Lucia clutched the picture in her arms
while holding it against her chest and took the picture for her own
room. She loved the Apostolate for Family Consecration's work
and the Holy Family of Fatima portrait very much. She said she would
pray for the members and work of the Apostolate for Family
Consecration.
The
Apostolate was "conceived" in
Fatima
when the founding family lived there from 1971-1973, and
"born" in
America
when it was founded in 1975.