The Catholic Defender: Eucharistic Miracle of Fatima and Hiroshima
Our Lady: Continue to pray the Rosary to obtain the end of the war. In October, Our Lord will also come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus, to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices, but He does not want you to sleep with the ropes; wear them only during the day. (The children were wearing ropes around their waists as a sacrifice for sinners.)
Lucia: They have requested me to ask you for many things, for the cure of some sick persons, of a deaf-mute.
Our Lady: Yes, I will cure some, others not. In October, I will perform a miracle for all to believe.
When looking at the above dialogue between Our Lady and Lucia, there is not a whole lot of information that is specific. Would Lucia or Jacinta, Francisco know who Our Lady of Sorrows would be, or Our Lady of Mount Carmel? Probably not! But what does this tell us even though it is 100 years later?
There are some very significant points to gleam from these few words. First, Our Lord will come as the King of kings. Why is this important? This shows that what is happening at Fatima has the Lord's full will taking place. Hebrews 4:14-16 states, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Jesus appearance at Fatima is an important sign of His commitment to Mercy and His intention that we listen to the message which is the Gospel. Fatima is all about the Gospel Message.
1 Kings 18:41-45 states,
Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of the rushing of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said, There is nothing. And Elijah said, Go again seven times. And at the seventh time, he said, Behold, a little cloud like a man's (foot) hand is rising out of the sea. And Elijah said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain."
You might be wondering what this has to do with anything, I am about to tell you! Remember 1 Kings 18:44 specifically here, "Go again seven times. And at the seventh time, he said, Behold, a little cloud like a man's (foot) hand is rising out of the sea." The Douay-Rheims version of the bible says foot while many others say hand, obviously the image of the cloud held the vision of an extremity.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel connects 1 Kings 18:44 with the prophetic sign given to Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young virgin (woman) shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Both signs uniquely points to Our Lady identifying her as the Virgin Mary. The cloud rising up from the sea is a symbol relating to Our Lady as Mary is recognized as a fulfillment that the cloud represents rain. But this is not a waterfall rain, but something much more mportant.
From the Carmel story, the seven tries of Elijah's servant to go see the sign of Elijah becomes a spiritual typology representing the seven ages of the world. What are the seven ages of the world you might be asking:
1. Adam to Noah
2. Noah to Abraham
3. Abraham to David
4. David to the Babylonian Captivity
5. Return of Israel to Jesus
6. Jesus to present
7. Present to the Parousia.
This is where it gets really interesting! The seventh age represents the Salvation of the world. Jesus refers to the coming of this age Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
How does this fit into the Prophetic sign of Isaiah? Here we go:
There are four Marian identifiers embodied in the sign of Elijah and revealed by Isaiah
1. THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION - Because the Virgin would arise as a cloud out of the salty sea water saturated with the guilt of humanity, having the same nature of the water but without it's bitterness. Our Lady was conceived without Original Sin and not marred by sin.
2. THE VIRGINITY OF MARY - Because Mary arose out of Mount Carmel and like a man's foot (Douay-Rheims), this means Mary would follow the path of Elijah who ascended Carmel through voluntary virginity as Elijah and completed the pure works (hands).
3. THE TIME OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH - Because Elijah's servant saw the cloud on his seventh try so would the world witness the advent of the Virgin preparing for the Seventh Age.
4. THE VIRGINAL MATERNITY - Because in the little cloud, God would come down like a sweet rain, without noise of human collaboration (except Mother Mary), that is, without violating Mary's purity.
The sign of the cloud revealed rain, the sign of the Virgin with child revealed grace.
Do you really think the Children of Fatima understood all this with the Virgin Mary's words? Not likely, but does this have relevance for us today, 100 years later? Most certainly. This is the Gospel message, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
Finally, Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus, blessing the world offers great hope! As Christians, we are to lift up our heads in confidence when we see what is taking place in the world. "And there will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:25-28)
The last words of Our Lady, "Yes, I will cure some, others not. In October, I will perform a miracle for all to believe." I find this very interesting as well. Remember St. Paul's request of Our Lord, "And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-8)
I recall the Prophet Elisha instructing Namaan to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River and on the seventh try was healed of leprosy. Seven represents wholeness, completeness, and perfection. It represents Christ. We also see this in the seven Sacraments of the Church.
Sometimes Our Lord takes away an affliction, sometimes He shares His suffering with us. It's not because He loves some more than others, His compassion is limitless. We see this more regarding the great miracle of Fatima, October 13, 1917. Be looking for our commentary regarding this great biblical epic!
Oh my God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love you. I ask pardon of you for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, nor do not love you.
The Angel of Portugal appeared to the Children of Fatima three times showing them how to pray this prayer bowing down to the ground using his whole body.
As the three Children of Fatima in the spring or summer of 1916 were playing on a knoll near Loca do Cabeco, the Angel of Portugal first appeared to them. Sister Lucia gave the following account:
"We had been playing for a while when a strong wind shook the trees. Since it was a calm day, we looked up to see what was happening. Then we began to see, well above the trees that covered the stretch of land to the east, a light whiter than snow in the shape of a transparent young man who was more brilliant than a crystal struck by the rays of the sun.
"As he approached, we began to see his features. He was a young man of great beauty about fourteen or fifteen years old. We were surprised and ecstatic. We did not utter a word.
"Once he drew near us, he said: 'Fear not. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.' "Kneeling down, he bowed until his forehead touched the ground.
Led by a supernatural inspiration, we imitated him, and repeated the words we heard him say:
'My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee. I beg Thee forgiveness for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee.'
"After he had repeated this twice, he rose and said: 'Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.' Then he disappeared.
"The supernatural atmosphere that enveloped us was so intense that we were almost unaware of our own existence. For a long time, we remained in the same position repeating the same prayer. The presence of God was so intense and intimate that we dared not speak to each other. On the following day, we felt our spirits still enveloped in that atmosphere, which was but slowly disappearing.
"None of us thought of talking about this apparition or of recommending secrecy, for the incident itself demanded it. It was so intimate that it was difficult to utter a word about it. This might well have been the apparition that impressed us the most, because it was the first one thus manifested."
The Second Apparition of the Angel
Again, later that summer of 1916, while the Children of Fatima were playing near a well close to Lucia's home, the Angel appears a second time. The following comes from Sister Lucia's testimony::
"'What are you doing? Pray! Pray a great deal! The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs concerning you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High!'
"'How must we sacrifice?' I asked.
"'Offer God a sacrifice of anything you can as an act of reparation for the sins with which He is offended and as a supplication for the conversion of sinners.
Draw peace upon your country by doing this. I am its guardian angel – the Angel of Portugal.
Above all, accept and endure with submission whatever suffering the Lord sends you.' Then he disappeared.
"The angel's words were impressed upon our souls like a light that made us understand Who God is, how much He loves us and wishes to be loved, the value of sacrifice and how sacrifice pleases God, and how He converts sinners because of it."
The Third Apparition of the Angel
In the beginning of the fall of 1916, the Children were back at Cabeco, the Angel appears for a third time. Sister Lucia gave the following account:
"As soon as we arrived there, we began to say the angel's prayer on our knees, with our faces to the ground.
'My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee....' I do not know how many times we had said this prayer when we saw an unknown light shining over our heads.
We rose to see what was happening, and we saw the angel bearing a chalice in his left hand. Drops of blood fell into the chalice from a Host suspended over it.
Leaving the chalice and the Host suspended in the air, the angel prostrated himself beside us and said the following prayer three times:
"'Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly and offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the insults, sacrileges, and indifference with which He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg Thee for the conversion of poor sinners.'
"After this, rising up, he again took the chalice and the Host in his hand; he gave the Host to me and the contents of the chalice to Jacinta and Francisco to drink, saying:
'Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, who is horribly insulted by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God.'
"He again prostrated himself on the ground and repeated with us the same prayer three more times. 'Most Holy Trinity....' Then he disappeared."
This last experience had such a great impact on the Children that they remained a great while prostrated on the ground repeating the Angels prayer. So exhausted were the children that Sister Lucia would later state, “It seemed to deprive us even of the use of our bodily senses for a long period of time.”
Despite how the Children were affected by this supernatural experience that would literally prepare them for the future coming of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary at Fatima beginning in May, 1917. The Children felt great peace and happiness fully immersed in the presence of Our Lord.
Rosary Miracle Hiroshima - The atomic blast generated an unimaginable ground heat of 6,000°
Seventy years ago, the only wartime use of nuclear weapons took place in the Aug. 6 attack on Hiroshima and the Aug. 9 attack on Nagasaki by the United States.
The Hiroshima attack killed around 80,000 people instantly and may have caused about 130,000 deaths, mostly civilians. The attack on the port city of Nagasaki killed about 40,000 instantly and destroyed a third of the city.
Four Jesuits were nearby the hypocenter of the attack on Hiroshima, but they survived the catastrophe, and the radiation that killed thousands in the months following had no effect on them.
The Jesuits priests Hugo Lassalle, Hubert Schiffer, Wilhelm Kleinsorge, and Hubert Cieslik were at the rectory of the church of Our Lady of the Assumption, one of the few buildings that resisted the bomb blast.
Father Cieslik wrote in his diary that they only sustained minor injuries from the broken windows – but nothing resulting from the atomic energy that was unleashed.
The doctors who took care of them afterwards warned them that the radiation they received would produce serious lesions, as well as illness and premature death.
The diagnosis never materialized. No disorders ever developed, and in 1976 Father Schiffer attended the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia and told his story. He confirmed that the other Jesuits were still alive and without any ailments. They were examined by dozens of doctors some 200 times over the course of the following years, without any trace of the radiation being found in their bodies.
The four religious never doubted that they had been blessed with protection by God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. "We were living the message of Fatima and we prayed the Rosary every day," they explained.
Bishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Niigata said Aug. 6 that Japan can contribute to peace "Not with new weapons, but with the noble activities that have a long history in the growth of the world, and in a particular way in developing countries."
Bishop Kikuchi added that "this contribution to development, which brings about full respect for human dignity and its fulfillment, would be very appreciated and respected by the international community."
“In the final stages of World War II, at about 8:15 AM of August 6, 1945, an American Boeing B-29 Super-fortress bomber christened Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb in history over Hiroshima in Japan. The atomic blast generated an unimaginable ground heat of 6,000° C (10,832° F) and a tremendous wind at the sonic speed of 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles) per second. Everything within a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) radius of the hypocenter was annihilated, instantly killing 140,000 people.
Concrete buildings collapsed to pieces and broken glass flew as far as 16 kilometers (9.94 miles) away. The atomic radiation generated by the bomb was so unbelievably strong that many of those outside of the range who were exposed to it lost all bodily functions, their cells underwent apoptosis – a kind of cellular suicide, and died within days. Between the blast itself, the resulting fires throughout the city and the radiation burns, some estimate that 200,000 citizens of Hiroshima lost their lives.
Yet, in the midst of burned bodies, charred skeletons, and structural damage, just eight blocks from ground zero (exactly 1 kilometer or 6/10 of a mile), a two story Catholic presbytery miraculously remained intact… When an investigation was made, it was discovered that there survived a community of eight German Jesuit priests who were all found unscathed, with only a few minor injuries.” (Catholic Herald). Among the survivors were Jesuit priests named Hugo Lassalle, Hubert Schiffer, Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Paul Ruge and Hubert Cieslik.
Father Hubert Schiffer who headed the community was…30 years old when the atomic bomb exploded at Hiroshima and lived another 33 years in good health to tell the miracle. The same is said of the other seven priests of the community. Aside from some slight surface abrasions or scratches, they all lived out their days in full health with no radiation sickness, no loss of hearing, or any other visible long term defects or cancer from radiation.
Father Schiffer was thoroughly examined and questioned by more than 200 scientists who were unable to explain how he and his companions had survived the atomic blast. He attributed the miracle to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He declared: “I was in the middle of the atomic explosion and I am still here alive and well. I was not struck down by its destruction.” Furthermore, for several years hundreds of experts and investigators continued to study and investigate the scientific reasons as to why the presbytery house was not affected, and when asked, Father Schiffer remarked each time: “We believe that we survived because we were living the Message of Fatima. We lived and prayed the Rosary daily in that home.”
To put into proper scientific perspective just how bewildering this survival tale is, consider the expert testimony of Dr. Stephen Rinehart, a nuclear physicist with the U.S. Department of Defense. He said, ‘Their residence should…have been utterly destroyed (temp; 2000 F and air blast pressures; 100 psi)…Unreinforced masonry or brick walls (representative of commercial construction) are destroyed at 3 psi, which will also cause car damage and burst windows. At 10 psi, a human will experience severe lung and heart damage, burst eardrums and at 20 psi your limbs can be blown off.
Your head will be blown off by 40 psi and no residential or unreinforced commercial construction would be left standing. At 80 psi even reinforced concrete is heavily damaged and no human would be alive because your skull would be crushed. All the cotton clothes would be on fire at 350 F (probably at 275 F) and your lungs would be inoperative within a minute breathing air (even for a few seconds) at these temperatures.’
At 2:45 am on August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off from a small Island in the Pacfic. This was the B-29 bomber carrying the Atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima Japan. In an instant ½ million people were killed. But something miraculous occurred that day.
Just eight blocks from where the bomb dropped, there was a Catholic Church and attached to that Church was the rectory where Jesuit priests lived. When the bomb hit, the Church and everything around was totally flattened, annihilated, but the home of the Jesuits was untouched. It was in this house that these priests devoutly prayed the rosary every day.
This is known as the rosary miracle of Hiroshima. Seventy years later there is still no explanation how they weren’t killed when the bomb hit.
Not only were they not killed, but they had no radiation sickness, they never lost any hearing or had any long-term defects.
Mary protected her sons. miracle. Today we celebrate the Feast of Mary Mother of God. This feast really tells us more about Jesus than Mary. All the feasts of Christmas are helping us identify who this baby is that was born in Bethlehem. By calling Mary the Mother of God, we are identifying Jesus as true God. Jesus is God and Mary is his mother, so she is the Mother of God.
St. Cyril of Alexandria wrote in the early 400’s, “I have been amazed that some are utterly in doubt as to whether or not the holy Virgin is able to be called the Mother of God. For if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how should the holy Virgin who bore him not be the Mother of God?" (Letter to the Monks of Egypt 1 [A.D. 427]) The council of Ephesus in 431 declared that true Christians recognize Mary as Mother of God – The Theotokos – which means the God bearer. God came into the world through Mary.
Now, this is the Good News for all of us: not only is Mary the Mother of Jesus, but Mary is our Mother! Remember on the cross, Jesus said to the beloved disciple, “Behold your mother.” And to his mother: “Behold your son.” Who is the beloved disciple? Each one of us is called to be a beloved disciple of the Lord.
Jesus entrusted his mother to each one of us and the bible says the Beloved Disciple took Mary into his home.
We too are to invite Mary into our homes.
We are to have a relationship with Mary and place ourselves under her mantle.
As we get to know Jesus’ mother and the saints, they give us new insights into Christ and enhance our relationship with him. In closing, one way we grow in our relationship with Mary and also meditate on the life of Jesus is by praying the rosary. The Church asks us especially on New Year’s Day to pray the rosary for peace in our world. Make the rosary be a part of your daily prayer life. This is a beautiful way to place ourselves under Mary’s mantle like those Jesuit priests in Hiroshima, Japan. We too can be assured of Mary’s mother care and protection.
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