Apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima

Place of apparitions

The choice of Fatima as the site of Our Lady's apparitions is not accidental – it has profound symbolic meaning. Let's consider what Our Lady wants to convey to us through this small Portuguese town.
It's worth beginning our reflection with the name Fatima itself. A legend associated with it says that the city owes its name to the noblest daughter of an Arab prince. Furthermore, it's worth noting that Fatima was also the name of the daughter of Muhammad, the prophet and founder of Islam.

The Legend of Fatima
In 1158 (according to an old chronicle), when Portugal south of the Tagus was still under Muslim rule, a magnificent procession of sumptuously dressed Arab maidens and knights set out from the castle of Alcàcer for Sal on the morning of June 24th, heading towards the Sado River to celebrate the feast of St. John. They were traveling happily when they were unexpectedly ambushed by a band of Portuguese horsemen led by a certain "Plague Eater" (Traga Moiros), Don Gonçal Hermingues, feared by everyone in the area. The procession was suddenly ambushed and scattered. Most of the horsemen were killed in the courageous fight, while the rest, along with several maidens, were kidnapped and taken to Santarèm, where Don Alfonso Henriques, founder of the Portuguese monarchy, was at war with the Crescent. After hearing the praise of his knights' valor, the king asked the captain what his reward would be. "I have the honor of serving you, my lord. And in memory of this day, I dare ask for Fatima's hand in marriage." Fatima was the noblest of maidens, daughter of Valì di Alcàcer. "So be it," the monarch replied, "provided, however, that the maiden converts to the holy Faith and wishes to be your wife." Fatima agreed. She was well-taught the catechism and baptized Oureana. The couple's marriage was solemnized, and as a wedding gift, the king gave Don Gonçalo the town of Abdegas, which from that day on was called Oureana, and today Ourém. The years of constant battles with the Crescent quickly passed. Oureana died in the prime of life, and the knight Don Gonçalo, inconsolable in his grief, sought solace in the Faith and donned the habit of a monk of St. Francis. Bernard at the Abbey of Alcobaça, which had just been built by King Alfonso, thirty kilometers from Ourém. A few years later, the abbot of the monastery ordered the remains of Ouréana's deceased to be transferred to a village six kilometers from Ourém, where he ordered the construction of a church and a small monastery in honor of Our Lady. From that day on, the village took the name Fátima.

Comparing the Virtues of Mary and Fatima
Comparing Mary with Fatima, we notice that both possessed similar virtues:

Both Mary and Fatima were pure of heart. In legend, Fatima is described as the noblest of the daughters of the Duke of Valì di Alcàcera.
They were both single.
Both uttered the words "Let it be done to me" - in Mary's case it was consent to God's Will, and in Fatima's case, consent to the request of the King of Portugal.

Additionally, certain episodes from their lives overlap. If we look at the legend through the prism of symbols, we see interesting parallels, making the following associations:

The King of Portugal symbolizes God,
Christian Portugal represents the Kingdom of God,
Fatima symbolizes Mary,
The royal messenger carrying the message to Fatima symbolizes God's messenger, the Archangel who brings the message to Mary,
The captain of the royal army, husband of Fatima, symbolizes St. Joseph, husband of Mary.

If we reread the legend of Fatima, substituting the above biblical figures, we will see that the stories of Fatima and Mary are remarkably similar.

The first thing that catches our attention is Fatima's origins. Fatima was a Muslim princess, and her conversion to Christianity, a condition for marrying the commander of the royal army, occurred only with her free consent, through baptism.
In the case of Mary, we note that there is virtually no information in Holy Scripture regarding her genealogy. Considering the legend of Fatima, which did not originate in Christian circles, we can assume that Mary also did not descend from the tribe of the children of Israel, as the story parallels.
This entire comparison, of course, falls within the realm of faith—some may believe in them, others may not. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the similarities between the biblical verses referring to Our Lady and the legend of Fatima are truly surprising. Furthermore, the Fatima apparitions were, in a sense, confirmed by the great "Miracle of the Sun," which was witnessed by thousands of people. Therefore, it can be assumed that Mary, through the legend of Fatima, wishes to tell us something more about herself. What took place in Fatima was not a random event, but an event planned for centuries, as the legend itself indicates – it was created centuries ago to prepare the ground for the later Apparitions of Our Lady.

Our Lady of Nettles
The apparitions that took place in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 were preceded by the Apparitions of "Our Lady of Nettles" in 1758, also in Fatima. Although these were not as widespread as those in Fatima, their message heralded the coming of something greater. Our Lady then appeared to a mute shepherdess, to whom she restored her voice. This event was to herald that Portugal would soon become God's herald to the whole world, in accordance with the words of Isaiah: "A voice crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord .
Shortly after the miraculous healing of the mute shepherdess, a statue of Our Lady was found at the site of the apparitions. After an attempt to move it to a nearby church, it mysteriously returned to the same spot, nestled among the nettles. Nettles, as the plant on which Our Lady appeared, play a crucial role here. The nettle does not lose its green color year-round, and anyone who touches it is stung.
During all apparitions, Our Lady appears among thorny trees and shrubs, whose leaves persist throughout the year. This method of apparition echoes Moses, to whom the Spirit of God appeared in a thorn bush. The thorn bush symbolizes the Cherubim who guards access to the Tree of Life. Therefore, since Our Lady always appears surrounded by Cherubim, it means that She is the Tree of Life.
Our Lady also appeared in a thorny bush during the apparitions at the Cova de Iria in Fatima in 1917. It was a holly called ilex , a dwarf variety of oak. Its main feature is its leaves, which persist year-round. They are dark green, with wavy, prickly edges.
In a similar way, following the pattern of the apparition in which the Spirit of God appeared to Moses, he built the Tent of Knowledge. The boards surrounding the Tent were made of acacia wood, characterized by its large thorns. These boards were meant to symbolize both the thornbush and the Cherubim, and constituted the outer part of the Temple, into which the Spirit of God himself descended in a cloud. The fence of the outer court and the covering of the Tent symbolize this cloud, while the lampstand with seven lamps in the Temple of God alludes to the rainbow, a symbol of God's covenant with Noah.
Essentially, all Marian apparitions take place in a similar manner and are a reference to the Mosaic apparition. Mary, carrying the Spirit of God within her, carried on a cloud and surrounded by a light that does not burn, descends into a thorny plant, symbolizing the Cherubim.

Miracle of the Sun

Let's consider the true nature of the "Miracle of the Sun" experienced by those present at the Cova da Iria in Fatima. It was undoubtedly intended to confirm the authenticity of the Marian apparitions, but more importantly, it carries a deeper symbolism, referring to the inviolable principle God established on earth when Adam and Eve decided to go their own way, despite the Father's admonition. This principle states that no soul will enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless it learns to distinguish good from evil and is guided by goodness in its earthly life.

Spinning Sword

Gen 3:21-24.

2,21. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and clothed them.
2,22. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become as one of us, in the knowledge of good and evil. And now perhaps he will reach out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, that he may live forever.
2.23. And the everlasting God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
2:24 So he drove out the man. And he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and a flaming, whirling sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life .

Most Catholic Bible translations, likely due to a lack of full understanding of the text, do not include the words "flaming, whirling sword." The arbitrary translation of God's Word, and even worse, its misinterpretation, prevents it from fully conveying its depth. The absence of terms like "whirling" or "thorny," means that events like those that occurred at Fatima remain misunderstood to this day. The above passage comes from the Book of Genesis, contained in the Five Books of Moses, in Parshat Bereishit, which best captures the original.
The "miracle of the whirling sun" is therefore a symbol of the whirling, fiery sword of the Cherubim. However, it was not the only element of the Miracle at Fatima; it was only one part of a larger event – the arrival of God's procession in its full glory, surrounded by Cherubim. The Book of Ezekiel contains a detailed description of this procession, along with the phenomena accompanying its arrival.

Ezek 1:4-28.

1,4. I looked, and behold, a whirlwind had risen in the north and was approaching, and with it a great cloud. It shone with brilliance on all sides, and fire was issuing from it. Deep within was seen what appeared to be an alloy of gold and silver, immersed in the fire and glowing with coals.
1,5. Inside, the shapes of four living creatures could be seen. This was their appearance: all of them had a visible resemblance to humans,
1,6. Each had four faces and each had four wings.
1,7. Their legs were straight, their feet hovering in the air, gleaming like polished brass. Their wings were very agile.
1,8. Below the wings, on all four sides, were human hands. The faces of these four beings,
1,9. as they moved, they did not turn around. Each one went straight ahead.
1,10. Their faces were like this: the face of a man, and all four of them had the face of a lion on the right side, all four had the face of a calf on the left side, and all four had the face of an eagle.
1,11. Their wings were spread over all four: with each creature two wings touched the others, and with two each of them weakened its body.
1,12. Each creature moved straight ahead. Whichever direction the vortex took, they followed without turning.
1,13. Among these animated beings there appeared to be coals of fire, something like torches and embers of fire turning among them, and flashes of light were coming out of the fire.
1,14. These living creatures ran and returned at lightning speed.
1,15. Next to each of these four living creatures I saw one wheel standing on the ground.
1,16. The wheels looked as if they were made of beryllium, all alike, as one. Their structure was as if each wheel were within a single wheel.
1,17. These beings moved in all four directions, and as they went forward, they did not turn back.
1,18. Likewise, the backs of the wheels were high. I noticed that all four of their bells, on all sides, were covered with eyes.
1,19. When the creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures lifted themselves from the ground, the wheels also rose.
1,20. Wherever there was a cloud, there was also a whirlwind, causing movement. Creatures moved, and the wheels rose with them, for the breath of Life was in those wheels.
1,21. Therefore, when they moved, they moved; when they stopped, they stopped; when they rose from the earth, they rose with them, because in those wheels was the breath of Life.
1,22. Above the heads of these living creatures there was seen something like the firmament of heaven, having the appearance of crystal, stretched out above their wings.
1,23. Their wings were spread out in the firmament, moving one in unison with the other. Two of them were folded, covering the body of each.
1,24. I also heard the flapping of their wings as they flew. It was like the roar of great water. When they stopped, their wings stopped flapping.
1,25. Suddenly, voices were heard in the firmament above their heads.
1,26. And there was seen there what appeared to be a throne of jasper, and on this throne there was a figure resembling a man.
1,27. I saw above what looked like loins something like an alloy of gold and silver, and below, down to the bottom, something like fire that cast a glow all around.
1:28 And something like a rainbow that appears on a cloud during rain was shining around the figure. And what was seen was like the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard the voice of someone speaking.

Symbolic Meaning of Elements of God's Procession.
It is worth noting at the outset that the elements of God's procession in Ezekiel's vision are primarily symbolic. God seeks to communicate with humanity through symbolism, which aims to convey Truths concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us therefore consider the hidden message this vision conveys. Ezekiel's vision consists of two superimposed images: God's fiery chariot and the Tent of Knowledge of God, into which this chariot descends. Let us first describe God's fiery chariot. The Ark of the Covenant has four rings, which are used for its movement and symbolize its wheels. The Ark is therefore a four-wheeled chariot, upon which is located the mercy seat, which is also the throne upon which God Himself sits. The four cherubim here act as a pulling force, responsible for moving the chariot according to God's Will and protect access to the Tree of Life. The chariot's spinning fiery wheels, equipped with swords on their outer edges, symbolize the spinning fiery swords of the cherubim.
When we look at the tribe of Levites, whom God appointed through Moses to take charge of the Tent of Knowledge, including carrying the Ark of the Testimony, it becomes obvious that the tribe of Levites served as cherubim. Furthermore, the name "Levites" translates as "army," further emphasizing their role in this symbolic comparison. The cherubim's four faces symbolize their prowess. Their faces represent the four most powerful beings on earth in one person, signifying that nothing and no one can defeat them. The eyes around their faces inform us that nothing escapes their notice—nothing can slip between them. Meanwhile, the glowing fiery coals correspond to the lightning bolts, which symbolize the swords in the cherubim's hands. The wings of the cherubim, moving, create a wind that propels God's chariot across the sky. God's retinue is hidden from human eyes in a cloud. Let us now turn to the Tent of Knowledge of God. Its enclosure alludes to the cloud into which God descends in his chariot. Inside, surrounding God's throne are the seven Spirits of God in rainbow colors, corresponding to the Menorah in the Temple.

Through the Apparitions of Our Lady, God wishes to convey to us that She is the Biblical Tree of Life, whose Fruit is Her Son, Jesus Christ. It is through Him that God gives humanity eternal life. Jesus is the One who leads us to purity and holiness. However, regardless of religion, if any person learns to live a life of goodness, God will do everything to bring them to Christianity—as was the case in the legend of the Muslim princess named Fatima. Importantly, the Cherubim only protect access to the Tree of Life, according to God's Word, and are not used to punish humanity on earth. The Cherubim's fire only burns those who attempt to enter God's Temple without being pure, as was the case with Aaron's two sons and the priests of Baal. The Cherubim Fire is only a symbolic image of God's Truth, which says that nothing unclean will enter the New Zion being built in Heaven, regardless of whether it is a priest of God or a layperson.

The Eye of the Needle
It is worth recalling Jesus' parable of the eye of the needle here, because it is connected with the Cherubim, which God placed to guard the access to the Tree of Life.

Mark 10:20-27

10.20. And he answered him, Master, all these I have kept from my youth.
10.21. And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and said unto him, Thou lackest one thing: go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
10.22. And being grieved at this saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions.
10.23. And Jesus, looking round, said to his disciples: How hard it is for those who have money to enter the kingdom of God!
10.24. And the disciples were astonished at his words: and Jesus answered them again, saying: Children, how hard it is to enter into the kingdom of God.
10.25. It is easier for a camel to go through the hole of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
10.26. And they marveled even more, saying to themselves, Then who can be saved?
10.27. After looking at them, Jesus says: With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible.

The heart of a man who possessed many possessions was more attached to these possessions than to God. And where your heart is, there your treasure is also. The eye of the needle symbolizes the gate to heaven, through which, without God's permission, nothing can penetrate. Surrounding the gate to the Kingdom of Heaven are the Cherubim, forming an impenetrable cordon through which no one and nothing can pass. The camel, according to Mosaic law, is considered an unclean animal because it lacks cloven hooves. It therefore symbolizes sinners. Through this parable, Jesus conveys what was one of the central messages of His mission on earth: a sinner, even if his sins are as great as the "camel," will find it easier to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than a son of Israel who obeyed the Law from childhood but who, in reality, gave his heart to another god—the god of money. Sinners who follow Jesus and submit to His healing power not only learn to recognize evil and pursue good in their lives, but also believe in Jesus' divine origin. This connection grants them access to Eden, while still alive, in this body, which is merely a shell. If someone does not learn these truths before their death, without a body, they will have no opportunity for further learning. Such a soul goes to purgatory or hell, which symbolize its ultimate annihilation—there is no return from hell.
Although the children of Israel tried to obey God's Law, they lacked true love, on which all of the Law rests. As the prophet Daniel says in a vision given to him by God's angels, access to the Kingdom of God is granted to those who have been purified, cleansed, and tested. Purification refers to the teaching on sin, whitening is sanctification by God's Spirit, and testing is a test of whether a person has truly learned to pursue good in their lives. Jesus was a test of faith for the children of Israel, a stumbling block placed by God, upon which many fell. Simply put, they did not recognize the Voice of God speaking through Jesus, nor did they understand the characteristics of God's character revealed in His actions. Jesus required observance of the Law, but this Law included respect for others and love. Meanwhile, the Pharisees and scribes applied a harsh law, disregarding love and respect for others. Furthermore, the Jews betrayed God for the sake of the god of money, as reflected in the story of Judas, which refers to the tribe of Judah. The impurity of camels is primarily symbolic. Camels do not have cloven hooves, so their "feet" are not injured. When God clothes Adam, He does not provide him with sandals because Adam's feet are to suffer in service to God, working the land—that is, in the service of cleansing the earth of sin. Cleansed feet become a priestly attribute because they symbolically carry the Word of God. Furthermore, feet constitute the "foundation" upon which the entire human body, which is the Temple of God, rests. They must be strong so that the entire temple does not collapse, as happened in the dream God gave King Nebuchadnezzar. When Moses led the Chosen People through the wilderness for forty years, he cleansed their feet, in fact preparing them for their priestly role, which requires humility and purification from pride. Whoever does not suffer in this world loves this world and has no desire to change it.

Miracle of the Sun – witness accounts

Let us now examine the eyewitness accounts of the "Miracle of the Sun" that occurred at Fatima. Comparing these accounts with the Prophet Ezekiel's description of the vision, we see surprising similarities. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the miracle of the sun resulted from the arrival of God's procession. Although the procession was hidden within the cloud, the witnesses saw the multicolored hues of the rainbow shining through the clouds, emanating from God's procession. The spinning sun, in turn, symbolized the spinning sword of the cherubim.

"The sun radiated a variety of colors, yellow, blue, and white. It trembled constantly. It looked like a ball of fire about to fall on the crowd. As it moved toward the earth in a wide zigzag motion, the assembled crowd cried out in terror, 'Jesus, Jesus, we're all going to die here!' Some begged for mercy and repented of their sins."

"At one o'clock in the afternoon, the rain stopped. The sky turned pearly gray, and the gloomy landscape began to fill with a strange purity. The sun seemed to be covered with gauze, so that we could look straight at it without difficulty. The pearly gray hue gave way to a shimmering silver, and the sun's disk grew until it completely broke through the clouds. According to witnesses, the silver sun, still enveloped in a thin gray gauze, rotated and moved within the circle formed by the receding clouds. The crowds shouted in unison: Thousands of God's creatures, whom faith had lifted to Heaven, fell to their knees in the softened, muddy ground. Then the light turned blue, as if falling through the stained glass of a magnificent cathedral. Slowly the blue changed to yellow, as if filtered through yellow stained glass. Yellow rays fell on white scarves and dark skirts of raw wool. Spots of color wandered over oak trees, rocks, and hills. People sobbed and prayed with their heads uncovered, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the miracle."

"Suddenly a cry rose from their throats – Miracle, Miracle! Before the eyes of the astonished crowds – whose behavior brought to mind biblical times, and who, pale with fear, with bare heads, stared at the blue sky – the sun trembled and made movements that defied all the laws of physics; the sun danced, as the villagers unanimously described it."

"While I waited, silent and full of expectation, I looked around the apparition site with slowly gathering curiosity. Then I heard the murmur of a thousand voices. I saw a crowd stretching as far as the eye could see across a vast field. It was noon. The sun had broken through a thick layer of clouds. It shone brightly and intensely. I turned towards it. The sun looked like a shimmering, sparkling disc with a bright, clearly defined halo. It did not blind. Comparing its color to, as I later heard, dull silver does not seem right to me—the color was brighter, more vibrant, with the opalescent gleam of oriental pearls. The sun did not resemble the moon on a cloudless night. Everyone saw and felt that it was alive. It was not a sphere, nor was it uniform in color; rather, it looked like a small circle of mother-of-pearl. Nor could it be compared to the sun behind the clouds. The fog and rain had receded. The sun was not obscured, nor was its light diffused. It shone and was surrounded The sky was blue, with a small, faint rim of clouds. The sun was not obscured, and the clouds moved from west to east without obscuring the sun. They seemed to flow behind it, while those flowing in front of it changed color from pink to light blue. It was incredible that one could constantly look directly at the sun without risk of blinding. The phenomenon lasted about ten minutes, with two interruptions when the sun violently shot out lightning-like rays toward the crowd, forcing people to avert their eyes. The sun's movements were very strange. It didn't flicker like a celestial body, but rotated on its axis at an increasing speed. At one point, people screamed in terror—the spinning sun had suddenly detached itself from the sky and moved at great speed toward the earth. Burning and huge as a millstone, it could have crushed us—it was terrifying. Along with these solar phenomena, the sky changed colors. As I looked at the sun, everything around me darkened. I looked around me and toward the horizon—everything was bathed in an amethyst glow: the sky, the air, everyone. A small oak tree next to me cast an intense purple shadow on the ground. Fearing retinal damage—which wasn't likely, since I wouldn't have seen those purples—I turned and covered my eyes to block out all light. When I uncovered them, the landscape and the air were still saturated with a purple glow. There's no comparison to what was happening with an eclipse. As I gazed at the sun, I noticed the air had cleared and heard a surprised voice from a peasant: "That woman is yellow." And indeed, everything looked different; people looked as if they had jaundice. I smiled, seeing that the yellow glow made people look deformed and ugly. I looked at my hand—it was also yellow."

The first part of the mystery

"Saying the same words again, Mary spread out her hands once more, as she had done during the past two months. The ray seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a great sea of fire, which seemed to lie deep within the earth; we saw demons and souls immersed in this sea, like transparent, burning coals, black or brown, in human form, floating in the fire, carried by the flames that issued from them along with clouds of smoke, falling in all directions like sparks from great fires, deprived of weight and balance, amidst painful howls and groans of despair, so that we were terrified and trembled with fear. The demons had the terrible and disgusting shapes of disgusting, unknown animals, but they too were transparent and black. This sight lasted only a moment. Thanks be to our good Most Holy Mother, who had previously reassured us with the promise that she would take us to heaven. For if it were not so, I believe we would have died of fear and terror."

Let's consider what Mary wants to convey to us through the first part of the secret of Fatima. The most important message of this revelation is that hell exists, and all teachings that deny it are false. By revealing to us a vision of hell, Mary seeks to correct the errors that have imperceptibly crept into the teachings of the Church. The sole beneficiary of such teaching is Satan, who wants people to believe that hell does not exist. We must remember that Satan seeks to lead man to spiritual death. In this context, it is worth recalling the parable from the Gospel of Mark about the possessed Gadareńczuk.

Mk.5:2-17

5.1. And they went to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
5.2. And getting out of the boat, there came out of the tomb to Him a man in an unclean spirit,
5.3. whose dwelling was in the tombs, and no one could bind him,
5.4. for he had been bound with stocks and chains many times, and the chains were torn asunder by him, and the stocks broken in pieces, and no one could subdue him.
5.5. And night and day, while he was in the tomb, he cried out and cut himself with stones.
5.6. Seeing Jesus in the distance, he ran and worshiped Him.
5.7. And shouting with a loud voice, he said: What do you have against us, Jesus, Son of the Most High God, I adjure you by God not to torment me.
5.8. And Jesus said to him, Come out of this man, you unclean spirit!
5.9. And he asked him, "What is your name?" And the demon replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
5.10. And he begged Him earnestly not to send him outside the country.
5.11. And there was a large herd of pigs feeding nearby.
5.12.And they besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
5.13. And he let them, and when the unclean spirits had departed, they entered into the swine, and the herd went down the slope to the sea, about two thousand of them, and were drowned in the sea.
5.14. The herders fled and told stories in the city and in the fields, and everyone went out to see what had happened.
5.15. And they come to Jesus and see a man who was demon-possessed, sitting clothed and in his right mind, having a demon in him, and they were afraid,
5.16. when those who had seen it told them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and about the pigs.
5.17. And they began to beg Him to depart from their borders.

High intelligence distinguishes man from the animals. When Jesus casts an evil spirit out of a possessed Gadarenes, he allows him to enter a herd of pigs, which then rush straight toward a pit and perish in its depths. The pit into which the demon leads the herd is a symbolic image of hell. Many valuable lessons can be drawn from this parable. One of them is that demons act to bring about the death of their victims. A pig, like any other animal, is defenseless against them because it lacks the intellectual abilities of a human. The conclusion is that man resists sin with his spiritual strength, which is essentially the mind.
Let us consider how many demons actually possessed the Gadarenes. In the initial phase of Jesus' conversation with the demon, we can deduce that the man is possessed by a single demon. This perception changes only after Jesus asks the demon for its name, which is "Legion." From this point on, the demon begins to refer to itself in the plural. The question of the number of demons possessing the Gadarenes is crucial, especially in the context of the lesson that emerges from this event.
At first glance, the number of demons possessing the Gadarenes seems difficult to estimate. If we were guided by the name "Legion," which denotes a military formation consisting of five thousand soldiers, and the fact that the herd of pigs numbered two thousand animals, we might conclude that each pig was possessed by at least two demons. However, analyzing the text of St. Mark's Gospel and Jesus' own words, we will see that the Gadarenes were possessed by a single demon, a fact confirmed by the fact that Jesus always addresses him in the singular.
The Gadarenes broke the chains that bound him, and when they were freed, they beat themselves with stones at night. This description suggests that the demon possessed only his hands. If his legs had been under control, he likely would have ended up like the pig that, lacking full control of its legs, jumped into the abyss. It also doesn't seem possible for a person to have more demons than members of the body, which is also consistent with the teachings of Mark's Gospel.

Mark 9:1-2

9,1And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.
9,2. where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

The above parable suggests that a single demon can inhabit a single body member, represented by a worm eating a fruit—a symbol of the human soul. The parable of the Gadarene ambiguously ambiguously indicates whether one hand or both were possessed. However, since Jesus addresses the demon in the singular, it should be assumed that he is referring to a single demon possessing both of the Gadarene's hands.
Furthermore, Mark, the evangelist, describing the Gadarene dwelling in a tomb, symbolically confirms the teaching of these verses, indicating that a single demon is enough to prevent a person from entering life. The grave signifies death, and since the Gadarene had only one demon, this was sufficient to prevent him from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, it would be better to cut off the Gadarene's hands than to allow him to perish entirely. We're moving into the realm of symbolism here, and the Gadarenes simply had unclean hands that prevented salvation.
The question arises: if the Gadarenes had a single demon within them, why did all the pigs jump into the abyss? This brings us to the heart of the matter. The demon entered one pig, the one with the greatest authority in the herd, to lead all the others to death. This is where the true meaning of this parable emerges: one bad leader is enough to lead a large group of people astray. Such misguidance can be the teaching one preaches. We should always be aware that erroneous teaching can lead a person's soul to death.
However, we should not jump to conclusions, assuming that someone is deliberately trying to mislead others. The reason can only be a misunderstanding of a certain issue. When it comes to the Church, the highest authority should be God Himself, who speaks to us through His Saints and the Holy Scriptures—it is He who should be adhered to. In many of her apparitions, Our Lady asks us to pray for priests, whose ministry carries enormous responsibility—sometimes decisive for the life and death of a person's soul.
One of the goals of Jesus' mission was to establish new priests on earth, preaching the Truth from God, because the truth of this world is largely false. The message of the Parable of the Gadarenes applies to all human leaders. One dictator or a small group of people is enough to lead almost an entire nation toward the cruelty of war.
The teaching of the Parable of the Gadarenes is reflected in the Fatima Apparitions. The vision shows a bishop dressed in white leading all the people up a mountain where they are killed. As previously mentioned, it is erroneous for priests to proclaim that hell does not exist, a teaching contradicted by the first part of the Fatima Secret. It is possible that the demon who called himself Legion used the plural to emphasize his membership in a larger group of demons with one common goal—to lead souls to death. Moreover, legionaries are soldiers whose job is to kill. Luther taught that only faith in God matters, and that sin is irrelevant, while sin is closely linked to faith. Adam and Eve lived as long as they obeyed the Father of Life and Truth. However, when they obeyed the Father of sin and death, they died. Although Adam and Eve believed in God, they nevertheless experienced death. Luther, therefore, failed to properly understand the concept of "faith," because it refers not only to belief in the existence of God, but also to faith in His Word. If someone believes in God's Word, they automatically believe in His existence. However, if someone does not believe in God's Word, they do not believe in the True God, but in some false idol. Luther's teachings not only led him to spiritual death but also those who followed his path, just as Eve led to Adam's death. For this reason, Luther was a bad guide for human souls. Through the apparitions in Turzovka, Slovakia, God, through Mary, seeks to explain that when faith in God's Word disappears, sin and, consequently, death appear. When, during the apparition, the color green, symbolizing faith, disappears on the world map, yellow appears, symbolizing dryness and sin, ultimately leading to death. The first part of the mystery is directly related to its third part, in which a bishop dressed in white, a prominent figure among the people, leads everyone to the mountain where death awaits. Every priest must be aware of the gravity of this situation and remember that God's Word is Holy and unquestionable by any human being. The claim that hell does not exist is not science, but anti-science—it is taking the easy way out, because why bother making any effort if everyone will go to heaven anyway? Such teaching is a denial of the priestly ministry, whose mission is to cleanse people of sin and offer sacrifice to God. The mission of God's priests is to save souls from hell, and if there is no hell, then there is nothing to save them from. In the third part of the vision, everyone on the mountain perishes, regardless of whether they are priests or laypeople. All were led there by false teaching, negligence, and disregard for God. All climbed the mountain despite having no right to do so, given their spiritual state. Nevertheless, those at the rear of the procession, led by the priest in white, sinned against God unknowingly. Here we come to one of the messages of the Fatima apparitions, which will be the subject of our reflections later.

Hell and the second part of the secret of Fatima

"You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I tell you is done, many souls will be saved, peace will be established in the world. The war will end. But if you do not stop offending God, a second, worse war will begin during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see heaven illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is a great sign that God gives you, that he will punish the world for its crimes, through war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father. To prevent this, I will come to demand the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the offering of Holy Communion on the first Saturdays of the month in reparation. If people fulfill my wishes, Russia will convert and peace will reign; if not, Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will suffer greatly, many nations will be destroyed. will be destroyed, and in the end My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, which will be converted, and a time of peace will come to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved."

Let's examine the image of hell presented in the first part of the vision and consider what we can glean from it. When the children of Israel offered animal sacrifices to God, they burned the fat as a pleasing aroma. The fat of the sacrifices symbolizes souls, and here we mean human souls, not animal souls. The ritual of animal sacrifice was to be symbolically transferred to humans. Through this ritual, God wanted to convey that one of the priests' primary duties was to cleanse people from sin so that their souls could attain salvation. Priests were to offer God only pure sacrifices, meaning they had to be free from all defects in every member. The sacrifices could not be blind, lame, or damaged. In the context of humans, this meant cleansing all their members from the sins they commit through them.
Furthermore, the entrails of the sacrifices were to be washed with water after ritual slaughter. In the case of humans, this refers to the cleansing of the heart from all impurities, because every sin originates in the human heart, in the mind. Only a sacrifice that fully complied with ritual commandments was pleasing to God. The Mosaic Law cleansed the external aspect of man, while the Law of Jesus addressed the internal aspect, that is, the human heart. The Law of Christ is not a negation of the Mosaic Law, but its complement. According to Christ, the Law should be respected with love—something, unfortunately, the children of Israel lacked. Man was not created for the Law, but the Law for man, to shape him.
The fat of the sacrifices symbolizes the soul, which, to ascend to God as smoke, had to be burned in the Fire of God. This fire symbolizes the Spirit of God, which in Christ refers to His Blood. Blood gives life, and those who possess the Blood of Christ will inherit the Kingdom of God. All have blood, but those who worship earthly idols have within them the spirit of death, which does not grant eternal life. In the vision of hell, although souls are burned, they do not ascend upwards but descend like sparks. The souls of these unfortunates burn in the wrong fire because they carry within them the corrupted blood of Satan. Their fragrance is directed towards their father, who rejoices in this fragrance. This vision reveals that there is no escape from hell. The only salvation for the soul is an attempt to convert it while still in the body. All wars cause the sudden death of many people driven by violence, and therefore possessing an evil spirit within them, and such souls are on the path to eternal damnation. Through the vision of hell, Mary seeks to warn us against World War II and communism, ideologies filled with the evil spirit, which are creations of Satan. The vision shows demons in two colors: blood and black. The color of blood refers to communist Russia, and black to Nazi Germany. The black, glowing embers in which human souls burn symbolize Satan's fiery "chariots," which have swords on their wheels, perfectly reflecting the swastika – Hitler's emblem. The hellfire from the first part of the Secret of Fatima also recalls the "torchlight marches" organized by the Nazis. The swastika originates from sun-related symbolism, which has been present in the world for thousands of years. However, it was adopted by the Nazis, who modified it to appear to rotate on its axis. The swastika was rotated forty-five degrees and placed in a circle, gaining in expressiveness through the use of specific colors and simple shapes. This symbol represents a rotating sword, similar to those found on the outer wheels of chariots moving through a sea of fire. The vision of hell represents the coming of dark days for the world, which were World War II. Some of the phenomena that occurred at Fatima during the "Miracle of the Whirling Sun" referred to the spinning sword of the Cherubim. Hitler's swastika also alluded to the spinning sword described in the Book of Ezekiel, although this time the sword belonged to Satan. Hitler tried every possible way to imitate his symbolism with religious symbolism, thus building a legend of his country as God's chosen nation. Lucia wrote down all parts of the vision after Hitler broke out in war, meaning he could not have known of the Cherubim Prophecy that foretold its coming.

Ez 1:13 and glowing fire appeared among them

Cherub Prophecy

The Secret of Fatima contains a prophecy about the coming days of darkness, which were to come as a result of World War II. The cherub, holding a sword in his left hand, from which sparks fly towards the earth, symbolizes the Nazis, who wore the emblem of a spinning sword – the swastika – on their left arm. Furthermore, the Nazis held torches in their left hands during torchlight marches, which, combined with the swastika, represented a spinning fiery sword. We see how important the apparitions at Fatima were for humanity. Had people correctly interpreted these secrets and followed Our Lady's words, many wars could have been avoided.
The cherub's right hand, extended towards the earth, and his three-fold utterance of the word "penance," point to the one who would bring penance to the world – Adolf Hitler. The Nazis honored their leader by raising their right hand in the same manner. The threefold utterance of the word "penance" symbolizes three wars, the third of which, according to Mary, was connected to Russia. Undoubtedly, the first part of the Secret of Fatima reveals hell, which was pictured to us in the material world thanks to World War II and Satan's legions – the Nazi armies.
A world that itself causes wars, listening to Satan's whispers, could have prevented these events by turning its face towards God through Mary. It was enough to fulfill what God asked through Mary.
When Mary stretches out her hand, she obscures the fire of the Cherubim issuing from his sword.
Chariots equipped with swords on wheels were intended to amputate legs – which in the Bible symbolize God's Messengers. Legs were identified with God's servants who carried the Word of God on their feet. We can thus see the profound symbolism at work here.
Hitler sought to adopt biblical symbolism, identifying himself and his nation with the chosen people, whose status, according to the Old Testament, belonged to the Jews. For this reason, Hitler, a tool in the hands of Satan, decided to exterminate as many Jews as possible, because they stood in the way of Nazi Germany's imagined transformation into a chosen nation.
There is no doubt that the plan to exterminate the Jews was developed even before the outbreak of the war and paralleled the creation of symbolism, including the swastika. It borrows biblical symbolism, to which the entire Nazi ideology refers. To better illustrate this point, a brief commentary will be placed under the verses from the Book of Ezekiel from which Nazi ideology drew its symbolism.

Ezekiel 1:7-19; 1:23-26

1:7 Their legs were straight, and their feet were like calves' feet, shining like polished bronze.
This verse refers to the march of Hitler's troops, which marched in a characteristic manner, with straight legs, almost floating in the air, and their shoes gleaming with a high shine.
1:8. They had human hands under their wings on all four sides. The faces of these four creatures –
the emblem of the Third Reich was a black eagle, holding a circular wreath in its talons. The emblem is a reference to the Cherubim, who had a wheel under his feet. From beneath the Cherubim's wings protruded human hands, which allude to Nazi soldiers.
1.9. Their wings were pressed against each other—they didn't turn as they moved; each marched straight ahead.
The characteristic marching style of the Third Reich's troops was close-knit. The soldiers walked side by side, facing the same direction.
1:10 And their faces were like this: each of the four had the face of a man on the right side and the face of a lion, and on the left side each of the four had the face of an ox and the face of an eagle.
1.11. and their wings were spread upward; two were pressed against each other, and two covered their bodies.
At all parades, the Third Reich's coat of arms was placed behind Hitler, depicting a black eagle holding a wreath with a swastika in its talons. The eagle was always on a platform, its wings spread above everyone.
1:12. Each one moved straight ahead; they went where the spirit led them; they did not turn around as they walked.
All the Nazi soldiers participating in the parades turned their faces in one and the same direction, toward Hitler, who commanded them, symbolizing the spirit that guided them.
1:13. In the midst of the living creatures there appeared what looked like burning coals of fire, like torches, moving among the living creatures. The fire cast a bright light, and lightning flashed from the fire.
This verse refers to torchlight marches. Soldiers of the Third Reich, during the parade, held torches in one hand.
1.14. Living creatures ran back and forth as if lightning were flashing.
The SS troops had an emblem with two lightning bolts, referring to the blitzkrieg.
1:15
I looked at the living creatures, and behold, beside each of the four living creatures was a wheel on the ground. The emblem of the Third Reich is based on this verse: a black eagle holding in its talons a wreath containing a swastika, referring to a spinning sword.
1:16 The appearance of these wheels was like the polish of tarshish, and all four had the same appearance, as if they were made so that one wheel was within the other.
Each soldier had the same swastika on his shoulder. They were as one. They all marched and looked the same.
1:17 They could go in all four directions, and when they went, they did not turn back as they went.
1:18 Their bands were enormous; I looked at them, and behold, the bands of all four were full of eyes all around.
Since the armies of the Third Reich were composed of men, they had hands and eyes like any other human being.
1:19 And when the living creatures advanced, the wheels advanced with them, and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose with them.
Each soldier had a swastika on his shoulder, so the "wheel" moved with them in whatever direction they marched.
1:23. Their wings were raised up under the vault, one next to the other; each had two wings, covering its body.
During parades, all the soldiers marched evenly in the same manner.
1:24. And as they walked, I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a deafening sound like the din of a soldiers' camp; but when they stood, their wings were lowered.
The soldiers of the Third Reich marched in the same characteristic manner. As they struck the ground with their feet, a "beating of wings" could be heard.
1,25. A voice was heard from the firmament above their heads; as they stood, their wings were lowered.
1:26 Above the firmament above their heads was something that looked like sapphire, shaped like a throne, and on it was the outline of a man's figure.
During the parades, Hitler was on a stage, seated as if on a throne, above all the soldiers. From this stage he addressed the people and his troops.

Penalty

The messages conveyed during the Fatima apparitions say that if people do not cease offending God, they will face punishment in the form of war, famine, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. So what is this punishment, and who is administering it? We can find answers to these questions in the Book of Zechariah and the Book of Revelation. There are two paths: one can obey God, the Father, or, by choosing Satan's path, experience firsthand the consequences of sin and the decisions they make.
Adam and Eve faced this choice: they could obey the Father or choose a different path. As we know, they chose to follow Satan, and the consequence was suffering and death, not forgetting that they had been deceived by Satan. The Fatima vision presents a similar dilemma: either people allow themselves to be guided by God, the Father, who knows the path to goodness, or they allow themselves to be deceived by Satan and follow the path of sin, whose father is Satan, experiencing firsthand a world filled with war, famine, and death. This world is flawed; it cannot, at least for now, independently make good decisions that benefit the whole. Everyone looks out for their own interests, creating their own separate world, while the entire world is one body. If we only care for one hand, the dirt from unwashed parts of our bodies will contaminate the rest. Let us therefore apply the vision of Fatima to the story of the biblical Adam and Eve. God tells Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, because they will die if they do. In Fatima, God, through Mary, who is the Tree of Life, tells us what to do to live. In the first case, God desires that Adam and Eve retain the blessings of Paradise, and in the second, that they return to it. Only this information is important to us, because everything material will perish. Therefore, we must know what to do to live.
After eating from the tree of death, Adam and Eve experienced a part of the "Apocalypse of St. John," which the entire world experiences daily because sin reigns in the world. If there were no sin in the world, as there was in Paradise, we would enjoy its benefits, love, and joy. Sin is therefore a punishment that man inflicts upon himself, because if he were good, Satan could not act through his members.
The Revelation of John and Zechariah is inscribed in the fate of this earth and will sooner or later be fully fulfilled, regardless of man. Despite this, God strives in every way to counteract this, offering us His helping hand. To avoid sinking, it is enough to listen to Him. Punishment is therefore the result of the actions of man himself and the spirit of this world, which exercises power on earth.
The vision of Fatima itself is only part of the fulfillment of the Apocalypse and reveals the consequences of rejecting God's hand. God sees everything and knows where the world is heading. Let us therefore consider what punishment consists of and who carries it out, drawing on the Book of Zechariah. It is important to remember that the lord of this world is Satan, the spirit representing all that is evil on earth. Every sin committed by man is an act of Satan's will. God, if man listens to Him, can prevent the spirit of this world from doing evil by giving man a new spirit. This is possible only through man, just as Satan's actions can only occur through people.
Punishment, therefore, comes from Satan, who seeks destruction—such is his sinful nature. The execution of this punishment, however, is carried out by sinful man, controlled by the spirit of Satan. Satan leads to the death of those who listen to him. However, by purifying man, God thwarts Satan's plans, depriving him of the ability to act.

For 3.1-10

3:1 He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and the accuser standing at his right hand to accuse .
3,2. The Lord said to the accuser, "The Lord rebuke you, O accuser! Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is she not like a brand plucked out of the fire?"
3,3. Now Joshua was clothed in unclean garments as he stood before the angel.
3,4. And he answered and said to them that stood before him, saying, "Take off these unclean garments from him." And to him himself he said, "See, I take away your iniquity from you, and clothe you with garments of honor."
3,5. And I said, Let a clean turban be put on his head. And they put the clean turban on his head, and clothed him with the garments. And the angel of the Lord was still standing there.
3,6. And the angel of the Lord spoke to Joshua, and said:
3,7.Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in My ways and keep My charge, and judge My house and keep My courts, then I will give you access to those who stand here.
3,8. Hear therefore, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you—for they are men of divination—for behold, I will bring a branch for My servant.
3,9. Behold, this stone which I have set before Yehoshua, seven eyes shall look upon this one stone; behold, I myself will engrave an inscription upon it, saith the Lord of hosts: I will remove the iniquity of this land in one day.
3,10. From this day forward, saith the Lord of hosts, ye shall call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree.

The above verses depict Zechariah's vision, shown to him by the Angel of God. Yehoshua's garments were stained with sin, which constituted proof of his guilt and condemned him to death. However, God forgave his sins and clothed him in clean garments. This gesture demonstrates that God seeks to cleanse the world of sin and is not the one who accuses and imposes punishment. The accuser and the one who imposes punishment is Satan, who by every means tries to prove to God that the world, like Yehoshua, deserves only death. Zechariah's vision, further on, is a prophecy about Jesus Christ, the stone given to us by God, on which seven eyes will be fixed, representing the seven spirits of God, the light of the Menorah, the rainbow emanating from the Temple of God. Jesus is to remove the sin of the earth "in one day." However, this is not our earthly, literal day, but an entire "age" in which the purification of humanity will take place. When God created the world, each of the six stages of its construction lasted one day. Similarly, the day of the removal of sins from the world echoes the stages of God's creation. While God rested after the six days of creation, on the seventh day His Son, Daughter, and all the Saints labor. We are all therefore now in an era of purification, followed by the eighth day—the day of resurrection.
The outcome of this purification, however, depends on whether the Church and humanity cooperate with God and His Saints. As the example of Fatima demonstrates, this is not a clear-cut matter. The Church rejected the Word of God given at Fatima, just as Adam and Eve rejected God's command in Paradise.

Zec 3:9 Behold, this stone which I have set before Yehoshua, and seven eyes shall look upon this one stone : behold, I will engrave an inscription upon it, saith the Lord of hosts: I will remove the iniquity of this land in one day.

When we talk about punishment and its source, it is worth referring to another vision of Zechariah:

For 1.7-11

1,7. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Idi the prophet, saying:
1:8 I saw in the night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he stopped among the myrtle trees in the valley, and behind him were red, brown, and white horses.
1,9. And when I asked, "What do these mean to you, Lord?" the angel who spoke with me answered, "I will show you what they mean to you."
1,10. Then the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord has sent to walk about the earth.
1,11. And they spake unto the angel of the Lord, which stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked upon the earth, and behold, all the earth lieth in peace and quiet.

Satan and his troops emerge from a valley, symbolizing hell beneath the earth. God may permit certain actions of Satan to reveal his sin to the world. If people were good, Hitler would not have gained such a following among the Germans and other nations, whose sin led them to ruin. This is similar to the parable of the demoniac in Gerasa, where a demon led a herd of pigs to their death. The pig is considered an unclean animal because it consumes meat with blood, which symbolizes an alien spirit. This animal symbolizes a person who is filled with a false god, and it is precisely because of this idol, the false prophet, that the entire herd of pigs rushes to destruction.

Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

"To prevent this, I will come to demand the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the offering of Holy Communion on the first Saturdays of the month in reparation. If people fulfill my wishes, Russia will convert and peace will reign; if not, Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church."

Why did the Church delay for so many years in fulfilling Our Lady's request, which, in fact, has not been fully realized until today? The answer to this question is undoubtedly complex, but it seems that one reason may have been a misunderstanding of Mary's words. Below are reflections by Church representatives on her statements, which indicate that the Church has struggled to fully understand the message:

I. Let us remember, however, that consecration (dedication) means setting apart, dedicating a person or place to a holy purpose. The consecration of Russia therefore means setting apart, setting apart Russia (as a nation and as a state) from among the nations of the world and dedicating it to the service of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is therefore clear that the consecration of Russia requires that this country be set apart from others. In short, the consecration of Russia must mention Russia by name in the consecrating prayer.
II. Today, in connection with a false understanding of ecumenism, we must emphasize that the conversion of Russia means its conversion to Catholicism. This conclusion follows not only from common sense but is also contained in the testimony of Father Joaquin Alonso, arguably the greatest twentieth-century expert on Fatima. Father Alonso, after conducting numerous interviews with Sister Lucia, wrote in 1976: "We should point out that, according to Sister Lucia, the conversion of Russia is not limited to the rejection of the Marxist atheism of the Soviets and the conversion of the Russians to Orthodoxy, but clearly indicates the total and complete return of Russia to the bosom of the one true Church of Christ, that is, the Catholic Church."

According to the reasoning of some church officials, the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary would have meant setting Russia apart from other nations and dedicating it to the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This was intended to recall the role of the Levites, one of the tribes of Israel who ministered at the Temple of God during the time of Moses. The fundamental error in this reasoning, however, is taking a few of Mary's words out of context and considering them in isolation from the overall message. Mary's request refers to the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, not the consecration of the nation itself. Furthermore, the Levites who worked at the Temple of God were required to observe strict rules of ritual purity and therefore had to be free from sin, which completely rules out the first thesis. We can see what Russia is like today by observing current events. The next argument reveals a problem with the definition of the word "conversion" (Greek "metanoia"). It seems that the Church has become so lost in the creation of eloquent vocabulary, which often serves only to present itself to the world, that it has lost the true meaning of God's Word. Conversion is abandoning the path of sin for the path of God, which is doing good. Faith, on the other hand, is the knowledge of God. Christians are distinguished by Christ's knowledge of God, which is true and complete. The Jews had faith in God, but their knowledge was flawed, as is the case with other religions. God is one, and true knowledge of Him can be full, erroneous, or incomplete.
Let us consider, then, what did Mary really mean when she asked the Church to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart? The Immaculate Heart is a pure heart that perfectly understands good and evil, guided only by goodness. Mary has no connection with sin and desires the good of all people; she wants every person on earth to become her son. So when she asks for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart, she asks that Russia be placed in her hands so that she can work to convert this nation from the path of sin.
God knows people's hearts and knows perfectly well where the problem begins, which in the future could impact the entire world. Conversion, therefore, does not mean converting to Catholicism, but abandoning the path of sin and taking up the path of goodness. For sanctification to occur, purification must first occur, which will not come miraculously, but through hard work. In the Church of Christ, we have the opportunity to gradually attain purity, and this purity does not result solely from belonging to the Church.
Thanks to Father Dolindo Ruotolo, the saying "God, you take care of it" has become popular among Catholics. And Mary's words convey precisely this message. Mary knows that the world is on the brink of war and desires to resolve this problem for humanity and through humanity.

Our Lady's Request:
Within the Word of God lies the Spirit of God, who searches human hearts. This is the principle underlying Our Lady's message in the second part of the Secret of Fatima. The words of this message not only lead to Jesus present in the Eucharist, but also aim to examine human hearts in terms of faith in the Word of God and love for neighbor. If people believed in the Word of God, transmitted to us through Mary, they would respond appropriately to her request.
Seeking the conversion of Russia is an act of love for neighbor, even if it is expressed only in prayer. However, since few people accepted the Word of God, and therefore Mary's request, few cared about Russia's conversion, and in this situation, God's options were limited. Too many people failed to notice the growing problem, focusing only on their immediate surroundings and ignoring the broader context.
Russia's failure to convert made it a tool in the hands of the evil one, a punishment for humanity for its shortsightedness. Bad people who do not try to fight evil and do not feel remorse become perfect tools in the hands of Satan.

"To prevent this, I will come to demand the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the offering of Holy Communion on the first Saturdays of the month in reparation . If people fulfill my wishes, Russia will be converted and peace will reign."

When God warned Adam and Eve against eating the deadly fruit, Eve, deceived by Satan, lost faith in God's Word and, along with Adam, ate from the tree of death. After eating it, both were filled with sin and, in due time, died, just like any natural person. It happened exactly as God had said, and Adam and Eve, not fully believing His words, saw only the image of His love.

Our Lady's Request to Priests
Let us now look at God's priests. Their faith was put to the test in a way similar to the situation described in the parable of Jesus walking on the water.

Matthew 14:25-33

14,25. But about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
14,26. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking it was an apparition, and they cried out for fear.
14,27. Immediately Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage! It is I; do not be afraid!"
14,28. Then Peter said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
14,29. And He said, "Come!" Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
14,30. But when he saw the strong wind, he became afraid and, beginning to sink, he cried out: Lord, save me!
14,31. Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and caught him, saying, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
14,32. When he got into the boat the wind calmed down.
14,33. And they that were in the boat fell down before Him, saying, Truly Thou art the Son of God.

This parable, first, reveals the way Jesus will come to his disciples after his bodily death. This is a foreshadowing of his mystical revelations, which have already been fulfilled. During all the apparitions, Jesus appears with Mary—sometimes as a child, sometimes as an adult. His presence with Mary confirms the truth of these revelations. Jesus promised his disciples that he would not leave them orphans on earth, and this promise is fulfilled through supernatural revelations, which constitute God's help in times of turmoil.
The boat in which his disciples are located represents the Church of God on earth, with Pope Peter at its head. Walking on water symbolizes the descent of a mystical figure from Heaven. If we compare this parable with the apparitions of Fatima, we see that the Church of Peter demonstrated disbelief in the Word of God. By rejecting God's hand, it is on the verge of "sinking." God speaks through Jesus and Mary, and therefore Mary's Words are the Words of God that the Church has ignored. It was enough to follow her instructions to avoid the world "sinking" in the depths of war.
However, according to Mary's words, the Church will eventually consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart, and thanks to this, Russia will be converted. However, because of their unbelief, the Church and the world will first have to suffer. Jesus and Mary are one – one and the same God speaks through them. If Peter had not wavered in faith, he would not have begun to sink, and if not for Jesus' hand, Peter would have been dead. Similarly, if the Church had believed in and followed Mary's words, there would have been no wars, no suffering for innocent people, and no suffering for the Church itself. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Holy Communion, and the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are an outstretched hand to the Church and the whole world, so that they may not sink in the depths of evil. If the hierarchs had listened to Mary's words, they would have avoided much suffering, because what God says is holy.
We must believe, however, that the Church, based on the history of the apparitions at Fatima, will learn from its mistakes. If this happens, however, it will mean that the Church has completely abandoned God, does not listen to Him, and does not want to listen to Him. Were it not for Mary's hand, the events that have taken place in the world would have led to man independently fulfilling the Apocalypse of St. John through his own actions. It was Mary's hand, through which God speaks, that brought St. John's catastrophic vision of the end times to a certain halt. This does not mean, however, that it has been completely halted. This world itself is heading toward self-destruction, and God's help—regardless of its form, whether through the Word or, ultimately, through punishment—is intended to reverse this process.

Sister Lucia's vision of June 13, 1929.

Our Lady said to me: "The moment has come when God calls upon the Holy Father to consecrate Russia to my Immaculate Heart, together with the bishops of the whole world, promising to save it by this means. So many souls are condemned by God's justice because of sins committed against me. Therefore, I come to ask for reparation. Offer yourself for this intention and pray."

One of the conditions for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was that this gesture be made in conjunction with bishops from around the world. This is likely one of the main reasons why the consecration never took place. This condition, established by God, was intended as a test of the unity of the Church, but it failed, revealing divisions among the bishops. Certainly, since Protestants do not recognize Mary in the life of the Church, they were the main obstacle to world peace. If there is no unity within the Church itself, how can the Church proclaim unity among people? Deprived of this unity, the Church has lost the authority to proclaim such a message.

The Vision of Don Bosco

"Imagine that you are with me on the seashore, or better yet, on a lonely rock, and that you see no scrap of land except what is beneath your feet. In the vast expanse of the sea, you see an innumerable fleet of ships arrayed in battle formation. Their prows are like the sharp points of spears, so that whatever they strike, they pierce through and utterly destroy it. These ships are equipped with cannons, on their decks are many rifles, incendiaries and weapons of all kinds, as well as books. They approach a ship much larger and taller than themselves, trying to strike it with their prows. They also try to set it on fire or destroy it in any other way. Escorting this majestic ship are numerous smaller ships, which receive orders by signals and maneuver to thwart attacks from the enemy fleet. In the midst of the infinite sea, two columns tower high, one not far from the other. On top of the first is A statue of the Immaculate Virgin appears, at whose feet a large plaque with the inscription Auxilium Christianorum – Help of Christians. On the second, much higher and more powerful plaque, a Host is placed, proportionate in size to the column, and below it is another plaque with the words Salus Credentium – Salvation of the faithful. The commander of the ship is the Supreme Shepherd. He, seeing the fury of the enemies and evil spirits, among whom His faithful were, decides to gather around Him the captains of the smaller vessels to deliberate on how to proceed. All the captains come on board and stand by the Pope. They confer, but in the meantime a violent wind arises, raising the waves, so the commanders are sent back to attend to their ships. The storm subsides for a moment, and the Pope gathers the captains a second time; meanwhile, the flagship continues on its course. But a terrifying storm strikes again. The Pope stands at the helm and devotes all his strength to steering the ship toward Two columns, from whose tops hang numerous anchors and hooks connected by chains. All the enemy ships rush to attack, trying at all costs to stop the ship and sink it: some throw books and incendiary materials, of which they possess an abundance. Others fire rifles and cannons. The fighting becomes increasingly fierce. The enemy's bows strike violently, but their efforts and blows prove ineffective. Their efforts are in vain, wasting their strength and ammunition; the great ship sails safely and calmly on its way. Sometimes it happens that deep holes appear in its sides under the terrible blows. But at the same moment, a gentle breeze begins to blow from the two columns, the cracks close, and the leaks immediately stop. Meanwhile, the attackers' guns explode, guns and other weapons break, their bows break, and many ships crumble to pieces and sink into the sea. Then the frenzied enemies throw They engage in hand-to-hand combat, striking with fists, blaspheming, and cursing. Suddenly, the Pope falls wounded. Immediately, those around him rush to his aid and lift him. The Pope is hit a second time, falls to the deck again, and dies. A triumphant, joyful shout erupts among the enemy; unparalleled insults are heard from their ships. But no sooner had the Pope died than another one took his place. The captains, having gathered together, elected the Pope so quickly that the news of his death coincided with the news of the election of a successor. The enemies began to lose heart. The new Pope forced the enemies to scatter and, overcoming all odds, steers the ship directly toward the two columns and positions it between them. He quickly anchors himself using a light chain that hangs from the ship's bow to an anchor on a column topped with the Host. Using a second light chain, located at the stern, he ties himself to the second anchor, which hangs from the column bearing the Immaculate Virgin. At this moment, a tremendous commotion erupts. All the ships previously fighting the Pope fall into a panic; they flee, and in their flight, they collide with each other, breaking into pieces. Some sink and try to drag others with them. Meanwhile, several small ships that fought bravely on the Pope's side rush to tie themselves to the columns. Many others, having overcome their fear of battle, cautiously observe everything from a distance. While the wrecks of the destroyed ships float in the whirlpools, when their turn comes, they sail intently toward the two columns, and once they reach them, they tie themselves to the hooks hanging from them, so that they are safe next to the flagship on which the Pope stands. A great silence falls over the sea."

When we look at Don Bosco's vision through the prism of the two pillars to which the Church should be anchored, we see the special role of Mary. God speaks through both Mary and Jesus, revealing their distinct roles, which, when combined, create unity. Mary possesses the power to expel evil, as we see in one of the visions above. When the Pope's boat is moored to Mary's column, the other evil ships lose the battle and sail away, destroying each other. Mary has the power to crush the ancient serpent with her foot, which is clearly visible in Don Bosco's vision. Jesus, on the other hand, possesses the Spirit of Life, which grants salvation. Returning to the Fatima apparitions, Mary has the power to expel evil from Russia, but people must desire it and open themselves to her help.

Portugal

How does Mary know that the dogma of the faith will be preserved in Portugal? The answer is simple: where Mary is truly present, evil has no place. Thanks to the apparitions at Fatima, a sanctuary was established where devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, along with the Eucharist, is celebrated. In this way, all of Mary's Commandments have been fulfilled, ensuring that the dogma of the faith will remain intact in Portugal. This consideration is also confirmed by Sister Lucia's letter from 1940.

“Our Lord promised to take special care of Portugal during this war because of the consecration of the nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Portuguese bishops, as a proof of the graces that will be granted to other nations if, like Portugal, they consecrate themselves to Him.”

We also have Jacinta's testimony about Portugal, in which she admonishes the country against the spread of sin. On the one hand, Portugal was supposed to preserve the dogma of the faith, according to God's plan, but—in Jacinta's words—it did not entirely deserve what happened to it.
When Jacinta fell ill with the flu, which led to serious complications, Our Lady appeared to her, asking if she wanted to continue converting sinners. Jacinta responded affirmatively, and Mary asked her to go to the hospital. Not to recover, but to suffer even more out of love for God and for the conversion of sinners.
After some time, Jacinta went with her mother to a hospital in Lisbon. However, she spent her first days in the city at the orphanage dedicated to Our Lady of Miracles, where she was cared for by Mother Superior, Maria da Purificação Godinho. Even before leaving for the hospital, Jacinta shared with Mother Superior the messages she had received from Our Lady. All of Jacinta's statements were recorded by Mother Superior in her diary.

"Our Lady said that there are many wars and unrest in the world. Wars are a punishment for the sins of humanity. Our Lady can no longer stay the hand of her Son. Doing penance is necessary and indispensable. If people reform, Our Lord will help the world. If they remain corrupt, punishment will come" - and she goes on to explain what the girl meant: " Jacinta refers here to the misfortune she mentioned privately. Our Lord is angry with the sins and crimes committed in Portugal. Our country, and Lisbon in particular, is threatened by a great social cataclysm. A communist or anarchist civil war is about to break out, followed by looting, murders, fires and destruction. The capital will turn into hell. When the outraged Divine Justice unleashes this punishment upon us, everyone who can should flee Lisbon. The knowledge of this misfortune, now hanging over us, should be revealed little by little and prudence.”

Let us therefore consider the words of Our Lady, which refer to the dogma of faith to be preserved in Portugal. The sentence ending with the sequence "etc." should not be considered in isolation from the rest of the statement, as it then loses its full context. Let us quote Our Lady's entire statement:

"You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I tell you is done, many souls will be saved, peace will be established in the world. The war will end. But if you do not stop offending God, a second, worse war will begin during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see heaven illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is a great sign that God gives you, that he will punish the world for its crimes, through war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father. To prevent this, I will come to demand the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the offering of Holy Communion on the first Saturdays of the month in reparation. If people fulfill my wishes, Russia will convert and peace will reign; if not, Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will suffer greatly, many nations will be destroyed. will be destroyed, in the end My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, which will be converted, and a time of peace will come to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved, etc.

Thanks to the apparitions at Fatima, Portugal was chosen by God as a model country, which provides assurance that the dogma of the faith in this country would always be preserved, even though it was not entirely deserving of such distinction. By observing the events that took place in Portugal, the rest of the world was to be convinced that what was conveyed in Mary's message was true. Because Portugal fulfilled all of Mary's requests contained in the messages, it was saved from communism, an atheistic creation, and thus the dogma of the faith was preserved. God extended special protection over this country from war, which, compared to other European countries, practically passed it by. People understand certain things more easily when they are pictured to them, as was the case with Portugal and the apparitions at Fatima. Similarly, Christ, who was the image of the Ten Commandments, the Word of God, is different. Russia, which will certainly not convert on its own nor fulfill Our Lady's words. To save this country, Mary asks that people pray for her conversion, entrusting this matter to her and consecrating Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Left to its own devices, Russia will ultimately become a tool in the hands of the evil one, and its influence will be a punishment for the rest of the world, which fails to notice the growing problem. God sees everything and, through Our Lady's apparitions, seeks to protect the world from a grave crisis—all that is needed is to respond to His call. The more countries obey Mary's words, the less evil there will be, and the measure of this would be peace in the world. If all nations were to consecrate themselves to Mary, peace would become lasting.

Angel of Portugal

The main apparitions occurred in 1917, but Lucia began experiencing her first strange phenomena from 1915. When she was seven, her mother decided it was time for her to become a shepherd, and so, as if by her mother's will, she became the shepherd of the family flock. While herding sheep with three friends—Teresa Matias, her sister Maria Rosa, and Maria Justino—on the summit of Mount Cabeço, they experienced an unexplained phenomenon. Above the trees, a "small white cloud in human form" appeared to them. Lucia was unable to determine whether the figure had hands or eyes. At the age of seven, the visionary, unable to find the right words, described the apparition as a figure wrapped in a sheet, and later recalled it as a snow statue hanging in the air.
Then, in 1916, the Angel of God appeared to her three times. All of these events are crucial because they lead us to the biblical events that took place after Moses was appointed shepherd of the children of Israel. God appeared to Moses and the children of Israel in a pillar of smoke. Furthermore, he sent an angel of God to Moses to support and guide him. Thus, the children of Israel reached the Mount of God, where God's covenant with the people of Israel was established.

Ex 23.20

23.20. Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.
23,21. Pay attention to him and listen to his voice, do not oppose him, for he will not forgive your unfaithfulness, for My Name is in him.

It should be added that the Angel at Cova de Iria taught the visionaries prayers and showed them the Eucharist, from which the Blood of Jesus flowed into the chalice.
In the context of the Fatima Apparitions, Mount Horeb corresponds to the hill where Our Lady appeared to the visionaries. Meanwhile, the role of mediator between God and the children of Israel, played by Moses, is assumed by Lucia, becoming a mediator between Mary and the people. All the events that took place at Cova de Iria are reflected in Sacred Scripture. Let us turn, therefore, to the Book of Exodus and compare the verses referring to the Fatima Apparitions.

Exodus 19:10-13

19,10. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to this people and cleanse them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.
19,11. Let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all this people.
19,12. And you shall set a boundary for the people all around, saying, 'Beware of going up this mountain or touching its foothills. Whoever touches this mountain shall surely be put to death.
19,13. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot with an arrow—whether animal or man shall not be left alive. Only when the trumpet sounds may they ascend this mountain."

Disasters caused by wars

Let's return for a moment to Jacinta and her statements, which were recorded by Mother Superior in her diary. Information circulating in the public domain suggests that the third part of the Secret of Fatima has not been fully revealed. This opinion comes from within the Church itself, which claims that the secret was written on two sheets of paper, one of which was not intended to be revealed. Speculation has it that this undisclosed part may refer to the catastrophic visions. Just before her death, Jacinta confided in Mother Superior about Mary's words concerning these tragic visions. Certain fragments of her statements are circulating in the public domain.

"If people reform, Our Lord will forgive the world, but if there is no reform, punishment will come and God will send upon the world, starting with Spain, a punishment so great that no one has ever seen."

The above statement speaks of a torment that is to come upon the world. Although we don't have precise information about its course, it should be remembered that since Our Lady showed the girls hell, the torment to come may be just as terrifying, perhaps even more so, than anything humanity has ever seen. On the one hand, the image of hell could symbolize spiritual torment, while the torment itself could refer to physical suffering. The red and black coals that appear in the vision of hell could symbolize communism and Nazism. When we consider Our Lady's words to Jacinta concerning her hospital stay and suffering for God in order to convert sinners, it may seem strange that simply going to the hospital would lead to the conversion of many people. A more realistic goal of sending Jacinta to the hospital, given that the girl had been informed in advance that she would not recover, was to enable her to share the words of Our Lady, which had been recorded in a diary, with the orphanage's superior. God, as if foresaw that some information might not see the light of day, ensured its recording by Maria da Purificação Godinho so that the Message would be preserved. Israel translates as "fighting with God." However, one can fight not only with God but also against Him, as evidenced by numerous passages of Holy Scripture. It seems as if history has come full circle, and the mistakes of the children of Israel, who were a priestly nation, are now being repeated by the priests of the Church of Christ. Looking at Marian apparitions, it is clear that the authorities of the Catholic Church are trying to limit access to knowledge of these apparitions, which can be interpreted as a fight against God. Every sin in the Church is a fight against God.

Interpretation of the third part of the secret of Fatima

"After the two parts which I have already described, we saw, on the left of Our Lady, and a little above, an Angel holding a flaming sword in his left hand; sparkling, it threw out tongues of flame that seemed to set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendor that radiated from Our Lady's right hand towards him. The Angel, pointing to the earth with his right hand, said in a loud voice: Penance, Penance, Penance! And we saw in the immense light which is God: " something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass before it," a Bishop dressed in White, "we had the impression that it was the Holy Father." Many other Bishops, Priests, men and women religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which was a large Cross made of rough-hewn beams as if from a cork tree covered with bark; "Before reaching there, the Holy Father passed through a large city half in ruins, and half trembling, with staggering steps, tormented by pain and suffering, he walked praying for the souls of the dead whose bodies he met along the way. Having reached the top of the mountain, kneeling at the foot of the great Cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers who shot him several times with bullets and arrows, and in the same way, one after another, the other Bishops, Priests, men and women religious, and many lay people, men and women of various ranks and positions, perished. Beneath the two arms of the Cross were two Angels, each holding a crystal watering can in his hand, in which they gathered the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls approaching God."

Concealment of the third part of the Message of Fatima

The Church's concealment of the third Secret of Fatima and its failure to reveal it in 1960 sparked widespread speculation among the faithful about its contents. This circumstance aroused suspicions that the third part of the Secret of Fatima might have concerned the Church itself. The question arises: why did subsequent popes shelve the Message of Fatima, downplaying its content? Such behavior could not have stemmed from fear of God, because fear should rather motivate action. If we examine the Church's later decisions, it seems that its officials feared public opinion more than God Himself. Downplaying any matter is also a sign of unbelief. There is also the issue of a misunderstanding of Mary's Word and the vision itself, as well as the failure of some bishops, especially in Protestant circles, to recognize Mary as the bearer of God's Word. Jesus was a "Message" from God to the children of Israel who had rejected Him. He became a stumbling block for them, exposing their unbelief and erroneous knowledge of God. As it turned out, they worshiped Him only with their lips, and observed His Law only for show. Just as Jesus was a test of faith for the children of Israel, Mary became a test of faith for the Catholic Church. The Fatima apparitions revealed a bitter truth: in the highest positions of the Church, people stopped believing in the Word of God, just as Adam and Eve stopped believing in the biblical Garden of Eden. Yet, disbelief in the Word of God leads to death. The Church of God should be God's hand on earth. If it fails to fulfill God's will and the purpose for which it was called by God, it becomes part of the kingdom of this world. The findings of those studying the Fatima apparitions indicate that, in addition to the third part of the secret, written down by Sister Lucia, there also existed an interpretation of it, transmitted by Mary. Since only the vision itself was revealed, without an interpretation (assuming one existed), it must have contained something the vision itself does not reveal directly, at least at first glance. The vision could have been understood by anyone, which would sooner or later have led to the discovery of the hidden interpretation. The lost interpretation could have concerned the decline of the Church, caused by rampant idolatry, sin, and loss of faith, indicating that the "Lord of this world" had taken over the Church. It could also have included catastrophic visions of war, natural disasters, and even the end of time.
However, because God is all-powerful, it was enough to turn to Him and fulfill His Will, which, it seems, has not happened to this day. When we look at the vision itself and compare it with the above speculations, we find that these assumptions have nothing to do with it; in fact, they demonstrate the opposite. The vision shows a suffering, prayerful Pope and the people behind him, who, like the Pope, were killed by soldiers.
The lack of clarity between the vision and the interpretation likely motivated the decision to publish only the vision itself. The interpretation must have contained something that could be misinterpreted by the public. It seems, however, that the discrepancy between the vision and the alleged interpretation stems from a lack of understanding of the vision itself, which is full of symbolism and speaks of something quite opposite to what we see at first glance.
Furthermore, if the Church were able to correctly interpret the vision, it would not hesitate to take action to fulfill God's Will. All subsequent popes, failing to understand the vision's message, may have concluded that the interpretation, which did not fit the vision, was Sister Lucia's own invention, which could have negatively impacted her continued role within the Church. As we know, Sister Lucia disappeared for a dozen or so years, only to return, "spiritually" transformed.

Images on the surface of the earth

Interpreting a vision as a message from God should be based primarily on Holy Scripture, which is the foundation of all spiritual discernment. Before we move on to analyzing the symbolism of the third part of the Secret of Fatima, it is worth examining the site of the apparitions—the Cova da Iria in Fatima. Particularly intriguingly, satellite images of this area reveal mysterious shapes and forms that resemble images consistent with both the content of the Third Secret of Fatima and biblical symbolism. The satellite image below shows a hand shielding Fatima from the blade of a sword, from which flames, as if emanating—which surprisingly corresponds to the vision described by the shepherd children, where the Mother of God holds back the fire issuing from the angel's sword. The blade of the sword, visible in the image in a vertical position, seems to symbolically pierce the space of earth and sky. Below are two satellite images: one current, the other taken in previous years during autumn, which allows for an even clearer perception of the described image.

Interestingly, when we look at Portugal from a broader perspective, satellite images reveal the outline of a face, the contour of which is defined by the country's natural coastline.

A satellite image of Portugal reveals the outline of a face. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima is located on the nose of the mysterious figure.

As we can see, the apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria in Fatima took place precisely on the "nose" of the mysterious face that appears in the outline of Portugal seen from a bird's eye view. Let us therefore consider what the Holy Scriptures say about the nose and nostrils. In biblical terminology, we more often encounter the word "nostrils," a synonym for the nose, which plays a unique role in the biblical teaching on the origins of man. It was through the nostrils that God breathed life into man, as we read in the Book of Genesis, making him a living being. Even upon initial analysis of the biblical texts, we find two passages referring to the nose that correspond surprisingly aptly with the content of the third part of the Secret of Fatima. The first is a short but significant pericope from the Book of Proverbs:

Prov 33. For the pressing of milk produces butter, the pressing of the nose produces blood , and the pressing of anger produces strife.

In the context of the Fatima vision, the mountain climbed by the bishop in white with others symbolically represents the "nose"—visible in the contour of the Portuguese coastline, reminiscent of a human face. The vision itself also features the image of two angels collecting the blood of martyrs in crystal vessels and then sprinkling it on souls journeying towards God. In this context, a proverb speaks of blood flowing from a pinched nose—symbolically corresponding to the bishop in white climbing the mountain. Furthermore, the proverb refers to suppressed anger leading to outbursts and conflict—which, in turn, is consistent with the message of the angel pointing his sword at the earth and calling for repentance. All these elements create a surprisingly coherent symbolism, linking the biblical image with the geographical context of the Fatima apparitions. Let us now turn to the Book of Ezekiel, where we find even more striking similarities to the Fatima vision, particularly in the context of the sins of Jerusalem and the prophecy of punishment. Passages from chapters 8, 9, and 10 reveal Israel's spiritual decline, which—as we can read—corresponds to the current spiritual state of humanity, especially of consecrated persons. Through the words of the prophet Ezekiel, God shows us that the moral and religious situation of Old Testament times is reflected in the contemporary world. Moreover, in these chapters we find striking parallels to the content of the Fatima apparitions, which follow the same logic of warning and call to conversion. The conclusions drawn from this analysis harmonize perfectly with the message of Our Lady of Fatima. Let us therefore cite the passages of Sacred Scripture that provide the spiritual backdrop for the Fatima apparitions:

Ezekiel 8:4-18 – a vision of the sins of Jerusalem

8,4. Behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, just as I had seen it in the plain.
8,.5 And he said to me, "Son of man, lift up your eyes northward." And I lifted up my eyes northward, and behold, north of the altar gate, at the entrance, was the idol of jealousy.
8:6 And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing? These are terrible abominations that the tribes of Israel are committing here, to force me to go away from my sanctuary. But if you look closely, you will see even greater abominations."
8,7. Then he led me to the entrance of the courtyard, and I looked, and behold, there was an opening in the wall.
8,8. He said to me, "Son of man, break through the wall." And I broke through the wall, and behold, there was a passage there.
8:9 And he said to me, "Go in and see the abominations that they are committing here."
8,10. And I went in and looked, and behold, there were all manner of figures of creeping things, and beasts, and abominable creatures, and all the idols of the house of Israel, carved upon the wall round about.
8,11. Seventy men of the elders of Israel stood before them, and among them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, each with a censer in his hand, and the aroma of incense rose from the clouds.
8:12 And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what each of the elders of the house of Israel is doing secretly in the secret chamber? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us; the Lord has abandoned the land.'"
8:13 And he said to me, "You will see even greater abominations that they commit."
8,14. Then he brought me to the vestibule of the gate of the LORD's temple, which was on the north side, and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
8,15. And he said to me, "Do you see, son of man? You will see greater abominations than these."
8,16. And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and behold, at the entrance of the house of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the house of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, bowing down to the sun toward the east.
8:17 And he said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit these abominations that they are committing here? They have filled the land with violence and are continually offending Me. And behold, they are continually raising a twig to their noses.
8:18 And I will deal with them with fury; my eye will not show mercy, neither will I spare. And they will cry in my ears with a loud voice, but I will not hear them."

Ezekiel 9:1-11 - The Punishment of Jerusalem and Partial Survival

9:1 Then He called out in a loud voice, so loud that I could hear it: "Come near, you guards of the city, each with a weapon of destruction in his hand!"
9,2. And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which is on the north side, each with his own devastating weapon in hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn at his side. They entered and stood before the bronze altar.
9,3. And the glory of the God of Israel rose from above the cherubim on which it was, to the threshold of the temple. Then he called to the man clothed in linen, who had an inkhorn at his side,
9,4. The Lord said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put this sign on the foreheads of the men who sigh and mourn over all the abominations that are committed in it."
9:5 And to the rest he said, so that I could hear them, "Go after him throughout the city and kill him! Let your eyes see no compassion or mercy!
9:6 "Eliminate old men, young men, virgins, infants, and women. But do not touch any man on whom this mark is placed. Begin at my temple." So they began with the elders who were standing in front of the temple.
9:7 Then he said to them, “Defile the temple also and fill the courts with corpses.” And they went out and killed in the city.
9,8. While they were killing, I was left alone, and I fell on my face and cried out, "Ah, Lord God! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel by venting your anger against Jerusalem?"
9:9 He said to me, "The iniquity of the offspring of Israel and Judah is great and exceedingly exceeding; the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of wickedness. For they say, 'The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see it.'
9:10 So then, my eye will have no pity or compassion. I will place the blame for their actions on their own heads."
9,11. And behold, the man clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn at his side, said, "I have done as you commanded me."

Ezekiel 10:1-17 – a renewed description of God's glory

10,1. After this I looked, and behold, above the firmament which was above the heads of the cherubim was something like a sapphire, and in appearance it was like a throne.
10:2 Then he said to the man clothed in linen, "Go between the wheels under the cherubim, and fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city." And he went in before my eyes.
10,3. And the cherubim stood on the right side of the temple as the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court.
10,4. Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord.
10,5. The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard in the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty speaking.
10,6. And he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, "Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim," and he went and stood beside the wheel.
10,7. Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand toward the fire that was between the cherubim, took it, and placed it in the hand of the man clothed in linen. He took it and went out.
10,8. Under the wings of the cherubim appeared something resembling a human hand.
10,9. And I looked, and behold, by the side of the cherubim were four wheels, one wheel by one cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the appearance of tarshish.
10,10. They looked as if each of the four had the same shape, as if one circle were inside the other.
10,11. And when they went, they went in their four directions; they did not turn when they went, but wherever the head led them, they went, and they did not turn when they went.
10,12. Their entire bodies – backs, arms, wings, and wheels of all four – were filled with eyes all around.
10,13. I heard that the wheels were given the name galgal.
10,14. Each creature had four faces: the first was the face of an ox, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
10,15. And the cherubim rose up; it was the same creature that I had seen by the river Chebar.
10,16. When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved at their sides; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the earth, the wheels did not leave their sides.
10,17. And when the cherubim stood still, they stood still; and when they rose, they rose together with them, because the breath of a living creature was in them.

Symbolism contained in the third part of the secret of Fatima

The cross on the mountain

"Many other Bishops, Priests, men and women religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a large Cross made of rough-hewn beams as of a cork tree covered with bark "

For Christians, the wooden Cross symbolizes the altar on which Jesus, the Son of the Living God, was offered as a sacrifice pleasing to God. However, the nature of this sacrifice depends on perspective, as there were many who offered the sacrifice. Jesus himself, as a Priest, voluntarily offered himself as a sacrifice—a peace offering, from which today we, believers, partake of his Body and Blood, truly present in the Eucharist.
The wooden Cross carries a wealth of meanings. The wood symbolizes the hearth on which the children of Israel offered sacrifices to God. It also refers to the Tree of Life, whose fruit is Jesus himself. Since Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Cross as the Tree of Life also refers to her. Furthermore, since Jesus dwelt in Mary's womb, she herself becomes the Temple of God. And since the Temple in Sacred Scripture is identified with the Holy Mountain, in this sense Mary appears as that Holy Mountain.
As we can see, the symbolism of the Cross is incredibly profound and multifaceted.
In the third part of the Secret of Fatima, the image of a rough cross appears – an altar built in accordance with the Law of Moses, which required that altars for God should not be made of worked stones, but remain raw, untouched by human hands.

Exodus 20:25-26

20:25 And if you make an altar of stones for me, you shall not build it with hewn stones , for when you put your chisel on it, you will profane it.
20,26. You shall not go up by steps to my altar, lest your nakedness be exposed.

The symbol of the Christian altar is the wooden Cross. For the children of Israel, however, it was the stone altar, modeled after the Tablets of Stone. Although they differ in the materials from which they were made, they share an important principle – neither the cross nor the altar can be worked by human hands. Human interference, bearing the mark of sin, could contaminate them and deprive them of their holiness.
Both stone and wood are works of God – created by God Himself as part of the world around us. The unhewn fragment – raw, natural – therefore retains its original, divine character, being pure.
In the case of altars built by human hands, on which the children of Israel offered sacrifices to God, they had to be first sanctified – that is, cleansed with the blood of the sacrifice – before they could become a place of encounter between man and God.

Mount Horeb

The third part of the Secret of Fatima consists of two images that allude to prophecies from the Book of Ezekiel. In this book, God reveals the consequences of the wickedness of the people of Israel and the priests of the Temple. In the context of the Fatima apparitions, these images should be read as a reference to contemporary Christians – the new people of God – and the priests of the Church.
The first image depicts a ruined city – a symbol of the curse that will fall on God's people who break the Covenant made with God, recorded in the Book of the Law of Moses. The second image shows people climbing a mountain where everyone is killed – a reference to the consequences faced by consecrated persons. In this vision, the mountain symbolizes Mount Horeb – the place of the Covenant and the revelation of God's Law.
The Fatima apparitions are therefore a spiritual reflection of biblical events and are intended to help us understand them more deeply. They also remind us of the binding Covenant with God – not only for Israel but for all humanity. Their purpose is to strengthen faith in human hearts. Importantly, however, the revelations reveal that faith is achieved through seeking God. If it were otherwise, God would speak directly, without the need to delve into the content of Holy Scripture. Yet, it is precisely through a spiritual search for His Word that truth can take deep root in the human heart.
On Mount Horeb, God concluded a Covenant with Israel, the content of which was solemnly read to the people at the foot of the mountain. If we look at a satellite map of Fatima, we notice that the town is located between two mountains that symbolically refer to Sinai and Horeb. In reality, Mount Sinai was one of the peaks in the mountain range of Horeb – the Mount of God. In later biblical tradition, these two mountains are interpreted as Gerizim and Ebal – places of blessing and curse.
The satellite image reveals an interesting terrain feature: on one side, the outline of a hand emerging from Mount Sinai, which symbolically should be identified with the Mother of God – the Mount of Beatitudes. The second mountain, with a sharp shape resembling a sword, symbolizes Horeb and Ebal – places from which, according to the Holy Scriptures, a curse falls on those who reject the Covenant with God.

Satellite image of Fatima. On the left is the Mount of Beatitudes, from which the hand of Our Lady emanates, while on the right is the Mount of Curses, shaped like a sword blade.

Stoning and piercing with an arrow

Let us now turn to the question of the deaths of Francisco and Jacinta. At the very beginning of the apparitions, Mary asks the visionaries if they are willing to suffer for God, offering their suffering for the salvation of sinners and their conversion. When the children consent, Mary informs Francisco and Jacinta that they will soon be taken to Heaven, but before then, they will have to suffer greatly.
For the apparition to be complete and consistent with the biblical events, Francisco and Jacinta's suffering was essential. Besides Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta also climbed the mountain where Our Lady appeared, acting as those who should not have been there. Francisco was not entirely pure, as Our Lady herself noted. Although he could see Our Lady, he could not hear her or speak with her, which indicates that his eyesight was pure, but his mouth and hearing were not entirely pure. Jacinta, on the other hand, could both see and hear Our Lady, but she did not speak with her. In her case, her sight and hearing were clear, but her mouth was not entirely clear.
During the apparitions at Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta play the roles of the figures symbolically stoned and pierced by arrows mentioned in the Book of Exodus.

Exodus 19:12-13

19:12 And you shall set a boundary for the people all around, saying, 'Beware of going up this mountain, or of touching its foothills. Whoever touches this mountain shall surely be put to death.
19:13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot with an arrow, whether animal or man, and shall not be left alive. Only when the trumpet sounds may they ascend this mountain."

Immediately after the apparitions at Cova de Iria, an influenza epidemic broke out, leading to serious complications for Francisco, from which he died. Symptoms of this illness include bloody or livid spots on the skin, bluish or purple lips, and difficulty breathing—symptoms reminiscent of stoning. Meanwhile, Jacinta, who, like Francisco, suffered complications that led to her death, developed an open, leaking wound the size of a fist on her chest, which may symbolize an arrow piercing. It is significant that during the first day of the apparitions, the characteristic rumbling that accompanied subsequent encounters with Mary could not be heard. This suggests that Francisco and Jacinta ascended "Mount Horeb" without God's full consent. Such consent is granted only to those who have "washed their robes," that is, cleansed themselves of sin. This image serves to remind us that no sinner enters the Kingdom of God without first being cleansed.
Jacinta and Francisco dedicated their lives to saving sinners, who, thanks to their martyrdom, would be able to convert and live. Therefore, it is crucial to correctly understand and interpret the events that took place at Fatima, so that their suffering was not in vain. While some may consider this cruel, the children, like Jesus, gave their lives for the salvation of sinners.

The border at the foot of God's Mount Horeb

God commanded Moses to set a boundary at the foot of Mount Horeb, warning that it was not to be crossed. Anyone who violated this prohibition—human or animal—was to be stoned or shot with an arrow. Climbing the mountain was only possible when God himself permitted it, which was signaled by the sound of a horn. It is worth noting that this prohibition was issued even before the Ten Commandments were written, observance of which was a condition for being in God's presence. Only those who lived according to God's Law could cross the boundary, and in the event of breaking it, they would cleanse themselves of sin and "wash their robes," signifying spiritual renewal through offering a sacrifice on the altar at the foot of Mount Horeb.
The image of the Mountain of God in the Book of Exodus has its roots in the description of Paradise in the Book of Genesis and refers directly to the Tree of Life. As with Mount Horeb, God also established a prohibition in Paradise – one could not eat from or touch the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, lest one die. The first humans, deceived by Satan, broke this prohibition, thereby becoming impure and deprived of the right to eternal life. Simply touching the forbidden fruit brought them spiritual and physical death. Consequently, God restricted access to the Tree of Life by placing cherubim with flaming swords before it, so that sinfulness would not have access to holiness.
The law concerning Mount Horeb is therefore directly linked to the history of Paradise and the Tree of Life. A sinner cannot touch what is holy – otherwise, they will face the penalty of death, administered from a distance, without direct contact with impurity, by stoning or piercing with an arrow.
Returning to Mount Horeb, we can see that it represents Paradise – a place of God's intimate presence. However, to return to this spiritual reality, certain conditions must be met: purification from sin and observance of God's commandments, as defined in the Tent.
Mount Horeb also served as the prototype for the construction of the Tent of Meeting. Only Moses was permitted access to the Holy of Holies; only priests were permitted access to the Holy of Holies. At the foot of the tent was an altar, where priests offered sacrifices of purification for their own sins and the sins of the entire people. In Judaism, the sacrificial altar was located outdoors, while in the Church of Christ, the altar of sin offerings is located inside the temple – in the confessional, where the faithful experience spiritual purification.
On the summit of the Mount of God, only sacrifices of praise to God and peace offerings (peace offerings), which were bloody, were offered. In the third part of the mystery of Fatima, we see the summit of the mountain – the center of the Church of Christ – with a rough-hewn wooden cross. Analogous to the Old Testament altar, the cross serves as a place for offerings: praise to God and peace offerings. The last bloody sacrifice was Jesus Christ – he, as the Fruit of the Tree of Life, gave his life for humanity, becoming a sacrifice of praise to God and a fellowship offering. Today, the sacrifice of praise is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the fellowship offering is participation in the Eucharist, in which the faithful consume the Body and Blood of Christ. For the children of Israel, the equivalent of this altar was the stone altar on top of Mount Ebal.
In the context of the Fatima apparitions, it is striking that the cross on the mountaintop is empty – Jesus is absent. This means that it has ceased to serve as the Tree of Life and has once again become an altar on which sacrifices are offered. In this vision, the sacrifices are made by people – bishops, priests, monks, and the faithful. This image symbolizes the spiritual state of priests who have turned away from the teachings of Christ. The cross – empty – indicates the absence of Jesus' presence.
Later in the vision, we see a "bishop dressed in white" kneeling before the cross and praying, but his prayer remains unanswered. It is a symbol of the priest who, in the face of apostasy, no longer finds God's presence—because God has turned His face away, as He foretold in the Book of Ezekiel. There, too, God declares that He will not answer the cry of the temple priests, who had previously turned away from His Law.
This image shows that spiritual apostasy, unfaithfulness, and breaking God's commandments lead to separation from God. And without His presence, even the bishop's prayer—like the prayers of the temple priests in Ezekiel's time—is unanswered. Therefore, all those present on the mountain perish, offered up as spiritual sacrifices, as a consequence of the broken covenant.

Ezekiel 8:14-18

8,14. Then he brought me to the vestibule of the gate of the LORD's temple, which was on the north side, and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
8,15. And he said to me, "Do you see, son of man? You will see greater abominations than these."
8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and behold, at the entrance of the house of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the house of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.
8:17 And he said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit these abominations that they are committing here? They have filled the land with violence and are continually offending Me. And behold, they are continually raising a twig to their noses.
8:18 And I will deal with them with fury; my eye will not show mercy, neither will I spare. And they will cry in my ears with a loud voice, but I will not hear them."

The revelation of God on Mount Horeb

All six Apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, which occurred on the 13th of each month from May to October 1917, refer to the wanderings of the children of Israel in the desert and the Revelation of God on Mount Horeb, which the entire people experienced. Let us compare the events experienced by the children of Israel with the experiences of those present during the Marian Apparitions at Fatima.
To better illustrate these events, the corresponding events from the Cova de Iria will be placed under the verses from the Book of Exodus, along with commentary.

Exodus 19:9-25

19:9 And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud , that the people may hear when I speak with you, and that they may believe in you forever." And Moses told the LORD the words of the people.

During all the apparitions, Our Lady was accompanied by a cloud that gave the impression that Our Lady was present within her. Our reflections will draw on the accounts of witnesses to the events at Cova de Iria, drawing primarily from Sylwia Kleczkowska's book Fatima – A Story Poorly Told . Although the author is skeptical of the apparitions, her book contains a rich collection of testimonies from those who were present.

, a bright, thin cloud hovered around the holm oak above which the mysterious Lady appeared, seeming to envelop and at the same time conceal the appearing figure."

"(…)According to her account, after the apparition had ended, Lucia rose very quickly from her knees and, stretching her hand upwards, cried out: "Look, there he comes! There he comes!" The people looked in the direction she indicated, but saw nothing; they saw only a delicate cloud hovering just above the treetop and moving slowly towards the east until it disappeared from their sight.".

"Angelika Pitta de Morais, in an interview for the newspaper Stella, said that when a light cloud slowly appeared in the sky, people fell to their knees in the mud at the sight of it. She then heard someone say that it was the cloud that appears before every apparition."

“(…)At the beginning of the apparitions, a thin cloud of smoke, similar to that of incense burned in the temples of God, rose around the sacred oak in Cova da Iria, as if to announce and reverently emphasize the presence of Our Lady of the Rosary in the immense temple of the heavenly firmament!”

"It must have been half past one when, precisely where the children were, a column of smoke , slender, thin, and bluish. It rose to a height of perhaps two meters above their heads and then disappeared. This phenomenon, perfectly visible to the naked eye, lasted for several seconds. Since I did not record its duration, I cannot say whether it was more or less than a minute. The smoke suddenly dispersed, and after some time, the phenomenon repeated itself a second and third time. Three times, and especially the last time, the slender columns of smoke stood out clearly against the gray surroundings. I aimed my binoculars in that direction. I saw nothing else besides the columns of smoke, but I was convinced they were coming from some kind of censer. However, I heard from reliable people that this smoke had appeared every 13th day for the past five months, and that then, as now, no incense was ever burned there, nor was a fire lit." (Fatima: A Story Badly Told. Sylwia Kleczkowska).

When Moses led the children of Israel through the desert, they were accompanied by an angel of God, who appeared during the day in a pillar of smoke and at night in a pillar of fire. The first apparitions at Fatima occurred as early as 1915. At that time, Lucia saw a mysterious figure, wrapped as if in a sheet or floating in a pillar of smoke, with no visible head or hands. This figure alludes to the biblical pillar of smoke, in which the glory of God was present, known by the Israelites as the Shekhinah.

"Around noon we ate our meal, and then I persuaded my companions to pray the rosary, to which they readily agreed. No sooner had we begun than we saw a snow statue hanging above the trees, as if in midair, glistening in the sunlight (...) It looked like a person wrapped in a sheet." (Fatima's Story Wrongly Told by Sylwia Kleczkowska)

This figure corresponds to the Angel of God who led Moses and the children of Israel through the desert, leading them to God's Mount Horeb, where God revealed Himself and established the Law. In the context of the Apparitions at Fatima, the Shekhinah was tasked with leading Lucia to the mountain at Cova de Iria, where God revealed Himself in the Mother of God. The Promised Land, to which all people journey, is not in the material world but in Heaven, because it is the spiritual Promised Land. The desert, however, is this world. The Apparitions point us to the spiritual world, where the Kingdom of Heaven is. On October 13th, during the last apparition, when the so-called " miracle of the sun" occurred, many witnesses saw an enormous ball of fire that emerged from a parted, dark, and dense cloud. Furthermore, the Apparitions were accompanied by vertical cloud swirls, resembling tornadoes. All the phenomena that occurred during the last Apparitions reflect Ezekiel's vision, to which God himself came in his entourage. God revealed himself to Ezekiel in a ball of fire, just as he did to the children of Israel at the foot of Mount Horeb and to the pilgrims at the Cova de Iria. Another issue worth considering in the context of the above verse from the Book of Exodus is the sound that accompanied God's conversation with Moses. There are numerous accounts from witnesses who were close to the visionaries during their conversations with Mary. According to these accounts, when Mary spoke to the children, the people heard a specific sound resembling the buzzing of a bee. It was not the sound of lightning, but rather a gentle humming sound reminiscent of a flying insect. This sound symbolizes the gentleness of God's voice speaking through Our Lady, which is in no way associated with thunder. However, during the last Apparitions, when God revealed himself directly in a ball of fire, the sounds of thunder were heard, accompanied by visible flashes of lightening.

“Maria dos Santos, who was present as usual, also noticed that when Our Lady spoke, the same buzzing sound as always was heard, and the same whistling of the rocket as before as she left the place above the oak tree.”

"A strange sound, resembling a ' buzzing ', was also heard by others who were close to Lucia as she spoke to Our Lady. One of them, Almeida Lopes, a resident of Amoreira, noticed on July 13th that Lucia, facing the tree on which she was gazing, asked, 'What more do you want from me?' During the silence that followed, he heard a very quiet voice, as if coming from the oak tree, like the buzzing of a bee , but he was unable to distinguish a single word. After Lucia's next question, there was also a brief silence, as if waiting for an answer, and then the same sound as before could be heard again, which – importantly – had not been heard when Lucia was speaking" (Fatima: A Story Poorly Told. Sylwia Kleczkowska).

Ex 19:10 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to this people and cleanse them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes."

On the last day of the Apparitions, when the "Miracle of the Sun" took place, the weather was unfavorable. It was raining, and the air was cold. People were soaked and standing in mud. However, as soon as the celestial phenomena began, the rain stopped, and afterward, the faithful realized that their clothes were completely dry, as if someone had washed and dried them. Below is the account of one witness:

"As soon as the sun returned to its proper place, the wind blew furiously, but the trees didn't move at all. The wind blew and blew, and within minutes the ground was as dry as it is now under my feet," said Dominik Reis. "Even our clothes had dried. We walked back and forth, and our clothes... we felt nothing. They were dry and looked as if they had just been washed. I believed. I thought, 'Either I've lost my mind, or a miracle has happened, a true miracle.'" (Fatima: A Story Badly Told by Sylwia Kleczkowska).

The washing of garments has symbolic meaning and refers to the cleansing of sin. The people whose garments were "washed" during the last apparitions experienced purification and the forgiveness of sins by God Himself, who came to the Cova de Iria. Washing their garments was a condition for being allowed to approach the hill; otherwise, they would have been punished by the Cherubim with their flaming swords. God arrived in Our Lady, whom the people could not see directly, but they saw the cloud in which she was present and heard a soft, humming sound when Lucia spoke with her. This is similar to the children of Israel, who could only see the cloud and hear God's voice in the form of thunder. Only during the last apparitions at Fatima did people have the opportunity to see God in a ball of fire, just as on the third day at the foot of Mount Sinai, as the following verse mentions.

Ex 19:11 Let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all this people.

During the third apparitions, on July 13, 1917, Our Lady announced that in three months – during the final apparitions on October 13 – she would make everyone believe. As we well know, the so-called Miracle of the Sun , described in detail at the beginning of this study, took place on that very day.
This event was exceptional: on October 13, 1917, God himself appeared at the site of the apparitions, arriving in his entourage. The phenomena accompanying this event bear a striking resemblance to the descriptions in the Book of Ezekiel, in which the prophet describes the revelation of God's glory in the form of extraordinary signs and phenomena in the heavens.
It is worth noting that the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima took place in one specific location – the Cova da Iria. This very location, depending on the spiritual and symbolic context, can be interpreted in various ways. Sometimes it takes on the meaning of Mount Horeb – the place where God concluded the Covenant with Moses and Israel; At other times, it is identified with Mount Sinai, which refers to Mary.
In a broader perspective, the apparitions at Fatima allude to the entire history of the Covenant—both to the place where the children of Israel encamped opposite Mounts Horeb and Sinai, and later to the events unfolding in Shechem, at the foot of Mounts Ebal and Gerizim. It was there that the children of Israel solemnly renewed their Covenant with God.
Fatima, as a place of apparitions, symbolically combines all these biblical dimensions—it becomes a space for the revelation of God's presence, a place for the conclusion and renewal of the Covenant, and a spiritual point of choice: between fidelity to God and abandonment of His Law.

Ex 19:12 And you shall set boundaries for the people all around, saying, 'Beware of going up this mountain or touching its foothills. Whoever touches this mountain shall surely be put to death.'

Only those who have cleansed themselves of sin by washing their garments may enter the mountain, which symbolizes the Tree of Life, guarded by the Cherubim. This purification symbolizes the rain that fell on the last day of the Apparitions at Fatima. For Christians, purification occurs through confession, while for the children of Israel, it is through the offering of a propitiatory sacrifice. The boundary separating good from evil is formed by the Cherubim, who, if unauthorized individuals approach the Tree of Life, are to strike them with their flaming swords. In our case, the punishment is stoning or piercing with arrows, which can be identified with the lightning and hail that often accompany storms. Through these atmospheric phenomena, God wishes to reveal to us the secrets of heaven. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully observe nature, which holds the key to knowing God.

Exodus 19:13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot with an arrow, whether animal or man, and he shall not be left alive. Only when the trumpet sounds may they come up to this mountain .

Only during the first apparition at Cova de Iria, when the three young visionaries saw Our Lady for the first time, did the children hear no sound resembling a horn. Instead, they saw only flashes of light, reminiscent of lightning, that always preceded each apparition. These flashes of light heralded the approach of God's procession, protected by Cherubim with flaming swords. However, during the first apparitions, there was no sound of horns, which signified God's permission for anyone other than Moses—whom Lucia represents in this case—to ascend the mountain. Climbing the mountain without the sound of horns constituted a violation of the Law established on God's mountain, so Jacinta and Francisco died, in a manner reminiscent of stoning and being pierced by an arrow. However, thanks to their "demonstrative" death, many will turn away from evil, and the children themselves will undoubtedly rejoice in the Paradise to which Mary promised to take them.
In the case of the other five apparitions, people reported hearing a rumbling sound that seemed to come from underground. This rumbling sound signified God's permission for the people to ascend the Mount of Apparitions. As a result, no one on the mountain during the apparitions perished. Let's now examine what people said about the mysterious rumbling sound.

"Other witnesses mentioned strange sounds accompanying both the Lady's arrival and departure. They compared them to the sound of thunder or the noise of a bomb detonating, sometimes reporting a bang, and even hearing a sound similar to the whistling of a rocket ."

"(..)It looks as if two opposing air currents had met there, raising a cloud of dust. It grew dark, and I thought I heard thunder coming from underground (..)".

"In Gonçalves' article, which is also his written account, we read that on July 13, the place designated for the apparitions of Our Lady was already swarming with thousands of people, who, driven by the desire to see Her, had sometimes come from distant villages. Curiosity was universal, and for a moment everyone remained silent, their mouths open, as if trying to recognize the voice coming from the depths of the earth..”

"Maria dos Santos (Maria da Capelinha) remembered the event in a similar way. During her hearing before the Canonical Commission, she testified that when people began to riot at the news of the children's arrest, a boom was heard at the foot of the holm oak tree , which so terrified everyone that those gathered, fearing for their lives, began to scream loudly" (Fatima: A Story Wrongly Told. Sylwia Kleczkowska).

Ex 19:14 And Moses went down from the mountain unto the people, and purified the people, and they washed their clothes.
Ex 19:15. He also commanded the people, "Be ready for the third day. Do not approach women."
Ex 19:16 And on the third day, at the break of dawn, there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud sound of a horn; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.
Ex 19:17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Ex 19:18 And all Mount Sinai was smoking, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly .

As previously mentioned, all six apparitions were accompanied by supernatural atmospheric phenomena. In some cases, witnesses even reported feeling an earthquake, which they reported to the commissions investigating the Fatima apparitions.

"That day, the thunder or roar that those gathered experienced before the apparition began also occurred at its end. Father Marchi recalls this, writing that when Lucia asked if the Lady desired anything else from her, "a sound as if thunder was heard, and the arched structure erected to hang the lanterns shook as if in an earthquake " ( Fatima: The Story Wrongly Told. Sylwia Kleczkowska).

Ex 19:19 The sound of the horn grew louder and louder, and Moses spoke, and God answered him with peals of thunder.

During Mary's conversation with Lucia, people heard a sound resembling the buzzing of a bee, which testifies to the gentleness of God's speech when He speaks through Mary. However, during the recent apparitions, when God revealed Himself directly to people, His Voice was heard in the form of thunder.

Ex 19:20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Ex 19:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, warn the people, that they should not press the LORD to see him, lest many of them perish.

Adam and Eve also received explicit instructions from God not to eat or even touch the fruit, lest they die, and when they broke this commandment, they perished in their own time in the flesh. The same would have happened to the children of Israel had they disobeyed God.

Gen 3:2 The woman answered the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, "You shall not eat of it, nor touch it , lest you die."

Eve, before reaching for the fruit of death , first looked at it. The very desire to look at the forbidden fruit led her to taste it and, ultimately, to death. The key message is to avoid looking at sin so as not to imitate it, and not touching sin so as not to absorb its negative impact. When the children of Israel came into contact with impurity, they themselves became impure. However, when someone touched Jesus, they were cleansed, for He is the Fruit of Life.
The point here is that Christ, through His action, in which one must actively participate, brings about purification. Those who touch good become good, while those who touch evil become evil.
In this way, Jesus takes upon himself the sins of humanity. However, the world is not automatically saved – salvation is achieved by those who " touch Him," that is, those who are purified in the Church through the Holy Sacraments.
Looking at the Fruit of Life, which is Jesus, means imitating Him, while touching Him causes Him to take responsibility for our cleansing from sin. However, this can only happen if the patient consents to treatment. Eating the sinful fruit is filling oneself with sin, the consequence of which is death. Eating the Fruit of Life – the Eucharist, on the other hand, is filling oneself with the good that gives eternal life. God does not want the children of Israel to look at Him, because they were impure, and their gaze could result in their death at the hands of the Cherubim, who guarded access to the Tree of Life. God thus gives them time and a chance to repent. The fact that we cannot see His face is an expression of His love for humanity. God's Word is Holy, and what was spoken from the beginning must be fulfilled. God never changes His mind, therefore there is no way around it – a return to Paradise is possible only in accordance with His will.

Ex 19:22. And let the priests also, who come near to the Lord, purify themselves, lest the Lord smite them.”

The above fragment refers directly to the third part of the Secret of Fatima, in which we see a priest dressed in white, along with other priests and nuns, ascending a mountain on which a rough-hewn cross stands. All present are struck by the Cherubim – symbolically depicted as meting out punishment through arrows and bullets, an image of stoning.
This mountain symbolizes the Church – the Temple of Christ. This means that all those priests who – while in the Church – have not purified themselves from sin, yet have nevertheless drawn closer to the Fruit of Life , are rejected. The punishment that befalls them is not without cause – it is a curse foretold in the Book of Mosaic Law, which falls on those who break the Covenant and commit iniquity in the holy place.
Neither the pope nor the people behind him listened to the Voice of God, which warned against approaching the mountain in a state of impurity. They did not keep the Ten Commandments – the Law given on Mount Sinai. In the Christian context, God's permission to enter the Temple and approach the Tree of Life is symbolized by the ringing of bells. However, true permission is given by the Holy Spirit, who penetrates and searches the human heart. Only those with a pure heart can enter the Kingdom of God.

When we compare the events that took place in Peter's Square, when John Paul II was shot several times, with what has been said previously, God's message at Fatima becomes clear. The Pope did not fully fulfill his task as God's vicar, especially in purifying the Church of sinful priests. The Church, as God's representative on earth, must be holy, just as God is holy. However, when its holiness declines because of the sin of its priests, God's holiness in the eyes of people is distorted. God cannot be with such a sinful Church, and its end is near unless conversion occurs. God always offers a chance for reform.

Exodus 19:23 Moses said to the Lord, "This people cannot go up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us, saying, 'Set the boundary of this mountain and sanctify it.'"
Ex 19:24 And the LORD said unto him, Go, go down, and afterward go up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests, nor the people, press hard to go up unto the LORD, lest he smite them.
Ex 19:25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Immediately after the aforementioned passage from the Book of Exodus, Moses ascends Mount Sinai, where God will engrave the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. For forty days, while he was on the mountain, the commandments remained secret to the children of Israel. Only when Moses descended and began to read them did they become public. A similar situation occurs with the Fatima apparitions, in which the seers received secrets from Our Lady—also with the stipulation that their content be revealed at a precisely defined time.
The secret given to the children of Fatima consisted of three parts: two of them were presented in the form of images, and one in the form of text, which symbolically evokes the two tablets with God's Commandments. Given God's precision and order, it can be assumed that there were two sheets of paper with the text—and one of them has likely not yet been revealed.
The third part of the secret was supposed to be read by 1960, or immediately after Sister Lucia's death. As we know, this did not happen. Only after the assassination attempt on John Paul II did the Pope decide to reveal the image associated with this secret. What was published at the time was a vision of profound symbolism, but it lacked the text that could serve as a second "tablet."
It is worth noting that the aforementioned image is a prophetic vision, the full fulfillment of which could only occur in the event of the Pope's death. Today, we see this prophecy being fulfilled, although not on the scale originally envisioned. This happened because subsequent popes, to some extent, responded to Our Lady's call. Sister Lucia, in describing the vision, indicated that the Pope was to die first, followed by others in succession. These events were to end with the death of all who followed him.
However, because the Pope did not die, the full fulfillment of the prophecy did not occur. Despite this, many people suffered—we survived World War II, and now we witness further global tensions, including those involving Russia. In this context, it can be concluded that the prophecy is still being fulfilled.
Let us now consider the tablets of the Commandments themselves. The commandments inscribed on them were transmitted in writing, while the visions of hell and the mountain on which the pope perishes were presented in images. The images refer to prophecies, while the writing refers to the law. The only words officially transmitted by Our Lady in the secrets are found in the second part. For this reason, it is worth examining them and trying to discern the specific commandments.

The second part of the secret of Fatima: "You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I tell you is done , many souls will be saved, peace will be established in the world. The war will end. But if you do not stop offending God , a second, worse war will begin during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see heaven illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is a great sign that God gives you, that he will punish the world for its crimes, through war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father. To prevent this, I will come to demand the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the offering of Holy Communion on the first Saturdays of the month in reparation . If people fulfill my wishes, Russia will convert and peace will reign; if not, Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church. The good They will be martyred, the Holy Father will suffer greatly, many nations will be destroyed, and in the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, which will convert, and a time of peace will come to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved."

This tablet contains the following commandments:

Establishment of Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Listen to the words of Mary.
Stop insulting God.
Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Offering Holy Communion on the first Saturdays of the month in reparation.

As we can see, we are dealing with five commandments, which suggests that another five are missing. This could indicate the existence of a second, missing text that would contain the remaining commandments. However, it is also possible that the second tablet refers to Jesus. In the Jewish tradition, the tablets of the Ten Commandments are referred to as masculine (ish) and feminine (isha), so it is worth considering this perspective as well.
Nevertheless, everything points to the lack of a written text referring to the third part of the mystery of Fatima – the one related to the mountain. If the vision of hell was accompanied by the words of Our Lady, then a specific statement should also refer to the vision of the mountain. It may have been preserved but not revealed. Let us consider whether, based on Holy Scripture, we can determine what could be included in this text. In the vision, we see everyone perishing on the mountain – this could symbolize events heralding the end of time. This recalls the moment when Moses descends from Mount Sinai and, seeing the idolatry of the people, smashes the tablets of the Commandments. The golden calf, made by Aaron at the request of the people, was a manifestation of the people's departure from God. Aaron, the high priest, instead of listening to God, listened to the people—and this led to the people's downfall.
A modern-day equivalent of this situation can be seen in the pope—as the Church's high priest—who, instead of faithfully adhering to the teachings of Christ, can succumb to the pressures of the people and the spirit of the times. He then leads the people not to life but to spiritual death. In the Book of Exodus, we read that the Levites were appointed by God to administer justice—they killed all who participated in the worship of the calf. A similar image is found in the third part of the Secret of Fatima—everyone, including the pope, perishes on the mountain. Symbolically, this can be read as a punishment for departing from God's Law—for idolatry and betrayal of the covenant.
Therefore, one can assume that the lost text of the third secret would contain a warning against the fall of the priests—those who represent God on earth and who have strayed from the path of Truth. In the vision, we see these priests climbing a mountain, seeking Jesus' help—but the Cross is empty. This means that they had previously turned away from Christ, and now, in accordance with the principle of justice, He has turned His face away from them.
Turning to the Gospel of Mark (Mark 13:1–26), we find a foreshadowing of the end times, where Jesus speaks directly of the fall of the temple and the betrayal of many—including the shepherds of the people. This image corresponds perfectly with the third secret of Fatima. In the face of growing spiritual darkness, this vision appears not as a frightening message, but as a dramatic call from God for His people to return to faithfulness—to the source that is His Word. Let us now turn again to the Book of Exodus.

Exodus 20:18-21

20,18. All the people saw the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they were terrified and turned back and stood at a distance.
20,19. They said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die!"
20,20. And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that the fear of Him may be in you, that you may not sin."
20,21. While the people were standing at a distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.

The above verses refer to the fourth apparition of Our Lady at Cova de Iria, when the visionaries were treacherously abducted, and the people who had come to the apparition—approximately 14,000 in number—were left alone with God. The supernatural phenomena that occurred that day caused them to panic. Below are eyewitness accounts of this event.

"Lucia's older sister, Maria dos Anjos, who "came that day, around eleven o'clock, with some candles to light for Our Lady," later recalled, "some thought the thunder came from the road, others said it came from the oak tree, but to her it seemed to come from a distance." The sudden roar frightened everyone, and many began to sob, fearing for their lives."

Maria dos Santos (Maria da Capelinha) remembered the event similarly. During her testimony before the Canonical Commission, she testified that when people began to riot upon hearing the news of the children's arrest, a boom was heard at the foot of the holm oak tree, so terrifying that those gathered, fearing for their lives, began to scream loudly. Maria said they looked as if they were going mad with fear.

Manuel Marto, the father of Jacinta and Francisco, also observed this phenomenon. Testifying before the Canonical Commission, he said that immediately after hearing the bang, dust immediately rose, fog appeared, and a cloud began to form around the oak tree. Terrified people scattered in flight. Almost everyone took off their hats and called on Our Lady. They were happy, however, because although the children had been stolen, it was believed Our Lady had still appeared. Manuel also claimed that at the same moment he saw something like a luminous ball rotating in the clouds. (Fatima: A Story Mistold. Sylwia Kleczkowska).

Exodus 24:1-11

24,1. And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off.
24,2. Only Moses shall come near to the Lord; but they shall not come near, nor shall the people go up with them.”
24,3. Moses went and repeated to the people all these words of the Lord and all these commandments, and all the people answered with one voice, "All these words that the Lord has commanded we will do!"
24,4. So Moses wrote down all these words of the Lord, and when he rose in the morning, he built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel.
23,5. Then he appointed young men from among the Israelites and offered burnt offerings, and they offered bullocks as peace offerings to the Lord.
24,6. And Moses took half of the blood and poured it into bowls, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
24,7. And he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they answered, "All that the LORD has commanded we will do and be obedient."
24:8 Then Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said to them, " This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words..

The above verses refer to the third part of the secret of Fatima:

"(..) having reached the top of the mountain, kneeling at the foot of the great Cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers who shot him several times with bullets and arrows, and in the same way, one after another, other Bishops, Priests, men and women religious, and many lay people, men and women of various ranks and positions, died. Beneath the two arms of the Cross were two Angels, each holding a crystal watering can in his hand, in which they gathered the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls approaching God."

The two angels depicted on either side of the Cross in the Fatima vision symbolically refer to Moses and Joshua – those entrusted by God to deliver the Words of the Covenant to the people of Israel. It was they, after reading the Covenant recorded in the Book of the Law of Moses, who sprinkled the people with their blood, sealing their commitment to God. Since they were entrusted with the proclamation of the Covenant, they also bear responsibility for the faithfulness of God's people to its content. The Blood of the Covenant, a sign of salvation, symbolizes the Holy Spirit, who penetrates and searches the human heart. It is based on His judgment that the decision to admit a person to the Kingdom of Heaven is made.

Ex 24:9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,
Ex 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel, and under His feet was as it were a floor of sapphire, as bright as the sky.
Ex 24:11 But against the chosen ones of Israel he did not lay his hand; they saw God, and ate and drank.

The next three verses refer to the last apparition on October 13, 1917, during which the gathered people witnessed extraordinary phenomena in the sky. They saw the Divine Procession and the entire Holy Family: Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, who appeared in glory. Rainbow-colored lights also appeared in the sky – a symbol of the Covenant made by God with humanity since the time of Noah, so that all who were then "on high" were saved.

"Lucia continued that as soon as Our Lady disappeared, she looked at the sun and saw on its left side St. Joseph dressed in white with the Child Jesus on his left arm. She saw St. Joseph only from the waist up, but she saw the Child Jesus, dressed in red, in his entire form. St. Joseph made three or four signs of the cross with his right hand, after which the vision disappeared. After his disappearance, everything turned yellow." Along with St. Joseph's vision, another appeared. To the right of the sun, Lucia saw the full figure of Our Lady. She was dressed in red and covered with a blue cloak, which she wrapped around her neck. At waist level, she held her hands with intertwined fingers, and she was completely surrounded by a yellow glow. The Child Jesus was not with her. This vision disappeared along with St. Joseph's vision.

The sphere he spoke of was later compared to a huge, opalescent, polished pearl with a distinct edge, or to a glassy disc made of mother-of-pearl. The Diario de Noticias wrote: "The gray hue of the mother-of-pearl began to transform into a silver disc, which grew and grew... until it pierced the clouds! Then the silver sun, still enveloped in that grayish light, began to turn and travel within the circle of clouds!" (Fatima: A Story Mistold. Sylwia Kleczkowska.)

Godsend

During the apparitions at Fatima, flower petals fell from the sky, which some described as snowflakes. There are many accounts that detail this extraordinary phenomenon.

"People who came to Cova da Iria in July witnessed yet another mysterious phenomenon, which in the literature on the Fatima apparitions is referred to as a 'rain of flowers,' although there are at least a dozen other equally poetic descriptions of this phenomenon, such as 'falling rose petals,' 'a rain of orange blossoms,' 'a rain of marigolds,' etc. Accounts from direct witnesses describe it more prosaically: 'petals as white as snow,' 'small white shreds,' 'a bright white substance falling from above in the form of petals,' or even plain 'cotton' (Fatima the Story of a Badly Told Story. Sylwia Kleczkowska).

As we see, during the Apparitions at Cova de Iria, all the elements that accompanied the children of Israel during their wanderings in the desert were present, including the manna from heaven.

The reading of the Book of the Law of Moses at the foot of Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai and Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim

Let's consider what led to the events depicted in the third part of the Secret of Fatima – scenes of war, persecution, and death. After the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, Joshua was obligated to read the Book of the Mosaic Law to the people, in order to renew the Covenant previously made at the foot of Mount Horeb and Sinai. Maintaining this Covenant guaranteed God's blessing – God's presence, protection, and support. Breaking it brought a curse – not only in the sense of God's distancing himself from them, but also through specific punishments affecting the nation. These curses were to fall upon those who disobeyed the voice of the Lord and rejected His Law. The land of Canaan was to be a new Eden for the children of Israel – a place of blessing, but also a test. As in the Garden of Eden, sin committed on this land led to a curse and expulsion, as was the case with Adam and Eve.
The vision of Fatima presents the mountain as a symbol of God's Church, whose head is the Pope, supported by the bishops. The image of the third part of the Secret of Fatima is a clear admonition addressed to the Church hierarchy: the path they lead may end not in life but in spiritual death. Sister Lucia saw this vision as if in a mirror, which indicates its spiritual dimension, intangible with the physical hand. The Pope's and bishops' disobedience to God's Word results in the spiritual destruction of the souls entrusted to them, as discussed in the first part of the Secret of Fatima, which reveals the reality of hell – the terrifying consequence of abandoning God. The third part of the Secret reveals that even those who are shepherds, if they betray God, can also incur punishment.
Every day, we hear of priests breaking their covenant with God – through sins and scandals. Christians, as the new People of God, find themselves in a situation analogous to that of the children of Israel. Since sin and rejection of God's Commandments are occurring on a large scale within their ranks, it is not inconceivable that they will face the same fate – a curse, expulsion beyond the borders of the spiritual Promised Land, as Adam and Eve once did.
Today we see many Church hierarchs abandoning God and His Covenant. They do not listen to His Word, they disregard Marian apparitions – yet God Himself speaks through the lips of the Mother of God. Jesus came to the children of Israel to test whether they recognized Him as God and whether they knew the Holy Scriptures. Not only did they not recognize Him, but they also rejected Him and fought against Him. A similar situation is unfolding before our eyes today. God reveals Himself to the world through Mary, and the Pope and bishops fail to recognize Him. We see, therefore, that history is repeating itself.

Deuteronomy 27:4-10

27:4 When you have crossed the Jordan, you shall set up these stones on Mount Ebal and plaster them with plaster.
27,5And you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones not carved by iron.
27:6. of unhewn stones , and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God.
27,7. And you shall offer to him peace offerings, and eat them in the place, and rejoice before the LORD your God.
27,8. You shall write all the words of this law on stones. You shall engrave them clearly.
27,9. Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, "Be silent, O Israel, and hear; this day you have become the people of the LORD your God."
27,10. You shall obey the voice of the Lord your God and keep his commandments and his laws which I am giving you today.

If we look at a satellite image of Fatima, we notice that—as with many other apparition sites of Our Lady—the town is situated opposite two hills. These two hills symbolically represent the biblical Mounts Horeb and Sinai, as well as Gerizim and Ebal—key locations in the history of the Covenant between God and His people. In the Bible, it is at the foot of these mountains that God proclaims His Law.
The terrain of Fatima is not accidental—it is a spiritual map through which God speaks today. Through the symbolism of these hills, God reminds all humanity that the Covenant applies not only to the children of Israel, but to all humanity.

Satellite image of Fatima, which is located opposite two mountains, symbolizing Mount Horeb and Sinai, and Ebal and Gerizim.

Victim

During the wanderings of the children of Israel, sin offerings were offered on altars at the foot of Mount Horeb. However, after entering the Promised Land, altars were set up at the foot of Mount Ebal. At its summit stood a stone altar, on which sacrifices of praise and peace offerings were offered.
For Christians, the Holy Mountain is the Church. Within it lie the confessionals—spiritual altars on which sacrifices for sin are offered. Confession becomes an offering of purification and reconciliation with God. However, it is important to remember that genuine repentance for sin should lead to confession—it is a clear sign that a person has truly learned the lesson of distinguishing good from evil. Confession without repentance is powerless. In turn, the Cross, located at the top of the Church, serves as the altar on which the sacrifices of praise and peace offerings were offered. The Cross is also the Tree of Life, on which the Fruit of Life—Jesus Christ—hung. He himself became the peace offering that the faithful consume in the Eucharist, through which they may attain salvation.
In the third part of the Secret of Fatima, we see that the Pope and those who follow him are the offerings offered to God. However, these are not voluntary offerings, but forced ones, for they failed to properly fulfill their duties to God, turning away from Him. Those who perish at the foot of the rough Cross become peace offerings. Angels present in the vision gather their blood and sprinkle it on the souls entering the Kingdom of God—as if these souls were drinking their blood.
This image reveals the dramatic spiritual state of the Church. When the people and priests turn away from the teachings of Christ, His blood—the source of salvation—is "corked." This is a reference to the rough Cross, made of cork wood, standing on a mountaintop. The priests, though filled with the Holy Spirit, did not listen to His voice, so on the mountaintop they worship Him—through which others might be saved.
Let's return for a moment to Eden. God established a boundary around the Tree of Life, which could only be crossed by those who had learned to distinguish good from evil and chose good. This boundary was guarded by Cherubim with flaming swords. Similarly, a boundary was established around Mount Horeb, the crossing of which by unauthorized persons resulted in death—by stoning or piercing with an arrow. Punishment was meted out by Cherubim, who guarded holiness. We see the same image in the case of the prophet Elijah, who, at God's command, destroyed the priests of Baal—symbolically acting as God's flaming sword. In the context of Mount Ebal, during the renewal of the Covenant with God, the Book of Moses was publicly read from the city of Shechem, located at the foot of the mountain. No one from the people ascended the summit—except for designated representatives of the six tribes of Israel. They were to uphold the Covenant and ensure that no impure person approached it. This image is an earthly reflection of the heavenly reality. It is worth emphasizing once again that only sacrifices of praise and peace offerings were offered on the altar located on Mount Ebal—no sin offerings. Sin was to be purified before anyone approached the holy place. This is a lesson for us as well—to purify ourselves before approaching the Cross and the Eucharist, so as not to approach God in a state of impurity.

Deuteronomy 27:6-7

27:6. You shall build the altar to the LORD your God of unhewn stones, and offer burnt offerings to the LORD your God.
27:7 And you shall offer him peace , and eat them in the place , and rejoice before the LORD your God.

The path to salvation in the Old Testament covenant assumed that through human purity and the consumption of the sacrifice offered on the altar on Mount Ebal, it was possible to draw closer to God. However, in those times, the consumption of blood was strictly forbidden, because, as Scripture says, "in the blood is life," while the children of Israel did not yet know the difference between good and evil. These sacrifices were symbolic and could not bring salvation. They were merely a prefiguration of the perfect, one, and true Sacrifice, the consumption of which leads to eternal life—the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He became the Fruit of Life, hanging on the new Tree—the Cross. It is also worth noting that salvation must be maintained throughout life. If someone tasted the Fruit of Life, performing all the rituals correctly, and then committed a sin, dying immediately afterward, the gates of Heaven would be closed to them. For this reason, Christians pray that God will protect them from sudden and unexpected death – this prayer is a testament to a profound understanding of the spiritual principle: only in a state of sanctifying grace can a soul enter the Kingdom of God. Salvation is a gift, but also a task – a path that requires perseverance, humility, and constant vigilance. For Christians, the ritual pattern is similar, with the difference that they no longer need to offer blood sacrifices, because this sacrifice was offered in the person of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was both a sacrifice of praise and a peace offering. His Blood, constituting the Covenant necessary for salvation, is present in the Eucharist. Purification, however, takes place in the Temple, which is the Mother of God. It is she, as the new Eve, who is to crush the head of the serpent, that is, to drive evil from the world. The Mother of God is the Temple of God, created immaculately by God from Adam's rib, and therefore she is Holy. In the third part of the Secret of Fatima, what leads people up the mountain is their own sin and disobedience to God. Sin is Satan's law, therefore he leads them on the path to death. Satan, being God's adversary, knows that if he leads them up the mountain, tainted by sin, all will be punished by the Cherubim. And that is precisely what happens: all die from arrows and firearms, symbolizing stoning. The bishop in white is likely unaware of this entire situation, for, like Adam and Eve, he was deceived by Satan. The covenant with God applies not only to priests but to all people, because the entire earth belongs to God. The war waged at the foot of the mountain is a punishment resulting from human wrong decisions. Satan and his legions are responsible for all evil on earth, leading people to sin and wrong choices through lies. Wars, famine, and the persecution of the Church and the Pope are the result of negligence and compromise with sin, instead of a decisive fight against it. In the third part of the vision, Mary, as God's confidante, stops the fires that were about to fall to the earth, spewing from the Cherubim's sword. The Mother of God's arm became a last resort, offering humanity a chance to avoid all punishment if she followed her message. All wars have their origins in evil, such as communism—an atheistic creation. Sinful nations become easy tools in the hands of Satan, who easily manipulates them because they fail to resist sin. Such countries become, in a sense, a punishment for the world for its shortsightedness, inaction, and collaboration with them to advance its own interests. God always grants a second chance, as in the case of the prodigal son. Therefore, the death of all people on the mountain is not a foregone conclusion. It is enough to return to God and His Covenant, and then God, through Mary, will support humanity with blessings.

Curse and Blessing

Let's return to the question of blessing and curse. God promised the children of Israel the land of Canaan beyond the Jordan. Their prosperity in this land, however, depended on their obedience to God and His Law. If they obeyed His words, they would receive a blessing; however, if they disobeyed God's Law and disobeyed His voice, a curse would fall upon them.

Josh 8:30-35

8,30. Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,
8,31. as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of Moses: An altar of rough stones, not cut with iron: on it they offered praise offerings and peace offerings to the LORD.
8,32. There Joshua wrote on stones a description of the Law that Moses had written for the Israelites.
8,33. Then all Israel, with their elders, officers, and judges, both foreigners and natives, stood on either side of the ark, opposite the priests and the Levites, half of them on the side of Mount Gerizim and the other half on the side of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before to bless the people of Israel.
8:34 Then he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, exactly as it is written in the book of the law.
8,35. Joshua did not omit a single command given by Moses, but read it before the entire assembly of Israel, in the presence of the women, children, and foreigners who had settled among the people.

For Christians, crossing the Jordan River symbolizes Holy Baptism, after which we enter the Holy Land. However, Baptism does not automatically mean salvation. We must fulfill what the children of Israel did after crossing the Jordan and entering the Promised Land.
In the Catholic Church, the ritual of purification includes confession and cleansing with the Word of God, followed by reception of the Eucharist—the consumption of the Fruit of Life, which contains the Blood of the Covenant. Jesus, showing us the way to salvation, himself received Baptism at the beginning of his mission, therefore it is the basis of salvation. After Baptism, we all find ourselves in the Promised Land, but, like the children of Israel, we must hold on to this Land. This can only be achieved by listening to God, who speaks to us through Jesus and Mary. The curse of sin causes people to be expelled from the Holy Land, as was the case with Adam and Eve.
All Christians, after receiving Holy Baptism, have received a promise of salvation and entry into the Kingdom of God. For this promise to be valid, however, God's commandments must be observed. Each of us must strive throughout our lives to ensure that God's promise remains valid by remaining faithful to His teachings. Delaying conversion until death is a mistake, because after living in sin for most of our lives, it is unlikely that true change will occur in our final moments.
Those who obey God's Law are clothed in white robes – a symbol of purity of heart and fidelity to God. These are washed robes that grant the right to partake of the Fruit of Life, which contains the Blood of the Covenant. Through it, they can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In the third part of the Secret of Fatima, we see those in white robes who, through their lives, draw closer to God. They are sprinkled with Blood – a symbol of the Holy Spirit who fills them. Only this act opens the way for them to the Father's House.
Those who do not keep God's Word or His Law are left outside the gates of the Kingdom. By the curse of sin, they cannot enter it. Therefore, it becomes clear that even if someone was baptized but lived in sin without conversion, at the end of his life he becomes as if unbaptized – separated from eternal life.

Rev 22:14-15

22:14. Happy are those who wash their robes, that they may have right to the Tree of Life , and may enter into that city through the gate.
22,15. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic, the immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices what is false.

Christians receive a white garment during Baptism – a sign of spiritual purity and new life in Christ. They are obligated to keep it spotless throughout their lives, aided by the holy sacraments of the Catholic Church. For the children of Israel, the white garment was symbolized by the whitewashed stone altar on Mount Ebal, on which the Commandments of God were inscribed – a sign of covenant and obedience to the Law.
However, the garment itself does not yet confer the right to salvation. What is decisive is the consumption of the Fruit of Life – the peace offering that is Jesus Christ. It is in His Blood, consumed in the Eucharist, that one finds the fullness of salvation. Christ is the final, missing link on the path to salvation for the children of Israel, because His Blood is the Blood of God – the Messianic Blood.

Deuteronomy 27:4 When you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal and plaster them with plaster.

Curses referring to the Church and the Pope

Deuteronomy 28:15 If you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all the commandments and decrees I am giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.

When Eve disobeyed God's Word, she plunged into sin—drawing not only herself but also Adam into its consequences. Consequently, both were burdened with a curse that entailed expulsion from Eden. Beyond its gates, pain, shed blood, toil, and death awaited them. The entire vision of Fatima draws from this primordial story—for everything God speaks to us has its source in Sacred Scripture.
In the third part of the Secret of Fatima, the Pope, like Eve, through his disobedience to God and his erroneous teaching, brings spiritual death upon the faithful—just as Eve brought it upon Adam and all his offspring.
Let us today consider the condition of the Church: does it not reflect the curses described in the Book of the Law of Moses? Let us compare these words with the vision contained in the third part of the Secret of Fatima to understand the spiritual dimension of current events.

The third part of the secret of Fatima :
" Before reaching there, the Holy Father passed through a large city half in ruins and half trembling, with halting steps, tormented by pain and suffering, he walked praying for the souls of the dead people whose bodies he met on his way , having reached the top of the mountain, kneeling at the foot of the big Cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers,

curses from the Book of the Law of Moses:

Deuteronomy 28:65 You will find no peace among those nations, nor will the sole of your foot rest there. The LORD will give you a heart trembling with fear, eyes weeping with longing, and a soul afflicted with sorrow.
Deuteronomy 28:66 Your life will be in suspense; you will tremble day and night with fear; you will not be sure of your life.
Deuteronomy 28:67 In the morning you will say, "Who will make evening come?" And in the evening, "Who will make morning come?"— because of the fear that will fill your heart at the sight that will be before your eyes.
Deuteronomy 28:34 You will be driven mad by the sight that will befall you.
Deuteronomy 28:16. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed in the field.
Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD will send a curse upon you, a hindrance, and a stumbling block in all that you set your hand to, whatever you do. You will be crushed and perish suddenly because of the wickedness of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.
Deuteronomy 28:25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will go against them one way, and flee before them seven ways. You will be a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
Deuteronomy 28:37 You will become a horror, a byword, and a scorn among all the nations where the LORD leads you.
Deuteronomy 28:43 The stranger who dwells with you will rise higher and higher, and you will descend lower and lower.
Deuteronomy 28:45 All these curses will come upon you; they will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God to keep the commandments and the statutes he commanded you.

Comparing the third part of the secret of Fatima with fragments of the Book of Mosaic Law and with events that have taken place in the contemporary world and in the Church, we see clear parallels. As humanity sinks deeper into sin, their overlap becomes increasingly apparent. The world is engulfed in war, the Church is shrinking, experiencing widespread apostasy, and the number of vocations to the priestly and religious life is dramatically declining.
Hiding sinners within the walls of the Church—resulting from a lack of knowledge of Holy Scripture and a misunderstood understanding of mercy—imposes a spiritual curse upon the entire Church. The attempt on John Paul II's life in St. Peter's Square seems to be a clear sign of this state of affairs.
It is worth emphasizing that the Fatima messages were addressed primarily to the Pope—the shepherd of the entire Church, responsible for the spiritual development of the People of God. What else, if not a sign of a curse, was the attempt on St. John Paul II's life?
In this context, it is also worth recalling another vision – experienced exclusively by Jacinta – which refers directly to the Pope.

One day, Jacinta was alone near the well while Lucia and Francisco were searching for wild honey. Suddenly, Jacinta saw the Pope in a vision. Thinking the other children had seen the same thing, she called out to them, "Lucia! Francisco! Have you seen the Holy Father?" "No." "I don't know how it happened," Jacinta said. "I saw the Holy Father in a very large house. He was kneeling before a table, holding his face in his hands, and crying. There were many people outside; some were throwing stones at him, others were cursing him and saying many bad words to him. How sad it was! We must pray a lot for him!"

Jacinta's vision is also connected to the curses described earlier, which currently afflict the entire Church. People are leaving it, perceiving sin within its ranks. The Church is criticized from all sides, hurled insults and curses. This situation testifies to its sin, for without it, the Church would enjoy God's blessing and success in every endeavor. Initially, the vision could have been seen as a divine admonition, calling for reform. However, as it began to be fulfilled—beginning with the assassination of the Pope—the Church is experiencing firsthand the consequences of its disobedience to God.

Deuteronomy 28:52 He will besiege you in all your cities , until your strongest and tallest walls fall in your land, on which you have fallen . He will besiege you in all your cities throughout all the land which the LORD your God has given you.

Jacinta's vision also fits into the context of the curses described earlier, which today afflict the entire Church. More and more people are leaving, seeing sin within. The Church is criticized, slandered, reviled, and cursed—both by external enemies and by those who were once part of it. This situation testifies to the presence of sin, because if the Church remained faithful to God, it would enjoy His blessing and success in every endeavor.
Initially, Jacinta's vision could be interpreted as a divine admonition—a call to conversion and purification. However, as it began to be fulfilled—beginning with the assassination attempt on the Pope—the Church began to truly feel the consequences of its own disobedience to God.

The Curse of the Bad Shepherd

Deuteronomy 27:18. Cursed be he who causes a blind man to wander on the road. And all the people shall say, Amen.

A bad shepherd is one who fails to care for his flock—leaving them to the mercy of this world, or worse, leading them to death. This is a path that ends in an abyss into which both the shepherd and those who follow him fall. The Church's apostasy from God and His Law is precisely such a path—a path to destruction, a path whose master is Satan. Priests are called to be God's light for people—to point the way to salvation, not to perdition.
Looking at the vision of Fatima, we see the Pope and bishops leading the faithful to a mountain where there is neither the life nor the blessing of Mount Gerizim, but the curse and death of Mount Ebal. If the shepherd of the Church leads people to death, it means we are dealing with a false prophet. This could be someone who deliberately misleads, but also someone who—lacking sufficient knowledge or discernment—does so unconsciously.
An example of false teaching is the proclamation that hell does not exist. This thesis leads to a loosening of morals, a loss of fear of God, and a loss of self-absorption in sin – among both priests and laity. This, in turn, results in a weakening of faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit of God is inextricably linked with God's Law. Where the Law is absent, the Spirit is also absent.
The contemporary teaching on the nonexistence of hell is particularly evident in certain strands of Protestantism, where it forms the foundation of many erroneous beliefs. However, prudence is necessary – not every erroneous teaching is the result of bad will on the part of pastors. They are often the result of incomplete understanding or a lack of spiritual discernment.
In this context, the Mother of God comes to our aid. The Pope and bishops bear a tremendous responsibility, as they determine the direction the Church takes. To avoid error, they should listen not only to the voice of Holy Scripture but also to the voice of Marian apparitions – which God sends in moments of crisis.
Apparitions occur especially when the Church is unsure of which path to take or when it begins to stray from the path God has laid out. Their role is to point the right path, but also to deepen our knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, every apparition should be treated with due seriousness, for they are the Voice of God addressed to His people.
Over the centuries, many Marian apparitions have occurred – unfortunately, many have been rejected, misunderstood, or ignored. Sometimes one can get the impression that no one cares about their correct interpretation. It sometimes happens that ordinary believers demonstrate a greater desire to know the Truth than the Church hierarchy, which is swarming with "doubting Thomases."
God has repeatedly built His Church anew. When the "stench of Satan" entered its interior, God led out those who remained faithful to Him, making them the foundation of renewal – in accordance with the vision of the prophet Jeremiah. Each such change was preceded by the moral corruption of the people, leading to wars and destruction. Only then was a new, purified Church created.

Jer 18:1-6

18,1. The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah,
18,2. Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there you will hear my words.
18,3. So I went down to the potter's house, and he was working on the wheel.
18,4. If the vessel he was making became misshapen, as happens with clay in the hand of a potter, he would make another vessel from it, as the potter pleased.
18,5. Then the Lord spoke the following words to me,
18,6. Cannot I do with you, O house of Israel, as this potter does? declares the LORD. For behold, like clay in the potter's hand, so are you, O house of Israel, in my hand.

There are lessons to be learned from history. As was the case with Israel, Egypt, Babylon, and many other places since the beginning of time, so too can the Vatican. One of the curses read on Mount Ebal is related to this issue.

Deuteronomy 28:62. Only a few people will remain of you , who were as numerous as the stars in the sky, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

The Apocalypse of St. John describes the end times, which will be heralded by Satan's rule on earth and the seizure of power in God's Church, ultimately leading to its destruction. In this context, the Church is symbolically compared to Babylon – the "gate of God," an ancient city in Mesopotamia, whose ruins lie today in Iraq. The history of Babylon serves as a warning – which is why it is also recorded in the New Testament. This city was repeatedly warned by God, but when the measure of its sin was fulfilled, its end came. A similar fate may also befall the Vatican.
Through Marian apparitions – such as those at Fatima – God has repeatedly admonished the Church. Warnings always precede punishment, as happened in Paradise when God warned Adam and Eve. Fatima may therefore be not only a warning but also a prelude to the coming judgment and the end of the Church's present form. Therefore, the Church should immediately turn to God – abandoning false teachings and spiritual compromises.
The Church was called to be an instrument in God's hands—to proclaim His Word and cleanse people from the sin that leads to death. Shepherds are to bring God a purified people—they are like farmers whose harvest is souls. In the parable, Jesus says that some yield a harvest thirtyfold, others sixtyfold, and still others a hundredfold. This harvest is to be the fruit of their ministry.
After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah, promising never again to cleanse the earth through water. From then on, purification is to be accomplished through the ministry of priests—those who are to cleanse God's people from all impurity. The rainbow, which God gave as a sign of the new covenant, has seven colors—corresponding to the seven Holy Spirits and the seven Churches of the Apocalypse.

Ex 19:10 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to this people and cleanse them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.

The priest of God is the last instrument in God's hands through which the work of salvation is to be accomplished. It is his ministry—based on truth, holiness, and faithfulness to God's Word—that constitutes the last line of defense against humanity's spiritual decline. Therefore, one of the most dramatic signs of the end times will be Satan's takeover of the Church—and its priests. If a new, purified Church does not arise, it will be a prelude to the final end.
In the times of Noah, sin spread throughout the earth, penetrating the hearts of all people. The moral corruption of souls meant that the world was doomed to destruction. It survived only thanks to the righteousness of one man—Noah—who alone remained righteous in God's eyes and became the instrument of salvation. Today, the situation may repeat itself. If Satan takes control of the Church, and no righteous person is found among the priests, humanity will once again begin to bear rotten fruit—as Our Lady warned at La Salette.
Jesus in the Gospel according to St. John Mark speaks of the end of time, comparing the Church to a tree that, at its fruitful season, yields no fruit. This condition testifies to the spiritual and moral decay of the priests, who, instead of bearing good fruit, produce rotten fruit. This spiritual corruption—as in the days of Noah—foreshadows the approaching judgment and the end of time.

The curse of crop failure

Deuteronomy 28:33. the produce of your field and all your labor; you will always be oppressed and afflicted.
Deuteronomy 28:38 You will bring forth much seed into your fields, but you will gather little, because the locusts will eat it.
Deuteronomy 28:39. You shall plant a vineyard and till it, but you shall neither drink the wine nor gather any of it, for the worms shall eat it all.
Deuteronomy 28:40. You shall have olive trees in all your borders, but you shall not anoint yourself with oil, for the olives will fall.
Deuteronomy 28:42. All the trees and fruits of the earth will be eaten by insects.

The curse is a consequence of sin and can manifest itself in various ways, for example, through the fruitlessness of our endeavors. If we sow something, we will reap nothing. If we look at the Catholic Church, we notice that over the last century its ranks have been significantly depleted. The lack of new vocations and the abandonment of the Church by people are visible symptoms. We must ask ourselves, if God's blessing were upon the Catholic Church, would we be in this situation today? God is a scrupulous God, He never changes His mind, and the Covenants He has made are Holy. If the Church were not cursed by the sin of its priests, the Catholic Church would grow. Only those who obey God can grow. However, there is always the possibility of return, as in the case of the prodigal son.

The curse of famine and war

From the second part of the Fatima secret, we learn of impending curses upon the world, connected with the persecution of the Church and the Holy Father, as well as impending famine and war. Let us compare these words with the curses read at the foot of Mount Ebal.

fragment of the third part of the secret of Fatima :
When you see the sky illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is a great sign that God gives you that he will punish the world for its crimes, through war, famine and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father.

curses from the Book of the Law of Moses:

Deuteronomy 28:48. In hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in the greatest misery, you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will bring against you. He will put a yoke of iron on your neck, until you are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:49 The Lord will raise up against you a nation from far away , from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you do not understand.
Deuteronomy 28:50. A nation with a cruel face; it will have no respect for the old, nor pity for the young.
Deuteronomy 28:51 He will eat the offspring of your livestock, the fruit of your fields, until you are destroyed. He will leave you nothing: neither grain, nor new wine, nor oil, nor the offspring of your livestock, nor the offspring of your flocks, until you are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:62 Only a few people will remain of you, who were as numerous as the stars in the sky, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

All wars reveal the weakness of the Church, which is unable to counteract them; it lacks sufficient authority, and the war itself testifies to the poor moral state of the world, for which the Church community should bear responsibility. The loss of authority is a consequence of its sin and rejection of God's help, as was the case with Babylon. God, through Our Lady, clearly states that the punishment—a curse—will manifest itself through war, famine, and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. All people are guilty, both those outside the Church and those within it.

Jer 50:34 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has devoured me, has cut me up for himself, has taken me like a small vessel, has drunk me like a dragon, has filled his belly, has driven me away from his excesses.

The Curse of Wild Animals

The wild animals in the first part of the Secret of Fatima symbolize demons. Let us compare God's blessing with the vision of hell that the children saw at Fatima.

blessings from the Book of the Law of Moses:

Lk 26:3-6.

26,3. If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments and do them,
26,4. I will give you rain in its season, the earth will yield its produce, the trees of the field will yield their fruit,
26,5. your threshing will last until the vintage, and the vintage until sowing; you will eat bread to the full, and you will dwell securely in your land.
26:6 I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down without fear. Wild animals will be banished from the land. The sword will not pass through your land.

a fragment of the first part of the secret of Fatima
"The demons had terrible and disgusting shapes of disgusting, unknown animals"

Demons diminish the harvest of souls. The Book of Genesis compares demons to weeds that creep into a person's life. Weeds diminish the harvest and sometimes lead to its complete destruction, overwhelming what is precious and valuable. Every sin of the people of the Church is a weed, so when the entire Church obeys God's Law and adheres to His Word, demons will disappear from within. This is one of the blessings resulting from the Church maintaining its covenant with God.

Two Angels

The death of all those who climb the Mount of God, revealed in the third part of the Secret of Fatima, is reflected in the curses recorded in the Book of the Law of Moses. This is not a random image, but a profound symbolism—the consequence of disobedience to God and His Word. When people abandon the Covenant, even the path to holiness can become a path to death if it is not accompanied by faithfulness and purity of heart.

fragment of the third part of the secret of Fatima:
"having reached the top of the mountain, kneeling at the foot of the big Cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers who hit him several times with bullets from firearms and arrows, and in the same way there died one after another other Bishops, Priests, men and women religious and many lay people, men and women of various classes and positions. "

curse from the Book of the Law of Moses:
Deuteronomy 28:26 Your carcass will be food for all the birds of the air and all the beasts of the earth, and no one will drive them away.

The birds of the air refer to the two Angels shown in the third part of the secret of Fatima – those who collect the blood of martyrs into crystal watering cans.

" Under the two arms of the Cross were two Angels , each holding a crystal watering can in his hand, in which they gathered the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls approaching God."

Crystal watering cans are called stoups. The children of Israel, when offering sacrifices to God, collected their blood in stoups, and then used it to sanctify God's Temple, all its furnishings, and those who entered the Temple.

Zec 14:20 On that day there will be on the bells of the horses an inscription: "Holy to the Lord!" And the pots will be in the house of the Lord as sprinkling bowls before the altar.

In the Fatima vision, the altar is the Cross, which serves as an altar. The two crystal watering cans held by angels symbolically refer to the holy water fonts – the liturgical vessels used in the Temple. This detail shows that souls approaching God enter, as it were, the Temple of God. Those who have learned to distinguish good from evil and have chosen good in their lives – who have walked in the ways of the Lord – enter there.
However, to enter the House of God, a soul must fulfill two Covenants: the Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Blood. Obedience to the Law alone is not enough. Just souls must also be sprinkled with the Blood of the Covenant – that is, sanctified. It is this Blood that whitens and elevates the soul to God. This Blood is the Holy Spirit, who penetrates the heart and makes the whiteness of a person's garments intense, flawless – so perfect that "no fuller on earth could achieve."
Therefore, it is not enough to be "white" – one must be "whitened." It's about spiritual strength, the ability to resist sin. Adam and Eve were "white"—created without sin—but they lacked the strength to persevere in Paradise. Their fall demonstrates that innocence alone is not enough unless accompanied by the power of sanctification flowing from God. In the Catholic Church, sanctification is possible through the Eucharist, in which the Blood of Christ—the Lamb of God who suffered martyrdom on the Cross—is truly present. It is through His shed Blood that the faithful can be sanctified and saved.
But what about those who do not belong to the Catholic Church? It is to them that priests are sent, whose task—in accordance with Christ's command: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel"—is to proclaim the Good News and bring souls into the community of the Church. It is through the Church and its sacraments that people can enter into the fullness of sanctifying grace and participate in salvation.
Neglecting this mission has serious spiritual consequences: many people do not attain salvation, some end up in purgatory, and still others in eternal damnation. Failure to proclaim the Gospel becomes a sin because it is a blatant defiance of Jesus' own command.
However, the vision of Fatima shows that God—in his merciful justice—can also grant the Holy Spirit to those who are motivated by good. They receive it through the Blood of martyrs—those who belonged to the Church and were filled with the Holy Spirit. Their deaths become a spiritual transmission of the Holy Spirit to others.
However, God and His Angels are the only ones who distribute this grace. This happens in a way imperceptible to human eyes, in a spiritual way. People who ascend the mountain do not do so willingly, but are drawn there because of their negligence, sin, and erroneous teaching. Therefore, they should not be considered those who lay down their lives out of love for others, because they did not make a voluntary sacrifice like that of Jesus Christ. There is no true love in their actions. Jesus is one sacrifice offered for many, and His Blood, present in the Eucharist, serves to sanctify souls entering the Holy City of God. Since the Church rejected God, and thus Jesus, many Christians will perish so that others might be saved through their Blood. The Blood of Christ, through the bark of the cork tree on the Cross, was, as it were, "corked." The two Angels symbolize Moses and Joshua—those who read the Covenant to the people in the Promised Land, at the foot of God's mountains. For this reason, they are responsible for upholding the provisions of this Covenant.
The altar of every person is their body—an altar raised from the earth and whitewashed, signifying that it is clothed in a white robe, symbolizing purity. Each person offers on their own altar what they have done for God, what they have done to change this world for the better. On the basis of the sacrifice they have made to God, a person builds their future in the Kingdom of Heaven or in hell. Moreover, the Blood that the Angels gather into the fonts is the blood that—according to God's Law transmitted to the prophet Ezekiel—burdens the Pope and all who stand behind him. It is the blood of those who perished because the shepherds neglected their mission and failed to admonish sinners.
Failing to admonish a brother, especially a priest who errs, constitutes a mortal sin. God is the true Shepherd of his people and desires that his sons—the priests—live in his likeness.
Before Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, God clearly warned them: "If you eat of it, you will die." He gave them full knowledge and the ability to choose. He did not force them, but admonished them—out of love and concern.
Priests should act in the same way: their most important pastoral instrument is admonishing sinners. They should do this in a spirit of love and truth—just as God did with the first people. Only then are they His true images on earth.

Ezekiel 3:18-21

3:18 When I say to the evildoer, "You shall surely die," and you do not warn him or speak to him, to turn him from his evil way, and to save him, then he shall die as an evildoer in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand.
3,19. But if you warn the evildoer, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil way, he shall perish in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.
3:20 And if a righteous man turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I set a quarrel before him, that he may perish, if thou warn him not then, then shall he perish in his iniquity, and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembered : yet his blood will I require at thy hand.
3,21. But if you warn him, that righteous man, that the righteous man should not sin, and he does not sin, then he shall indeed live, because he heeded the warning, and you delivered your soul.

Firearms and bows

When all the people, led by the Pope, reach the top of the mountain, they are killed by firearms and arrows.

" kneeling at the foot of the great Cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers who shot him several times with bullets and arrows . "

At the foot of Mount Horeb, God established a boundary, the crossing of which by impure persons or those without His permission was strictly forbidden. Violation of this prohibition resulted in the death penalty—carried out by stoning or piercing with an arrow. In this context, stones symbolize today's firearms—a weapon of death inflicted "from a distance," without physical contact with the victim.
The image of Mount Horeb evokes the symbolism of the Edenic Tree of Life, guarded by Cherubim with flaming swords. Anyone approaching this holy place without purification and without God's consent was to suffer death.
Already in Paradise, Adam and Eve were warned by God not to approach the forbidden tree—not even to look at or touch its fruit—lest they die. This warning has a profound spiritual meaning: touching sin or coming into too close contact with it allows evil to penetrate our lives.
Mosaic Law teaches that anyone who touches an unclean thing—a dead body, a sick person, or an unclean object—becomes unclean and requires ritual purification. However, in the spiritual dimension, it is not about physical touch, but about touching sin by imitating it, allowing its presence, or being passive toward it.
Looking at sin can lead to imitating it. Touching it—to uniting with it in action. Therefore, priests, who—as spiritual guides—have access to what is holy, can only cross the boundary marked by God when they are in a state of grace. However, if impure persons enter there, they become guilty of death.
This is why, in the vision of Fatima, the priests are killed "at a distance"—by the hand of the Cherubim, emphasizing that their impurity does not transfer to the executioner. This symbol shows that God preserves His Holiness and His justice remains unsullied—impurity does not transfer to the instrument but is annihilated by the power of the Law.

Jer 50:14. Encamp against Babylon all around, all you who bend the bow! Shoot at her, do not spare your arrows, for she has sinned against the LORD.

The arrow from the bow is one of the curses that the Church brought upon itself by breaking the covenant with God, and it is symbolically a rushing eagle.

Deuteronomy 28:49 The Lord will raise up against you a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down , a nation whose language you do not understand.

Summary

The Message of Fatima is addressed primarily to popes and bishops, who serve as God's trustees, responsible for shaping and guiding God's Church on earth. For this reason, these pastors should be characterized by impeccable conduct, obedience to God, and unwavering faith. Unfortunately, the Message of Fatima reveals that the situation in the Church is different. Priests, instead of fulfilling God's commands, disregard what God communicates through Mary, thereby rejecting God Himself and His Saints.
At the foot of Mount Gerizim and Ebal, as we read in the Old Testament, the covenant with God, previously made at Mount Horeb and Sinai, was renewed. This covenant concerned the observance of the Law and obedience to God's commands by God's people. The consequence of breaking this covenant was the curses contained in the Book of the Law of Moses. Rejecting God, as Scripture shows, is tantamount to rejecting Jesus, through whose Blood we can be sanctified and enter the Holy City of God. Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice to give others eternal life, and anyone who "washes their robes" from the filth of sin has a right to his sanctifying Blood, contained in the Eucharist.
If popes and bishops reject God, and thus the Blood of the Lamb of God, they will have to face the consequences. They will be offered as a peace offering, giving up the Spirit of God with which they were previously filled. God is present in the Blood of Jesus, and by rejecting God, we also reject His Blood. Sin leads the pastors of the Church to Mount Ebal, where the entire Church will be sacrificed. However, through the Blood of their sacrifice—though not voluntary—those who have learned to direct their lives toward goodness will be sanctified. The visions of Fatima foretell the martyrdom of the Church, caused by its sin and disregard for God.
The third part of the Secret of Fatima foretells the fall of the Church in its current form if it continues on the path of godlessness. We know from history that God has repeatedly built His Church on earth – in Egypt, Babylon, Israel, and now in the Vatican. Each time the See of the Church has sunk into wickedness, its fall has occurred, preceded by the darkness of wars resulting from pervasive sin, brought about by the inaction of priests and their own sin. However, God led those who remained faithful to Him to the end out of these rebellious temples and built something new on their foundation.
The wicked was destroyed, but from the ruins of this wickedness something stronger arose – a Church of tested priests. A good example is Israel, which, with God's help, crossed the Jordan River and conquered the Promised Land. However, because of the sin that was rampant among the children of Israel, they lost this land. The same will happen to every Temple of God on earth if it becomes a hotbed of sin—not a stone will be left standing.
For Christians, gaining the right to eternal life is not a problem, because it comes essentially freely through Holy Baptism. Maintaining this right, however, is a challenge, and it involves a difficult spiritual struggle. The Message of Fatima does not speak of the end of the Catholic Church, but rather a call to reform it—a divine admonition. If the Church continued in sin and unbelief, its end would surely come, as with other churches God established on earth. God is Holy, and so must His Church and His Priests be. When Priests sin, God's Holy Name is also desecrated in the eyes of humanity.
The apparitions at Fatima are combined revelations, meaning they constitute only one part of a larger message that forms a coherent whole. The full Message can only be understood when we compare them with the apparitions at Medjugorje. The apparitions at Fatima depict the biblical events that took place after Israel's exodus from Egypt, when, guided by the Angel of God, the children of Israel reached the Mount of God, at the foot of which the Covenant with God was established. The apparitions at Medjugorje, in turn, refer to the moment when the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, where, in Shechem, at the foot of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, the Covenant made on Mount Horeb was renewed. The apparitions at Fatima and Medjugorje hold special significance for Christians, who are the people of God. By comparing the apparitions of Our Lady with Sacred Scripture, we can identify any inconsistencies that result from a lack of full understanding of Sacred Scripture or, in some cases, deliberate manipulation. Therefore, they must be studied carefully, as every aspect is significant.
As mentioned, there is information that indicates a lack of text in the Fatima secrets that would allow for the deciphering of the missing five commandments. When Moses descended from God's Mount, the Ten Commandments were written on the tablets. The absence of these five commandments can be explained as previously outlined, although this remains controversial. However, there is another issue that has stirred much emotion among those seeking the Truth: Sister Lucia's alleged double.
With the Message of Fatima correctly interpreted, we know that Lucia acted as an intermediary between God and humanity, much like Moses. As we know, Moses did not enter the Promised Land because he had died beforehand. The apparitions in Medjugorje began in 1981, meaning the real Sister Lucia must have died before that year. God is a meticulous God, and there can be no question of lapses.
Sister Lucia disappeared from public life after 1946, then reappeared about ten years later, dying in 2005. The change in her appearance did not escape the attention of many who investigated the matter, concluding that the new Sister Lucia was not the same person known before 1947. For some reason, someone in the Vatican decided to alter the course of events in their own way, against God's will, committing a sin in the Church, which God, through Mary, points out in numerous apparitions. The apparitions
of Our Lady are the Living Word, allowing us to look anew at biblical events, clarifying issues that remain controversial to this day. They are like a play performed by the saints so that people might better know God. Jesus, who was the incarnate Word of God, was such a Word of God.