Tomorrow is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. There is a lot of sensationalism surrounding the “Third Secret”, specifically in regards to its interpretation, which properly belongs to the Church. In 2000, Cardinal Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), wrote a theological commentary that is worth reading. In the commentary, Ratzinger distinguishes “public Revelation” from “private revelations,” the former referring to the “revealing action of God directed to humanity as a whole” which has come to us through Christ. I love the quote by St. John of the Cross that reminds us to fix our eyes on Christ, in whom God has no more to say. But the mystery of Christ is inexhaustible and the Spirit will lead us, over time, into its depths, depths that are sometimes communicated through visions and revelations that help us live the Faith more fully at a particular time. Ratzinger places the private revelations at Fatima there. The private revelations at Fatima “help us to understand the signs of the times and to respond to them rightly in faith.” Particularly, the secrets of Fatima urge us to penance and conversion. They do not fatalistically predict the future but show us the dangers and urge us to respond in faith, hope and love. He says, “Those who expected the exciting apocalyptic revelations about the end of the world or the future course of history are bound to be disappointed.” The basic message of Fatima, says Ratzinger, is that our hearts must be open to God, sharing in Mary’s fiat, so that God can steer our freedom to what is good.
Read Cardinal Ratzginer’s Theological Commentary here. His commentary is below Cardinal Sodano’s announcement.
We will be celebrating the feast day tomorrow. Many of our seminarians have a strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. Please pray for our new deacons and the deacons who soon will be ordained priests.
