Today, on the Feast of St. Anthony, we also commemorate the 92nd Anniversary of the “Apparition at Tuy,” which in many ways can be considered the climactic revelation and summary of the Message of Fatima. (You can read the details of this apparition HERE.)
AN IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARY
On June 13, 1929, Sister Lucia dos Santos was given a mystical vision which can also serve as a profound catechesis on the saving Catholic Faith. Perhaps what we remember most from this event, is that this is when Our Lady told Sister Lucia:
“The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means.”
Our Lady had already mentioned this consecration at Fatima, as part of Her ‘Secret’ on July 13, 1917. However, She indicated that She would return at a future date to actually request the consecration. June 13, 1929 was that day.
A CALL TO ACTION
We are now only 2922 days from reaching one-hundred years of disobedience to Heaven’s request for this consecration. This is a most serious matter.[1] It is very likely that the dreadful prophecies of Fatima will then be fulfilled in their most calamitous form possible. It is urgent that we tell as many people as we can about Our Lady’s Message of Fatima and encourage them to live according to Her ‘Five-Point Plan.’
Last year on this anniversary we considered why this particular day – June 13th – may have been chosen by God for this most important event (read more here). I am convinced that one day – quite likely in the not-so-distant future – this date will be recognized as one of the most important days of the year, similar to Christmas and Easter Sunday.
This year, in light of the dreaded rumors emanating from the Vatican regarding planned suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass, we do well to consider the connection between Our Lady of Fatima’s apparition at Tuy and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
The picture depicted above is intentionally chosen. The astute observer will note that the altar is not a ‘table’ for a celebratory meal, as is found in the New Mass, but rather an Altar of Sacrifice, such as has been used for centuries in Catholic churches. Mystically, this altar represents Calvary and the tomb in which Our Lord was buried. It is at this sacrificial altar that the only perfect and acceptable worship is offered to God by the Incarnate Son, in the person of His priest. It is at this altar that Christ’s Perfect and Eternal Sacrifice is made present for us. It is at this altar that man can draw near to the font of Infinite Grace and Mercy. It is at this altar, that we are spiritually fortified in order to emerge victorious from the diabolical disorientation gripping our world.
A GREAT THEOPHANY
God revealed to Sister Lucia divine insights into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity which she was unable to convey – either out of obedience to God or simply because there are no words in the human language which can adequately convey the depth of what she was given to understand. Nevertheless, we know the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity each have a prominent role in the vision. This mirrors the structure of the Holy Mass, which must be Trinitarian in ALL its aspects. For example, at Mass, our prayers are offered to the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Ghost. This is an eminently Catholic way to pray, which we do well to incorporate in our daily devotions and private prayer.
In this vision we see Christ Crucified. His Precious Blood is flowing out of His Pierced Side into a chalice and the Sacred Host hangs suspended above the chalice. This takes place by the power of the Holy Ghost (seen hovering over Christ directly above the altar). The image of the Father makes it abundantly clear that by His Divine Providence this Clean Oblation is offered from the rising of the sun even to the setting of the sun in every place (cf. Malachi 1:11). Christ’s Sacrifice upon the Cross is the source of every grace and mercy that descends from Heaven to earth. Truly can it be said that few revelations more obviously emphasize the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the infallible doctrine concerning the Mass enshrined at the Council of Trent.
Yet this doctrine has largely been forgotten, rejected, and even contradicted by many modern churchmen. In fact, the New Mass is “both as a whole and in its details, a striking departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as it was formulated in Session XXII of the Council of Trent.”[2] Many Catholics today do not even realize the Mass is a Sacrifice! That it is Christ’s one perfect and eternal Sacrifice! Yet those who contemplate this vision at Tuy could never possibly forget this profound reality.
THE MASS MUST BE THEOCENTRIC
In looking at this vision, it is clear that the Triune God stands at the very center. All the primary focus is upon Him. We can say that the Vision of Tuy is theocentric (centered upon God). Above all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass must also be theocentric!
A friend once asked me over lunch to simplify things as much as possible for him, “What was so different between the Traditional Mass and the New Mass?” So much could be said. Large books could be written (and have). But I answered: “At the very root of the issue it is that the Traditional Mass is theocentric whereas the New Mass is anthropocentric (centered on man).” We go to Mass to worship God, to adore and thank Him, to ask Him for forgiveness, and beg for what we need. God created us and only God can save us. He must be the center of our life and certainly the center at Mass. This is true in even the most minute details at the Traditional Mass.
Regrettably, the New Mass lost this focus and became centered instead upon man. Yet no man can give us grace, forgive our sins, save us from the fires of hell, or give us eternal life. When one honestly reflects upon all the aspects of the New Mass – from the architecture of modern churches, to the layout of the sanctuary, to the priest facing the people instead of God, to the use of a common language instead of a sacred one, to the rejection of holy images and incense, to the replacement of holy chant with contemporary music, to the proliferation of laity in the holy sanctuary, to the banal dress and common irreverence, to multi-culturalism and ad hoc agenda-driven prayers, to the great sacrilege of receiving Communion while standing and on the hand – one sees that a great defect of the New Mass is its anthropocentrism. How dare we make man the center of our worship instead of God?![3]
OUR LADY AND THE CATHOLIC MESSAGE OF FATIMA
Our Lady also holds a prominent place in the Vision of Tuy, though it is clearly defined in relation and subservience to the Blessed Trinity. Her positioning dramatically indicates Her role as Mediatrix of All Graces and Co-Redemptrix (these titles are also addressed in the latest issue of The Fatima Crusader). She reveals to us Her Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart, surrounded by thorns. Indeed, it is only by this privileged means – Her Immaculate Heart – that God has chosen to save our world in this age dominated by the Errors of Russia. Until this devotion spreads and Russia is properly consecrated, our world will not have peace; no, matters will only worsen instead. Thus, let us now console Our Mother by making acts of reparation, especially every First Saturday of the month.
There are many more elements to the Vision of Tuy, yet the few mentioned here show how imbued it is with Catholic dogma. The Holy Trinity, the Incarnate Son of God, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Eucharist, our Blessed Mother, all have an essential place in this vision. I encourage you to add your further reflections on this matter in the comments below.
In its essence, the Message of Fatima is a powerful summary of the Gospel. In effect, it summarizes all of Catholic doctrine and brings us the truth of Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Outside of Him, there is no salvation. This is what Fatima is about. And it is what the Catholic Mass is about.
FATIMA, THE MASS, AND THE FAITH
Thus, it should come to us as no surprise that if Our Lady of Fatima’s command has been disobeyed for 92 years, then the true Catholic Mass will likewise be rejected. There is a direct connection between these two! Since Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart is inseparable from Christ’s Sacred Heart – mystically the Two Hearts are One! – and the Mass is the Sacrifice of Christ, the Immolation of His Sacred Heart, then if one of these is set aside, so necessarily must the other.
If ecclesial hierarchs fail to promote the First Saturdays Devotion and refuse to consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, then they will inevitably also attack the Mass. Left unchecked, they will make it their aim to eliminate, as far as it is in their power, the true and Catholic Mass. Likewise, they will ultimately set aside all of Catholic dogma, which is simply the truth of Christ. The Church Militant has now even reached the point where man, seeing himself as god who can determine right and wrong, is desirous of redefining such basic things as the Ten Commandments and Natural Law. Yet, without the Truth, without Christ, how can man find salvation!?
Our Lady warned us of ALL these things at Fatima. She exhorted us to remain steadfast in the dogmas of the Faith, which must be preserved at all costs. Through the Vision of Tuy, She also exhorted us to remain steadfast in the True Catholic Mass, which adequately re-presents to us the eternal and perfect Sacrifice of Her Son.
Until the Church Militant turns back to Our Lady and back to Her Son, until we devotedly pray Her Rosary, faithfully wear Her Garment of Grace (the Brown Scapular), until we offer Her reparation every First Saturday, and until we seek refuge in Her Immaculate Heart, we will not have peace, the world will slip further into greater errors and evils, and so many souls will be eternally lost. At this time in history, only She Can Help Us!
Our Lady of Fatima, ora pro nobis!
END NOTES
[1] The Fatima Center’s latest edition of The Fatima Crusader (Issue 127, Summer 2021) focuses on the very important time limit of 100 years. The Fatima Crusader’s theme revolves around 3000 days, since it has also been just about 3000 days since Pope Benedict announced his resignation (February 11, 2013). Supporters should be receiving a copy of The Fatima Crusader within the coming weeks. If you do not receive a copy but would like one, please contact us.
[2] See A Critical Study of the New Mass (September 25, 1969), more commonly known as the ‘Ottaviani Intervention’ (No. 1).
[3] Much more could be said concerning the Message of Fatima and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. For those interested, I strongly recommend a conference I gave on this topic (in 2017) as well as a second talk on how the Latin Mass is our refuge in time of crisis (in 2018).