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Fatima from the Beginning
Three significant appearances of the Angel of Peace at Fatima took place in the spring, summer, and fall of 1916 — a year before the more famous apparitions of Mary. Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta were playing games and watching their flocks at the time of the apparitions. They were simple, normal children. Francisco loved to play with sticks and throw rocks. Jacinta enjoyed dancing. Lucia, the oldest, was the ringleader. After playing, the children would say the Rosary but would modify it so that it would not last very long and they could resume playing. Many of us can relate to this. Sometimes we get too busy doing other things and avoid the things that are most important for us. In fact, the message the Angel brought to the children applies to us all.
How It All Began
According to Sister Lucia, the exact dates of the apparitions are not known: “At the time I did not know how to reckon the years, the months, or even the days of the week.” However, by recalling the weather outside, she was able to indicate the season when each of the three apparitions took place.
When the Angel first appeared, Lucia had just turned nine, Francisco was barely eight, and Jacinta was only six years old. But why three simple children? If we consider the nature of children — their ability to absorb and retell a story in detail without any preconceived notions or agendas — we can see how this works for God’s plan. If the message of Fatima had been given to three adults, it may well have been distorted by pressures from the outside world.
“I Am the Angel of Peace”
One spring day, while tending their sheep in a property that was known as the Chousa, Lucia and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco, had led their flock to the east side of a rocky outcropping known as the Cabeco. Here is Sister Lucia’s account of the events that took place:
Around the middle of the morning, a fine rain began to fall, so fine that it seemed like mist. We went up the hillside, followed by our flocks, looking for an overhanging boulder where we could take shelter. Thus it was for the first time that we entered this blessed hollow among the rocks. It stood in the middle of an olive grove belonging to my godfather Anastacio. From there, you could see the little village where I was born, my parents’ home and the hamlets of Casa Velha and Eira da Pedra.
We spent the day there among the rocks, in spite of the fact that the rain was over and the sun was shining bright and clear. We ate our lunch and said our Rosary.… A strong wind began to shake the trees. We looked up, startled, to see what was happening, for the day was unusually calm. Then we saw, coming towards us, above the olive trees … a young man, about fourteen or fifteen years old, whiter than snow, transparent as crystal when the sun shines through it, and of great beauty.
We were surprised, absorbed, and struck with amazement. On reaching us, he said: “Do not be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.”
Kneeling on the ground, he bowed down until his forehead reached the ground. Led by a supernatural impulse, we did the same, and repeated the words which we heard him say: “My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon of Thee for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee!”
Having repeated these words three times, he rose and said: “Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.”
Then he disappeared.8
While we often forget and neglect the good angels who are here to help us on our path to eternity, devotion to the holy angels was very much alive in Portugal at that time. Morning and evening, the children were taught to invoke their guardian angels. So, this apparition was not completely surprising to the little shepherds. And what could be more in harmony with the great tradition of the apparitions of angels than the first words of the Angel of Fatima: “Fear not! I am the Angel of Peace.” Later, when Sister Lucia was asked what the Angel was like, she answered simply: “He was Light.”
Throughout Scripture, light attends God, His angels, and all holy beings. The angel who announced the resurrection of Christ had an appearance as of lightning, and his garment was white as snow (see Mt 28:3). Describing Our Lord transfigured on Mount Tabor, Saint Matthew tells us that “his face shone like the sun” (Mt 17:2), and “his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them” (Mk 9:3). Saint John says, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 Jn 1:5). Whenever God comes to manifest Himself to us by the ministry of angels or the mediation of Mary or any of the saints, He appears clothed in great splendor, as in this beautiful verse from the psalms: “Lord, my God, you are great indeed! / You are clothed with majesty and splendor, / robed in light as with a cloak” (Ps 104:1b–2).
After each of the apparitions at Fatima (which always took place at noon), this word “light” was always on the lips of the young seers. This sparkling light indicates the overwhelming presence of God, which leaves the natural senses almost paralyzed.
Sister Lucia details:
The supernatural atmosphere which enveloped us was so intense that for a long time we were scarcely aware of our own existence, remaining in the same posture in which he had left us, and continually repeating the same prayer. The presence of God made itself felt so intimately and so intensely that we did not even venture to speak to one another. The next day, we were still immersed in this spiritual atmosphere, which only gradually began to disappear.
It did not occur to us to speak about this Apparition, nor did we think of recommending that it be kept secret. The very Apparition itself imposed secrecy. It was so intimate, that it was not possible to speak of it at all. The impression it made upon us was all the greater perhaps, in that it was the first such manifestation we had experienced.9
The Angel taught the children a prayer in this first encounter: My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love you. And I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love you. This prayer can be seen as an introduction to our faith and how we are to share it with others. Faith is the foundation of our spiritual life. It is by faith that we encounter God within our hearts. At times, we may try to impose our faith on others and forget that we can only plant the seed; the Holy Spirit does the watering — and weeding. Faith is the gift of God.
Hope comes from our belief in God. When the Angel told the children, “Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications,” he was encouraging them to hope. This message remains true in our day. We must be faithful and then humbly trust in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary to receive our prayers and carry them to our heavenly Father.
Sister Lucia tells us that Francisco did not have the privilege of hearing the words of the Angel; the others had to repeat them to him. Interestingly, this would remain the case for all the apparitions at Fatima. Yet Francisco was favored with the “essentials”: the heavenly vision and the graces that the message of Fatima imparted to all the children’s souls. For the Angel did not come merely to speak with them; he also came to fill them with special graces for the mission that was to come. Sister Lucia describes this:
God sent his Angel with the message of peace and prayer, thereby introducing us into the climate of the supernatural, of faith, hope and love.10
The visit of the Angel also gave them peace and joy in God: “The peace and happiness which we felt were great, but wholly interior, for our souls were completely immersed in God. The physical weakness that came over us was also great.” If we reflect on this, we see the work of God’s mercy for all mankind, in all times and places. God desires to carry out his work in the world through us. God
