On October 13, the Miracle of the Sun is commemorated, the culmination of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. This prodigy, witnessed by over 70,000 people, was the first public miracle announced in advance since the Resurrection of Christ. The seer Lucia dos Santos described the sun transformed into an «immense silver disk» that shone with an «intensity never seen, without blinding.» The star zigzagged through the sky, shot flames, and seemed to plunge toward the earth. Witnesses thought it was the end of the world and many confessed their sins aloud. Finally, the sun returned to its place and shone serenely. Within it appeared the Holy Family and the Child Jesus blessing the world. The torrential rain ceased and, after the miracle, the clothes and ground were completely dry.
1. Humanity is more sinful than ever
The main reason for the Virgin’s appearance in 1917 was to call the world to turn away from sin. Although externally 1917 seemed a more moral time, there was a deep spiritual rot: ideologies such as atheism, materialism, Darwinism, Marxism, socialism, and communism had spread. The fascination with the occult grew in all social classes. Revolutions like the Paris Commune attempted to overthrow the Catholic Church, and Masonic governments passed laws restricting its freedom. Christian morality declined due to the rise of divorce, pornography, and obscenity. The Virgin revealed that World War I was a divine punishment for sin, with 40 million victims. If in 1917 the world deserved the visit of the Mother of God, how much more today? Abortion, the LGBT revolution, mass apostasy, «wokism,» gender ideology, and blasphemy—such as the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which parodied the Last Supper—show an even graver reality.
2. The Virgin’s requests were not heeded
Our Lady of Fatima asked the Pope to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart, in union with all the bishops of the world. She asked the faithful for prayer, penance, and amendment of life, especially the daily recitation of the rosary in reparation for sins and the conversion of sinners. She also asked for the practice of the First Five Saturdays. Although many Catholics responded, the crisis in the Church—with immorality, heresy, and doctrinal confusion—is the bitter fruit of disobedience. Today more than ever, Catholics must obey to hasten the triumph of the Immaculate Heart and put an end to this time of sin.
3. The errors of Russia have spread as never before
On July 13, 1917, the Virgin warned: if the world did not heed her requests, «Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will suffer much, and various nations will be annihilated.» The prophecy was fulfilled in November of that year with the Bolshevik takeover. Communism caused between 75 and 80 million deaths between 1917 and 2017, and its ideological corruption is at the root of the sexual revolution, the LGBT movement, gender ideology, and «wokism.» The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats confirm that the warning remains in effect.
4. The Virgin predicted another great war that has not yet come
In 1917, the Virgin announced that World War I would soon end, but if humanity did not stop offending God, another worse one would come. Indeed, World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, with 75 million deaths. However, the Virgin also predicted a third world war in which «nations would be annihilated.»
Original source: americaneedsfatima.org (published October 13, 2025)
Photo: Jon Tyson on Unsplash
