Political agenda transmitted to children? Why not transmit the message to him who should be the wisest and most astute of all, the Pope?
Again, political agenda transmitted to children?
Did Adam's sin not affect her in any way?
Does Hades (Gr: αδου in the GNT) have a place in Catholic beliefs?
Where was it documented that "an unnatural light ... actually happened in 1938"? How does one prove that a light is "unnatural"?
In a Eurocentric view that may be true but there are always atrocities happening in the world at any point in time. There is never "an era of peace" if you take the whole world into consideration. Sounds like the Apparition was Politically Eurocentric.
The prophesy that World War I would end at a certain date proved false. Do you know what they did to false prophets in the OT?
I note I ommitted mention of the stated purpose of the apparitions: which I presume you know.
So "that all should see and believe". And however you contest the messages the miracle of prophecy is beyond doubt.
So the question is what the messages mean, not whether they were given
Answering the various points.
Why children? Who knows the mind of God? Would you believe it more if the pope said it (certainly NOT). Jesus uses strange tools.
Perhaps scripture - Matthew 11:25 has the answer. Jesus thanked the father that these things were "revealed to little children , hidden them from wise men!". Were they chosen it because they were illiterate, did not attend school, and knew nothing of the world, so that it is clear the source of their information was not learned or their own opinion? Were they chosen because they came from religious families? Lucia meditated on many of these questions and had no definitive answer.
Unnatural means "contrary to the ordinary course of nature; abnormal". It was certainly that.
The so called aurora of Jan 25-6 1938 was seen across the entire northern hemisphere and reported in newspapers across several continents. It was red. And it was so strong that fire engines were sent out on several continents too!. That is abnormal, and unnatural since even if it was an aurora nothing had been so extensive before or since it went to latitudes unheard of for an aurora. You will not find another similar event.
Although Sr Lucia says it was not a aurora and others note it was more reminiscent of the red glow of nuclear fall out. Which is still an ionisation but of a different kind. That is the problem with science. If all it knows is apple or orange, it can only classify everything as one or the other. But even if it was an aurora. It was completely unnatural in extent and scale.
And We know as comparison of holy light, that it is not so simple. The light of the resurrection passes between candles of the holy sepulchre resembles a cold plasma in physics, not a candle light. Nobody knows how that is possible. So not all is "natural".
In 1938 who had the equipment to go any deeper?
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What is CERTAINLY true is hitler met Kurt von Schuschnigg met only days later on feb 12, when hitler had already decided to take Austria by force. Negotiations broke down and so Hitler annexed it in March. That was the definining event of German aggression, which heralded the start of WWII. No doubt hitler decided it before in January before the sham negotiations. So the timeline fits perfectly. As did lucia naming the pope under whose rule it would happen. Pius XI died not long after.
As for the era of peace I agree it is relatively subjective, however the greatest threat of soviet vs USA nuclear war and the threat of communist expansion did subside. Now Putin is a madman, nuclear war is possible again. It was 100 years from Sister Margaret Marys warnings to the french rulers , which were not heeded and then the revolution happened. It is now 100 years from fatima.
You say a date was promised for end of WWI? I dont.
Day has many lengths in scripture. Daniels "days" were many years as indeed were the days of creation. "today " when Jesus said "today you will be in paradise with me" he did not ascend back to heaven for several earth days later. If our lady had said "today"
it does not necessarily imply an earthly day. Only when she uses an exact date and time "oct 13" can you be certain. She delivered on that.
What I can tell you is - like most on the web - you minunderstand the portuguese. Do you care? I am a portuguese speaker.
The word to end is "acabar" I can tell you straught from the original portuguese transcript the interrogator asked about the war finishing using the perfect tense. "a guerra acabei" The perfect describes is a single discrete and complete past event. But Lucia repeatedly replied that our Lady had actually said "a guerra acabava" which is an imperfect tense. The imperfect is used of a continous starting in the past.
Whilst portuguese tenses are not easily translatable into other languages because they have connotations that english does not including conditionaity and uncertainty.. A better translation was the "war was ending" in reflection of the continuous imperfect.
By way of example If I said "he played foot ball in the park using" the word "jogei" I mean he played one specific game in the pasrt. If I say he played football in the park "jogava" it means an extended period starting in the past. It is used to describe extended events. In english we just say "he played" and context must fill in the duration. It can include the present too. "queria" is an imperfeit which is the polite way to ask "i would like". Conditionality with no hint of the past in that!
So who knows what exactly was meant? Lucia did not ask. But You cannot discredit the miracle with that. The message is clearly from God. Since the "fruits" of fatima were large number of conversions back from atheism. As well as miraculous cures. Scripture tells us "A bad tree cannot bear good fruit" That is the criterion the church uses. At the time the church was as hostile to Lucia as the authorities were. Only MUCH later did the church get on board.
Like most pathetic attempts to discredit religious phenonema, the question of what was meant by the war ending is a pathetic attempt to discredit religious phenomena. All wars take time to finish. Some Japanese failed to surrended till decades after VJ day! The authorities of portugal were determined to discredit fatima regardless. Even more disgraceful was the attempt in films and books to portray Lucias father as a drunkard. He was not. He was a religious man. The family were exemplary christians in faith and charity. Even film directors and authors cannot be bothered with the truth, let alone the sceptic atheists determined to "destroy religion in a generation"
