Bible Question:
On May 13th Catholics celebrated the miracles of Our Lady of Fatima. They claim that Our Lady appeared six times to three children from May 13 to October 13, 1917. There is a claim that an undeniable miracle occurred on October 13, 1917 in Fatima, Portugal; the miracle of the dancing sun. Apparently, 70,000 people witnessed it. Did this miracle really occur? What does it mean to you?
Bible Answer:
The apparitions at Fatima, Portugal are described by the Roman Catholic Bishop George Pell as follows,
The apparitions began on May 13, 1917, when Lucia, aged ten, and her two cousins, Francisco, nine years of age, and Jacinta, aged seven, were tending her parents’ flock in a little valley about a kilometre outside Fatima. All three were illiterate and not particularly pious; they recited the rosary each day, as they had been told, by reciting only the first two words of the Our Father and the Hail Mary!
Disturbed by lightning, they were running for shelter when the two girls saw a “pretty little lady” standing above a tree. Only Lucia heard her say she was from heaven, telling them to come back on the thirteenth for the next six months. Jacinta never spoke to Our Lady and initially Francisco could not see the vision.[1]
Problems With the “Miracle of Our Lady”
The Roman Catholic Bishop George Pell has written the following about the apparition:
The apparitions were eventually approved by the Church and both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II have visited Fatima on pilgrimage. However, some difficulties do remain and it seems that Fatima is like so much of the rest of Catholicism, where we have confusion, if not error, mixed with truth (even in the Scriptures), with our treasures often found in earthen vessels, or shoddy containers.
A couple of these difficulties should be mentioned. It was on May 13th [1917] that Lucia believed Our Lady to say, in answer to her question, that a local child who had died would be in purgatory until the end of the world. This seems excessive by any human standards.
On October 13th, Lucia believed Our Lady to say that the First World War would end that day and that the soldiers would soon return home; in fact, the War did not end for another thirteen months.[2]
If this is true, then the “appearance” cannot be trusted. It is very possible that the children imagined the event. It has also been reported that the “miraculous” events surrounding the sun can be explained scientifically. Historical records indicate that the “appearances” at Fatima were later approved by the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II as being authentic.[3]
The “Miracle of Our Lady” Did Not Occur
This “miracle” did not occur. It is true that God can perform any miracle that He desires. The Bible and life experience proves that miracles do occur such as healing. But this reported “miracle” is not from God since “Our Lady” gave a prediction that was in error. We are warned in the Old Testament that a true prophet does not make even one mistake since they are speaking for God. God is never wrong.
You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. (NIV) Deuteronomy 18:21-22
This verse alone reveals that the “miracle” is a fraud.
Conclusion:
We must remember that God does not lie. The “miracle” at Fatima is not a miracle from God. If apparitions did appear, they could have been demonic in origin.
God is not man, that he should lie . . . Numbers 23:19 (NASB)
References:
1. Bishop George Pell. “Fatima – after seventy-five years.” AD2000 (www.ad2000.com.au/fatima_after_seventy_five_years_october_1992).
2. Ibid.
3. Catholic News Service (www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/pope-recognizes-miracle-attributed-to-fatima-visionaries.cfm).