Fátima, Portugal  ~ O c t o b e r  1 3 ,  1 9 1 7 ~  “THE SUN DANCES   at FÁTIMA” THE GREATEST celestial apparition in modern history was seen by 70,000 persons. Her coming was promised months in advance to assure an outpouring of witnesses and to dispel any allegation of fraud.

AS THE LADY OF HEAVEN  is departing, Lúcia feels herself drawn to look towards the sky in the east. What she sees causes a loud cry in her ecstasy, “Look at the sun!”

All eyes turn and watch. As the Lady ascends…

“…she opens her hands and turns her palms upward toward the center of the sky. At this precise moment the rain stops and the heavy gray clouds suddenly burst asunder, dashing to the sides in broken transparent strips and puffs. From the Lad/s upturned palms, rays of light are reflected upon the sun, which can be seen without discomfort by the naked eye as a spinning disc of brilliantly glowing silver.

Yet, strangely, it is not the fast spinning plate of brightly shining silver that absorbs the attention of the three seers. Their gaze is riveted on something else. Though they remark the rotating silvery sun, they also observe beside it something else that the other people do not see. They see the Lady of the Rosary. She, who a moment ago was rising with motionless feet towards the east and into the clouds where she finally disappeared, now stands to the right of the sun, whose light is paled by her brilliance. She is still all of light and is clothed in a dress of glowing white, just as she always was … However, this time she wears a mantle of blue.

And, what is more important, she is not alone. She promised that she would come in October with Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus, and that she herself would appear as Our Lady of Sorrows and as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Now that promise is being fulfilled. In addition to the Lady the children see Saint Joseph with the Child Jesus standing at his right side. Both the Child Jesus and Saint Joseph are dressed in red, and both are blessing the world. All three persons are close to the base of the sun with Our Lady on its right and the other two on its left.”

This brief apparition is immediately followed by changes of light and a vision of Our Lord and Our Lady which Lúcia alone sees. Jesus appears from waist to head, clothed in red and standing to the right of the sun. “As Lúcia gazes lovingly at Him, she notices that He is making signs of the cross with His hand over the people,” as one report later wrote. On the sun’s left is Our Lady.

Another change of light takes place. Now—“Our Lady … appears clothed in … a scapular,” [=  part of a monastic habit] to signify her identity as Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

As Lúcia is seeing Jesus and Mary, her two cousins have been witnessing the sun “as a whirling mass of flashing silver” since the moment when rays from Mary’s up-turned palms beamed upon it. The bizarre solar apparition is spellbinding to Jacinta and Francisco. Rapidly the disc turns on its axis, casting off beams of colored lights. Shafts of red shoot out from the rim and irradiate clouds, earth, trees and people. Shafts of violet, blue and yellow follow in spectral succession, tinting sky and earth with rainbow hues.

Jacinta and Francisco are not alone as witnesses. This spectacular heavenly display is in fact the fulfillment of the Lady’s promised miracle. She is furnishing public, global proof of the private apparitions she has granted to Lucia.

Now, fully seventy thousand faces are turned in amazement at the colorful spinning sun. All marvel that they can gaze steadily at the light without squinting or pain. One description describes it:

“Though the color of the whirling mass resembles the moon, in that it is closer to white or silver than to gold, its shape differs markedly from the spherical form… [and] is more like a disc or flat plate than a solid ball… there are some who wonder whether its flatness is not simply an impression or an optical illusion attributable to the terrific speed at which it rotates upon itself.

But even in color the spinning disc differs considerably from the moon, for its silvery tone is not in the least dull or lusterless. To the contrary, it is very bright and shiny and glows with an intense and rich brilliancy, although for some strange reason it does not blind or hurt the naked eye.” Intense heat radiates from it.

Utterly fascinating is the contrast of this whirling disc with its rim of multi-changing colors. So intense is the kaleidoscopic effect that the landscape is transformed into a fantasia of beautiful hues.

After several minute of this effect, the sun ceases its dazzling rotation “begins to tremble and and roam within the opening in the clouds, occasionally passing behind a transparent strip or puff.” Shortly afterwards it returns to whirling feverishly and “painting everything with great shafts of red, violet, blue, yellow, and other colored light.” Three minutes of this “whirling and splashing of color” cease again, and the sun again returns to meandering within the clouds.

All the while, Lucia is gazing intently at a private vision of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Simultaneously, seventy thousand watch sun return to its spinning, gloriously colorful “dance” yet a third time.

Then, it halts and begins the “trembles,” as if it will return to previous movement among the cloud—only this time, instead it appears “to be falling from the sky. Indeed, it plunges in zigzag fashion toward the earth.” The spectators, terrified, keep staring. It descends, and near-panic erupts.

“Cries of horror and anguish rise from all sides as the majority of the multitude fall to their knees on the wet muddy terrain. Tears of supplication and contrition stream down the cheeks of men and women alike. Public avowals of sins and open professions of belief in the apparitions rend the air. Fervent pleas to the Lady … ascend heavenward from all quarters.”

“O my God, we are all going to die!”

“O God, forgive us our sins!”

“O Mary, save us!”

“I believe! I believe!”

“Miracle! Miracle!’

Then—just when sun is about to collide with the earth—it reverses course and returns to correct position, looking like the sun again!

Onlookers who were staring in fascination just an instant before are now blinded by the brightness. They quickly avert their eyes. Relief up wells among the seventy thousand as they realize they are out of danger. The celestial apparition, which had lasted a total of about ten minutes, is over. Joy erupts as the crowd begins to fathom the magnitude of what they have witnessed.

Soon the spectators are all talking excitedly with each other, exchanging their experiences and impressions: the devout, the faithful, skeptics, atheists, new reporters, academic, government officials, peasants, priests, policemen—all are coming to realize that, although subjective accounts differ greatly, they have witnessed a miraculous phenomenon.

Twelve miles distant, a smaller crowd on a mountaintop near Alburitel have witnessed the same phenomenon. Later, reports arrive from other locations as well. People who were going about their usual business became entranced by the celestial show, not heeding Mary’s promise, but receiving the blessing too.

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~ O c t o b e r  1 3 ,  1 9 1 7 ~
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