I decided to answer your question about why I think as I do about Fatima here as it really was a tangent on the Modesty thread which is already too long & cluttered.
Before I answer tho, I'd like to give a very brief glance into my upbringing so you may understand my mindset better.
I started school in Canada where it seemed that the whole world was Catholic, at least my little world. When we moved to the States, most were Prots & we & my aunt & uncle were the only Catholic families around. We were enrolled in a correspondence catechism class from the diocese. I then went to a Catholic High School where the Religion teacher was a humble, godly priest & I never saw any nun rap a student on the knuckles. They were what every nun should be. The priest in our little country church & nuns who helped there were also the epitome of goodness. At Mass the sermons were ALWAYS strictly on the Gospel - no going off on tangents on other things.
My parents were humble, hard-working salt of the earth, down to earth, happy people who lived their faith. They didn't preach it. I NEVER heard a harsh word between them. If I could sum up my childhood in a few words it would be joyous, carefree & very close to nature. I don't remember Fatima being mentioned but maybe it was & I didn't pay attention.
We were taught that you didn't have to believe in apparitions or visions, and not to go chasing after signs & wonders. So for me Fatima has been neither here nor there. I heard & read about it but it didn't particularly 'grab' me.
Then along came Fr. Gruner & more & more Catholics talked about it. Somehow I was on his list ( I have no idea how he got my name) & since I love to read & read everything that comes in, I read The Fatima Crusader and was struck by how strident he was. He was really into this! Then he started capitalizing She when referring to the Blessed Virgin. This bothered me as I had been taught that you only capitalize pronouns referring to God (or in the dictionary it says 'a deity'). To me it was like he was elevating her to a goddess, & I remembered how Christ answered the man when the man praised His mother.
Fr. Gruner came to a church I was going to, to say Mass & talk about the message of Fatima. He said Mass but the sermon wasn't about the Gospel. It was all about Fatima & his travails in getting the message out! Fatima isn't a dogma of faith & should have been left for a talk after Mass. The sermon should have been about Christ's words, not Fr. Gruner's. He got very emotional during the sermon. He seems consumed with this to the exclusion of all else.
Where my belief that the devil MAY be involved comes from two things. One was that most Catholics who believe in Fatima are very insistent that you also believe and to the extent that they do. It has spawned divisions, dissensions, bitterness and bad will among Catholics. There's the thing about Sr. Lucy being an imposter in later years. I've seen the pictures & it does seem to me that she is a different person. Was this to keep Fatima going? It is a money-maker you have to admit. Other Catholics say she is the same. Some Catholis say the consecration has been done, others declare that it hasn't. You now see the spectacle of Catholic against Catholic!! What did Christ say about how His followers get along? All this arguing and ugliness over what? An apparition that the church has declared that there's nothing against faith & morals in the message & therefore you are free to believe -or not.
The other thing is that it hampers non-Catholics from entering the Church. They already believe that we worship Mary & this seems to prove it in their minds. All Catholics, not just priests, are commissioned to bring all men to Christ & to His Church. We all need to be good examples & be able to answer questions should a non-Catholc ask. I think we need to do more to get out there and shed the light of truth to the world. Now more than ever. Instead Catholics are arguing about the consecration.
Maybe it's because of rapid communication but to me there seems to be more & more people having visions now. They're popping up all over. And thousands of people rush to them. Then there's the images on bread, trees, walls, you name it. I'm not necessarily saying that Fatima sowed the seeds for this. I'm just saying we need to stick to the Church's traditions, the faith of our fathers & not be conned into all this.
I see no problem if you believe in Fatima. It is possible that Mary did appear to the three children. We do need to pray more. Souls are falling into hell at an alarming rate. The devil is alive & well in the world & if Fatima is of God then maybe he has tried to hijack it for his own ends. I don't know. I'm not a theologian.
Topic: This ones for you, Sig! Fatima! (Read 3204 times)