Where were you on July 13, 2024, when you heard there was an assignation attempt on former President Trump? Like JFK and Regan, we remember where we were, and how we heard the news. Huge, monumental news stories are always followed by recounts of the event, then speculation, then conspiracy theories and endless investigations that seem to lead nowhere.
1917 Fatima, Portugal
It was much like that over a century ago, on the same date, July 13, 1917. On that day, three little children saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal. The “Great War” was going on, but the tiny village of Fatima was so isolated, and the children so young that they knew little about it.
The three children were shepherds to their families’ sheep and traversed the hillside with the sheep every day in an area known as the Cova da Iria. Brother and sister Francisco and Jacinta Marto, ages 9 and 7, and Lucia dos Santos, their cousin, age 10, saw apparitions of “a beautiful lady” starting on May 13, 1917. The lady told the children to meet her there by the Holm oak on the 13th of each month.
The young children wanted to keep it to themselves, afraid that no one would believe them. But Jacinta could not contain herself and blabbed it to her mom. The parents tried to discount it as fanciful ideas. The children persisted as they spoke the truth, spreading rumors throughout the village. In June, the children returned to the hillside by the Oak tree as instructed, followed by curious villagers.
The Children prayed the rosary while they waited by the tree. Then, the beautiful lady appeared again. The children could be seen staring up and appearing to be conversing with someone, but no one else could see the apparition. The children were given messages to tell the world. They were also told of future events that must be kept secret.
Learning the reality of Hell, the children prayed their rosaries and other prayers more devoutly and faithfully for poor souls who may still be lost. These young children made sacrifices in reparation for sinners, often going without water all day or the meager lunches they normally carried with them into the fields. All this while being ridiculed by half the villages in the area. Even Lucia’s mother had doubts about these apparitions.
Another part of July’s message was about Russia. They were warned that Russia would continue to spread her “errors” throughout the world if God’s requests were not granted.
The story continues through October 13th, when the great “miracle of the sun” was witnessed by over 70,000 people that day. Each month, more and more people showed up on the 13th to witness the apparitions. The crowds ruined the grassland the sheep grazed on, and the families were in dire straits.
On August 13th, their Atheistic Government was responsible for temporarily detaining (kidnapping) the children. They wanted to put a stop to these peasants’ superstitious, religious nonsense. The mayor offered them a ride to the Cova. Instead, they took them to the Ourem jail to get them to recant their story and divulge the secrets. Trying to scare the children into talking, they were threatened with boiling oil. Though not physically harmed, this ordeal greatly distressed the children.
Fatima is probably the most documented apparition to date, complete with photographs and newspaper accounts. The secrets that were to be revealed at specific times have more mystery and intrigue than a Tom Clancy novel.
So why bring this all up now? I believe, like some other Catholics do, that there is a connection between Fatima and Trump’s near-fatal shot. The 6 months of apparitions all appeared on the 13th of each month in 1917, from May to October.
1981 Vatican City
Pope John Paul II also survived an assassination attempt on May 13, 1981. Though striking near his heart, the bullet missed a main artery by a fraction of a millimeter. A year later, he commemorated the anniversary of that fateful day by placing the assassin’s bullet in the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal, at the National shrine built in her honor.
2024 Butler, Pennsylvania
Regardless of the conspiracies of who may have ultimately been involved in the attempt on Trump’s life, everyone agrees it was by the grace of God he was saved. Even Trump himself gave the credit to God that the turn of his head at just the right moment, was by God’s grace.
Unfortunately, democrats cannot rejoice in an obvious miracle. The cooperation with evil is so engrained in their thinking that they have no time for thoughts of God. If there was ever a time for Christians to unite and put Trump back in the White House, the time is now.
This has been the most dramatic 8 years in Presidential and political history I have seen in my lifetime. We must be very careful of where we get our news sources from, especially considering AI capabilities. Everything is happening so quickly. Ultimately, our only power is a vote. One vote. The rest is totally out of our hands. As St. Padre Pio famously said, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.” Well, at least I have 2 out of three down.
