FT Chapter 6 (Eternal Suffering)
The seers have now seen our Lady twice; she comes again on July 13. This is the third time. Our author, Fr. Andrew Apostoli, breaks this apparition into three chapters covering the three secrets that the children were given. The first secret that the children are given is a vision of the souls suffering in hell. The vision begins with Our Lady asking the children to pray the Rosary for world peace, “she added two new phrases: ‘in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary…because only she can help you’” (Fatima for Today, 55). As Fr. Apostoli goes on to say, “Jesus therefore desires us to achieve peace in the world with our Lady’s help and intercession” (Fatima for Today, 55). Our Lady wants peace, Jesus wants peace.
Our Lady says to the children: “Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially whenever you make any sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against Immaculate Heart of Mary” (Fatima for Today, 56). Why do we honor our Lady? Because in honoring her we worship her Son. God doesn’t want any souls to be lost. So the children are given this prayer to help them to save souls.
The children are given a very frightening vision of hell. This is done so that they could understand how important it was that they pray for souls not to be lost; that reparation could be done. It was done so that they could remind us that hell is real and absolutely horrible. Our Lady says at the end of the vision of hell, “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace” (Fatima for Today, 58). I will say it again: God desires that no souls be lost!
So if God desires for us to get to heaven, wouldn’t we want to help all others to get there? Well then we need to our part and pray, sacrifice and do reparation for sinners (this would most importantly include ourselves).