Our Lady of Fatima-July 13 1917
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/portugal/fatima-shrine-of-our-lady-of-fatima

On the 13th of each month from May to October 1917, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three shepherd children - Lúcia dos Santos (age 10) and her cousins Jacinta (age 7) and Francisco Marto (age 9) - in the fields outside the village of Aljustrel near Fatima. The children later said that her coming had been preceded by an "angel of peace" who appeared in 1916. Lúcia described her vision of Mary as "more brilliant than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal glass filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun."

The Three Secrets

On July 13, the Virgin is said to have revealed the Three Secrets of Fatima to the children, which consist of prophecies about the future and have been the focus of much interest ever since. The secrets were not written down until 1941, when Lúcia was asked to compose memoirs about Fatima and her cousins so their canonization proceedings could begin.

The first secret described a horrific vision of Hell. The second secret foretold the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II and called for the "Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary." Many believe Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request in 1984 by giving a blessing over the world, including Russia, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union. There is some confusion as to whether Sister Lúcia believed this fulfilled the request of Mary.

The Vatican kept the third secret under wraps until Easter 2000 – despite Lúcia's declaration that it could be released to the public after 1960. The officially released text of the third secret was unspecific in nature, leaving it open to various interpretations. The vague nature of the secret has led to speculation that the Vatican did not release its entire contents.
The secret speaks of a pope being killed by soldiers at the foot of a cross on top of a mountain, along with many other bishops and priests. The Church's interpretation is that this predicts the May 13, 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca in Saint Peter's Square. John Paul himself credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life, saying he saw her intervening to deflect the gunman's arm and he maintained consciousness on the ride to the hospital by keeping his mind focused on her.

Reflection

Most of our spirituality comes from the gospels which records accounts of happenings centuries ago.  I had occasion to do a biography of my sisters and recorded that she was born in 1917, the same year as these apparitions- 93 years ago.  This is God speaking in a physical way in our lifetime.  In another article on these apparitions, I read that although thousands of persons saw the miracle of the sun, there were some who were present, even Catholics, who saw nothing at all.  Well, we can always rely for direction to our lives on the words of scripture that we heard last Sunday, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. crsr"