Breaking Down the "Fatima Prayer"

This is episode 27 of the Catholic Frequency Podcast. In 1917, during World War one, our lady of Fatima appeared to three children in Portugal. Her message, A warning about sin, and a powerful prayer for souls. The Fatima prayer that she gave to the children goes like this. Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins.

Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. This is a direct plea to Jesus Christ alone. The prayer opens with these three words, oh my Jesus. The prayer is beginning here with a cry to Christ, not Mary or the saints, and this shows that Catholic devotion points to Jesus Christ as the ultimate lord and savior.

You know, we get criticism from Protestants that we worship Mary or worship the saints, and nothing could be further from the truth. And one of the great things about Fatima, as well as the warning we need to hear, is in this prayer, it illustrates this point very clearly. At Fatima, Mary is bringing a message, but then she's stepping back and pointing to her son. She's a guide, not a rival to his throne. The next line in the Fatima prayer, forgive us our sins.

Well, sins can send us to hell, and only Jesus can stop that. Only he can cleanse us. And again, Mary's role here, teaching us to pray, forgive us our sins, is to lead us to him. She has no power to save us. The next line of the Fatima prayer, save us from the fires of hell.

This plea is landing at the feet of Christ himself. Not Mary, not the saints. She taught the prayer to us, but its power rests in Jesus Christ alone. The next part of the prayer, lead all souls to heaven. This, of course, hinges on what we know Jesus is.

He is the way, the truth, and the life. And Mary's message at Fatima amplifies his dominion, not her own. The next line, especially those in most need of thy mercy, most need of thy mercy, even the lost and broken, even the greatest sinners can find hope in Jesus Christ. Fatimah's prayer crowns Jesus as the source of salvation, not Mary, not anybody else. The Fatima prayer isn't just a personal devotion.

It's a battle cry for souls. Mary, as a mother, pleads for us to turn to her son before it's too late. The Catholic church embraced the Fatima prayer in the years following the apparitions, even suggesting that it be added to the rosary. It's a reminder that salvation comes through Christ alone, and Mary leads us to him. Some Protestants see Marian apparitions as elevating Mary above god, but Fatima shows her true role, a humble servant pointing to her son, the only one who can save us.

And Mary's message at Fatima remains urgent today. She saw the flames of hell and asked us to beg for mercy. The question is, will we? Because the stakes are eternal. This is the Catholic Frequency Podcast.

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