Our Lady of Fatima - Pray for us.

Between May and October 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mother is reported to have appeared to three little children, Lucia and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta. It is in honor of this appearance that she is called Our Lady of Fatima. Fatima is the name of the village in Portugal where she appeared. 

The first two words of this title, “Our Lady” deserve a deeper reflection. The mother of God is distinctly referred to as "Our.” She is ours! In the prayer Jesus taught his apostles, God is referred to as Our Father. There is something significant to this. Ours is not just an English nicety. There is a Catholicity to this. Are you a part of the "our?" If not, why not? What is the stumbling block preventing you from appropriating this richness?

She is a Lady! While there is a banalization of this term, as all women are called ladies, there is something special to that term. Many of us hardly stop to pay attention to commonly used words and phrases. One of such is the generic introduction: Ladies and gentlemen. This suggests that the term “lady” is the corollary of the term “gentleman.” One way of understanding who a lady is could be by understanding who a gentleman is. This is no misogynistic approach of saying it is only within the context of the gentleman that the lady is understood. Rather, given the context that both are often used together, one could help explain the other. Here then one could say, gentleness or simply, the genteel is key to both the man and the lady. In fact the dictionary defines Lady as “a woman of superior social position; b: a woman of refinement and gentle manners.” It is an honorific title reserved for nobility.  While all ladies are women, not all women are ladies. When Mary is referred to as Lady, it is because of her position as mother and queen. The other English term for Lady is dame which means a woman of rank. There is something distinct and special about being a lady. The wife of the President is called First Lady. That term lady is not just a random, feel good appellation bandied around carelessly. It speaks of and to dignity and royalty. In that beautiful hymn of praise the Magnificat, the Blessed Mother proclaims: All generations shall call me: Blessed. The Angel Gabriel has already addressed her as Hail, Full of Grace. When we address the Blessed Mother as Our Lady it is beyond a mere term of endearment. 

It is an acknowledgement of her Fiat - the faith she professed in obedience: Be it done unto me according to thy Word. It is generally used in reference to Marian appearances 

- Our Lady of Fatima 

- Our Lady of Lourdes 

- Our Lady of Guadalupe 

- Our Lady of Kibeho

- Our Lady of Knock

And also in reference to specific causes. 

- Our Lady of Sorrows

- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

- Our Lady of La Salette 

- Our Lady of the miraculous medal

The French translation of Our Lady is Notre Dame. Apart from specific appearances, this title is an ancient title popularized in France especially in the sophisticated architectural magnificence on display in basilicas and cathedrals named after her. Notre Dame de Paris is the most famous of these. If one needs any further comprehension of the two words “Our Lady” these structures which bear her name incarnate a fundamental principle: when we honor the superlative beauty native to Our Lady we render worship in spirit and in truth to the Father who chose her to be Mother by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

And so we pray: in the words of the ancient hymn 

O lady of Fatima, hail                           

Immaculate Mother of Grace;

O, pray for us, help us today,

The hope of the human race.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!