The Miracle of the Sun in Fatima: symbolic of future nuclear destruction?

13 October 2011 marked the 94th anniversary of the great Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, Portugal. Much has been written and discussed about this event, which continues to evoke much interest and curiosity. It occurred at a time when anti-clerical forces in Europe were in the ascendancy. In Portugal, Freemasons dominated the new republican government and in Russia the Bolsheviks were on the verge of seizing power in a bloody revolution. The Church was being assailed from all sides.

Yet Our Lady intervened to try and bring people back to God, and the miracle she gave us is redolent with symbolism. Not only did it demonstrate the power of God, it was probably a warning of what may lie ahead if man continues in his present ways. Why did the miracle involve the sun? In the Old Testament, Elijah asked God to send fire from heaven. It was to demonstrate to the people of Israel who was the true god, and it had the effect of turning the people away from apostasy which they had fallen into.

Could the sun also symbolise a coming catastrophe created by man himself? Pope Benedict XVI has said, "man himself, with his inventions, has forged the flaming sword," referring to nuclear weapons. Since the miracle in Fatima was both dramatic and frightening by all eyewitness accounts, could it symbolise a possible nuclear catastrophe? It seems a distinct possibility because a nuclear bomb replicates what the sun does through nuclear fusion. Therefore the miracle should be seen in apocalyptic terms.

I believe the apparitions in Fatima are related to those in Akita, Japan. In Akita, Our Lady said to Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa: "Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead." Again the imagery of these words seem to capture a nuclear explosion.

John Haffert in his book "Now, The Woman Shall Conquer" (1997) describes the significance of the miracle in Fatima very well:

"It had been raining heavily before the moment of the miracle. The great hollow of Fatima was a sea of water and mud. But immediately after the miracle (which lasted about 12 minutes) the sea of water and mud had vanished. It was like the miracle of the Red Sea.

The sun itself crashed down upon the earth. It was seen in a radius of 32 miles! It was like the miracle of the sun in the time of Joshua, when the fire of the sun appeared to act independently of the sun itself.

It was also like the miracle of Elias, who called fire from the sky so that all would believe that "God is God!"...and the fire consumed, not only the sacrifice offered by the prophet, but the water in the trench around it. Therefore this miracle of Fatima had the elments of the three greatest miracles of the Old Testament. What is more, NEVER BEFORE in history had God, "so that all may believe," performed a miracle at a PREDICTED TIME AND PLACE!

Perhaps the main reason why we feel compelled to look to Fatima as a mystical throne of the Queen of the World is because of the Miracle of the Sun. This unprecedented miracle recalls the description of Our Lady in the Apocalypse. Moreover, the essential power of the sun is atomic power, and the very "annihilation of nations" which Our Lady foretold in Her Fatima apparitions now threatens the world through nuclear weapons. Yet in demonstrating such power, in making such awesome prophecies at Fatima, our Queen could promise "an era of peace to mankind."

As Our Lady said in Fatima and Akita, the best defence we have from these dire prophecies is the Rosary.

Saudi Arabia executes eight Bangladeshi workers

A Catholic bishop and prominent rights activist yesterday slammed Saudi Arabia for executing eight Bangladeshi workers.

They were found guilty of killing an Egyptian security guard and committing robbery four years ago.

Turning down the Bangladesh government’s repeated appeals for clemency and despite an outcry from national and international rights groups, the Saudi authorities last Friday publicly beheaded the eight men.

“I condemn this barbaric execution by the Saudi authorities. People in the modern and civilized world can’t accept beheading of eight people anyway. This is a sheer violation of human rights and dignity,” said Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi, Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace chairman.

He claimed the Saudi regime acts as stepmother to migrant workers while it treats Europeans and Americans well.

“They call workers from poor countries ‘beggars’ and don’t pay them well. So they commit crimes to survive. If charged with a crime they face capital punishments while nothing happens to workers from developed countries. KSA could have never executed any European or American on the same charges,” the Bishop said.

Faustina Pereira, director of human rights and legal aid services at the NGO BRAC, also condemned the executions.

“Beheading of Bangladeshi workers is a massive human rights violation. The legal procedure that convicted them to a death sentence was [unclear],” she said.

Dr. Pereira also blamed government for not doing enough to save the migrants.

“I’m completely disappointed with the government in the matter. Why didn’t it collect mass signatures from millions of Bangladeshi people to plead for clemency from the Saudi King? Why didn’t it organize mass demonstrations? Why did we hear about it just after beheadings took place? Government can’t escape the blame,” she said.

Remittances from millions of expats plays a vital role in Bangladesh’s economy. Middle East countries employ the highest number of migrants and Saudi Arabia alone has about two million Bangladeshi workers.

Source: UCAN

Anti-Wall Street protests spread across America

What's changed in America since the Great Recession of 2008? Not much really. The bankers are still taking home big bonuses like they always have done, while with corporate profits have reached record levels. It's business as usual on Wall Street. However, real unemployment is now about nearly the same level as the Great Depression. With the US economy slowing down, it seems there's more pain in store for middle and lower class Americans.

It is therefore no surprise to learn about protests against Wall Street and corporate greed. The 'Occupy Wall Street' protests, which have received little attention so far in the mainstream US media, is gathering momentum across across the country. The Times of India reports:

The Occupy Wall Street protests entered their third week here with protesters dressed up as "corporate zombies" marching through Wall Street, the city's financial hub.

People used social networking sites Facebook and Twitter to spread their message and garner support for their cause.

Support groups like 'Occupy Boston', 'Occupy Philadelphia', 'Occupy Chicago' were also created online.

In a radio interview, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the protests should not target Wall Street officials, "who make USD 40,000 or USD 50,000 a year and are struggling to make ends meet. That is the bottom line. Those are the people who work on Wall Street or in the finance sector."

In Manhattan, hundreds of people responded to calls from organisers and came dressed up as zombies, walking around the financial institutions clutching fake money.

They held up signs that read 'Down with the World Bank', 'How to fix the deficit: End the war, tax the rich,' 'End corporate personhood,' and 'Say no to corporate America.'

People have camped out on the streets, sleeping on sidewalks. Some supporters of the protests have distributed blankets, sleeping bags and food items to demonstrators.

In Chicago, people gathered outside the Federal Reserve Bank while protesters camped out near City Hall in Los Angeles.

Similar marches against corporate America, greed on the Wall Street and government bailouts to financial giants during the economic crisis were held in downtown Boston.

The protests, which began with a handful of people camping in front of the New York Stock Exchange on September 17, got a philip and nationwide attention after over 700 protestors were arrested over the weekend by the police as they tried cross the Brooklyn Bridge.

Similar rallies are being planned in places like St Louis, Kansas City, Hawaii, Tennessee, Minneapolis and Baltimore, according to 'Occupy Together', the unofficial hub for all events springing up across the country in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The American elite love to praise protesters in other countries, especially those where they want to see regime change, but they have been silent on these protests at home. If the economic situation doesn't improve in America - and I don't see that happening for some time - these protests are likely to continue and spread. The Arab Spring seems to have arrived in America!