I feel I am blessed that God allowed me to witness 3 miracles so far in my life. The following is one of these miracles, and the funny part is I did not realize this particular event was a miracle until looking up Our Lady of Fatima on Wikipedia, 77 years later. This all has to do with the second secret given to the 3 children at Fatima, Portugal in 1917.
In May 2015 I planned a cruise to Europe with one of the stops in Lisbon Portugal. The reason to see Lisbon was to take a bus ride to Fatima (about a 90 minute drive). I was always interested in the Miracle of Fatima, so to prepare for the oncoming cruise and get some background, I looked up Our Lady of Fatima on Wikipedia. What I found was astounding.
In the spring and summer of 1916, 9 year old Lucia Santos, and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto were herding sheep near their home village of Fatima, Portugal. They experienced an angel on 3 separate occasions. The angel taught them to pray, to make sacrifices, and to spend time in adoration of the Lord. Later, on May 13, 1917 Lucia described seeing a Lady "brighter than the sun."
Quite a bit of the following I copied from Wikipedia:
Further appearances were reported on June 13 and July 13. In these the Lady asked the children to do penance, and acts of reparation and make personal sacrifices to save sinners. According to Lucia's account, the Lady also confided to the children 3 secrets now known as the "Three Secrets of Fatima".
The towns people got to know about the apparitions of Virgin Mary, and at one point the 3 children were actually jailed by the provincial administrator believing that the events were politically disruptive. In July 1917 the Virgin Mary had promised a miracle for the last of her apparitions on October 13 so that all would believe.
What happened then became known as "The Miracle of the Sun". A huge crowd estimated around 70,000 people including newspaper reporters and photographers, gathered at the site on October 13. The incessant rain had ceased and there was a layer of cloud.
The Lady appeared to Lucia. Lucia seeing light rising from the Lady's hands and the sun appearing as a silver disk, called out "look at the sun". She later had no memory of saying this. Witnesses gave wildly varying descriptions of the "suns dance". The sun trembled, made sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws - the sun "danced" according to the typical expression of the people. It changed color, at one moment surrounded with scarlet flame, at another aureoled in yellow and deep purple, seemed to be in an exceeding fast and whirling movement, at times appearing to be loosened from the sky and to be approaching the earth, strongly radiating heat.
Some onlookers reported other phenomena, including luminous mist and the showers of flower petals seen around and above the tree that Mary appeared in during previous visitations. While the crowd was staring at the sun, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinto said later they saw images of the "Holy Family", "Jesus" "St Joseph" and others.
The first of the 3 secrets given to the children was a quick vision of Hell. Lucia described it as a great sea of fire that seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened of burnished bronze floating about in the conflagration, now raised in the air by flames that issued within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair.
The second secret included Mary's instruction on how to save souls from hell and convert the world to the Christian faith, also revealed by Lucia in her third memoir. It states "the war (World War One) is going to end but if people do not cease in offending God a worse one (World War Two) will break out during the Pontificate of Pius X1. 'WHEN YOU SEE A NIGHT ILLUMINATED BY AN UNKNOWN LIGHT, KNOW THIS IS THE GREAT SIGN GIVEN YOU BY GOD THAT HE IS ABOUT TO PUNISH THE WORLD FOR ITS CRIMES, BY MEANS OF WAR, FAMINE, AND PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHURCH AND OF THE HOLY FATHER". To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia, to my Immaculate Heart. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace, if not she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the church.
On January 25, 1938, bright lights, an aurora borealis appeared all over the northern hemisphere, including in places as far south as north Africa, Bermuda, and California. It was the widest occurrence of the aurora since 1709. The people in Paris and elsewhere believed a great fire was burning and the fire departments were called. Lucia, the sole survivor of the 3 children at the time, indicated that it was the sign foretold and so apprised her superior and the Bishop in letters the following day. Just over a month later, Hitler seized Austria and 8 months later invaded Czechoslovakia. World War Two a "worse war" had begun.
I was 6 years old during this display of lights in the sky. I can't begin to tell you what a display that was. Living with my mother and father, aunt and uncle and cousins on the same street in Queens, New York City, I witnessed these lights. All of us in the neighborhood stood out in the streets and were astounded by the flashing of green, blue, and white lights streaking across the sky. I have never seen anything like it since. I can remember all the oohs and aahs of the neighbors and the cracking noise, sort of like static on a radio, these lights made. It went on for quite some time. None of us knew about the second secret of Fatima that foretold of this occurrence, so we took it as a fantastic display of northern lights you would see up in northern Canada and Alaska, that made its way south to New York City. A once in a lifetime thing. Every once in a while i can still picture that night.
After looking up the second secret of Fatima in the computer in May 2015, preparing for the cruise to Portugal, I realized I witnessed a miracle, or the fulfilling of a prophecy given by Lucia 98 years ago. 77 years have passed since that night of lights (Im 83 now). The 3 children in Fatima got it right, a worse war did follow, over 50,000,000 people died in that war, plus famines and persecutions of Christians.
If you are interested in the 3rd Secret of Fatima, look it up in the computer. I am only interested in telling you that God is real, The Miracle of Fatima did happen, and the prophecies came true. Do not listen to anyone that tells you otherwise. I personally witnessed the second secret of Fatima "A NIGHT ILLUMINATED BY UNKNOWN LIGHT", plus the "worse war" that followed.
70,000 people in Portugal witnessed the "Miracle of the Sun" on October 13, 1917 - photos were taken. You will read or hear of some people trying to debunk the miracle, saying 70,000 people had mass hysteria, can you believe that? Or the dance of the sun - the coloring of the sun was all a natural occurrence when you look at the sun, can you believe that? How do they explain the heat felt by the people as the sun came hurtling toward the earth, mass hysteria again? Or how the ground which was a field of mud from the rain before the miracle, was completely dry after the miracle. Or how some of the sick people in the crowd were healed during the miracle.
I saw those mysterious lights in the sky in 1938 and will testify to them, one month before Hitler took over Austria, and World War Two, "a worse war" had begun.
I did get to Fatima, Portugal on May 12, 2015, one day before the 98th anniversary of the first appearance of Mary in 1917. I saw the tree that was planted over the spot where Mary appeared to the 3 children. The small tree that she appeared over was taken piece by piece by towns people and tourists many years ago. A new tree was planted to mark the spot, and it was fenced off. I saw the Shrine and the graves of the three children.
Theres a feeling you get at Fatima - the same feeling I got during a 6 day stay in Israel some years ago. A feeling that you know its all real, Jesus, Mary, the Bible. I urge all of you, if you can swing it, visit Israel and Fatima.
I feel truly blessed that God allowed me to see and remember that night of light, and allowing me to live long enough to realize what it meant, and to visit Fatima.
Coming back home from the trip to Portugal, and after looking up our Lady of Fatima on the computer - finding out the prophecy of the Night of Lights made by Lucia was fulfilled on January 25, 1938. I decided to further investigate the event by going to the city library, and looking up the micro film of the New York Times newspaper, for the next day, January 26, 1938.
Sure enough a two column article on the night of lights was there.
It's titled "AURORA BOREALIS STARTLES EUROPE, PEOPLE FLEE IN FEAR, CALL FIREMEN." The subtitle went on to say " BRITONS THOUGHT WINDSOR CASTLE ABLAZE - SCOTS SEE ILL OMEN - SNOW CLAD SWISS ALPS AGLOW - SHORT WAVE RADIO HALTS."
Special cable to the New York Times
London, Jan. 25 - The most brilliant display of an aurora borealis in fifty years held Britons spellbound over a wide area of this country tonight, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, the people watched two magnificent arcs rising in the east and west, from which radiated pulsating beams like searchlights in dark red, greenish blue and purple from an airplane the display looked like "a shimmering curtain of fire." Police stations, fire brigades and newspaper offices all over the country were inundated by calls tonight asking "where is the fire?" The phenomenon was seen as far south as Vienna.
Another part of the aricle titled "LONDONERS THOUGHT CITY AFIRE" by associated press.
London Jan. 25 The aurora borealis rarely seen in southern or western Europe spread fear in parts of Portugal and lower Austria tonight, while thousands of Britons were brought running into the streets in wonderment. The ruddy glow led many to think half the city was ablaze. The Windsor Fire Department was called out in belief that Windsor Castle was afire. Superstitious folk of the Scottish lowlands shook their heads and declared the northern lights always spelled an ill-omen for Scotland.
The lights were clearly seen in Italy, Spain and even Gibraltar. The glow, bathing snow-clad mountain tops in Austria and Switzerland was a beautiful sight, but firemen turned out to chase non-existent fires. Portugese villages rushed in fright from their homes, fearing the end of the world. Short-wave radio connections between London and New York were disrupted by the electrical disturbance. Another paragraph of the article titled "FRENCH AND SWISS ALARMED" by the associated press.
Grenoble, France, Jan. 25 - A huge blood red beam of light which scientists said was an aurora borealis of exceptional amplitude, tied up telephone systems in parts of France tonight and spread anxiety in numerous Swiss Alpine villages. Emblazoned in the northern sky the lights brought thousands of telephone calls to Swiss and French authorities asking whether it was a fire, war, or the end of the world.
Scientists at the University of Grenoble said that a similar aurora borealis had not been seen in Western Europe since 1709.
The article goes on to say people were brought out of their homes in Bermuda by the lighted sky with dark red streamers flashing like searchlights. Bermudians thought a ship was on fire at sea.
Canada also reported electrical disturbances that disrupted wire services throughout northern Ontario, northwest from Winnipeg and in the Toronto - Montreal - Ottawa area on Jan. 25.
And of course my neighborhood in Queens, New York City witnessed the northern lights.
The lights in Europe, seemed to be even much brighter and more dramatic then in New York. Nobody in New York called out fire departments. The reason, I believe we did not panic in New York City: I do not recall bright red lights as was reported in Europe. The colors I recall were white, blue and green. There was no indication of a fire on the horizon.
You notice England, France, Austria and Portugal got a fantastic display of the lights that the Portuguese child, Lucia forecasted was a sign of the coming of World War two. Why these countries? I believe it was because they all had an immediate part of the "worse war" that was coming, as Lucia reported.
Austria was taken over by Hitler one month later. France and England became deeply involved in the war. And Portugal was the place where the miracle took place to begin with in 1917, foretelling twenty one years before, of the coming of World War Two.
Well thats the story of the miracle I witnessed, at the age of six, in 1938. The night of light, the coming and fulfillment of World War two, famine, the persecutions of Christians etc. It all happened as the three little children reported in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.
And it all could have been diverted - none of it had to happen - if all of us Christians stopped offending God, and prayed for the consecration of Russia, as Mary told the three children.
Over 50,000,000 people who died a few years after the Jan., 1938 night of lights, could have been saved - all it took was prayer.
If every Priest and Minister had a church meeting one night a week with his congregation, and prayed for about one hour, to end wars, famine, terrorism, and whatever is offensive to God - I guarantee the world would be in far better shape. I heard of church's that done this during World War Two - prayed one night a week for their sons, fathers and kinfolk to come back home safely from the war, and they did. All that belonged to that church came back.
I believe we are offending God worse today, then in 1917 or 1938, its time we did something to turn things around. Going to church would be a good start - getting into a daily prayer life would be great - but the first thing is to turn your life over to Christ. Just accept Him by saying this simple prayer.
"Jesus, forgive my sins. Come into my life and guide me. I know that you are the Son of God, the only Son of God, and that You died for my sins, and that You rose again to life eternal and that through You, my sins are forgiven so that I too may have eternal life in the KIngdom of God in the Kingdom of Heaven. Please come into my life and guide me, Jesus"
Say this prayer and mean it, and get your family and friends to say this prayer. If enough of us did this, followed by a daily prayer life, the world would straighten out into a beautiful place.
Again I will say I feel blessed by God, that He allowed me to see those lights in 1938, and that He allowed me to live long enough, and gave me the memory to retain everything that night. I also feel blessed He gave me the help in finding out what the lights meant, and the health to travel to Portugal to see the site the Miracle of Fatima took place. I believe there was a purpose for all this. It is my prayer this article will help somebody come to Christ.
Its all real people, I urge you to turn your lives over to Christ.
God Bless You, George
By George Konig
5/29/2015
www.georgekonig.org