The Miracle of the Sun

Fr. Scott Haynes

A Meditation for October 13

Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” (Apocalypse 12:1)

The chill of autumn clung to the air on October 13, 1917, as more than seventy thousand people trudged through the muddy fields of the Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal. They came with umbrellas, rosaries, and hearts full of hope and fear. For five months, three shepherd children—Lucia dos Santos, Francisco, and Jacinta Marto—had claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to them, promising a great miracle “so that all may believe.”

The people waited under gray skies, soaked to the bone. Skeptics mocked; soldiers of the anti-Catholic government stood ready to disperse the crowd. Journalists, curious and critical, jotted notes in the rain. Then, just as Lucia cried out, “Look at the sun!” the heavens opened.

The Great Sign in the Sky

The clouds parted, and the sun appeared as a pale silver disk—spinning like a wheel of fire. Witnesses said it “danced” in the sky, casting waves of color across the drenched earth. Some saw it whirl and tremble as if alive. Then, to the terror of the crowd, it seemed to plunge toward them, zigzagging in a fiery descent. People screamed, fell to their knees, and begged God for mercy. “I thought it was the end of the world,” one man said.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the sun returned to its place, and the people realized their clothes were dry, their faces radiant, the mud transformed into solid ground. Believers wept in gratitude; skeptics stared in awe.

Even atheists were struck silent. The journalist Avelino de Almeida, writing for the anti-clerical paper O Século, described the spectacle in detail, calling it “an extraordinary solar phenomenon” that defied natural explanation. His report, published across Portugal, spread the story far beyond the humble fields of Fatima.

The Faith of the Little Ones

Lucia, the eldest of the three children, would later recall that Our Lady appeared at the moment the sun danced, standing over the oak tree with a gentle smile. She opened her hands toward the earth, and light streamed forth, blessing the people who had come in faith. Francisco and Jacinta saw visions of St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus, blessing the world, followed by Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

To the three shepherds, these were not symbols but living realities—a glimpse of Heaven’s tenderness. The Virgin had asked for prayer, for penance, and for the daily Rosary to bring peace to the world. “Men must amend their lives,” she said, “and ask pardon for their sins.”

Testimonies of Grace

Among the crowd that day was Maria Carreira, known as “Maria da Capelinha.” She later built the first little chapel at the site. She testified, “It seemed the sun detached itself from the sky and came near the earth. Our clothes were completely dry in an instant.”

Another witness, a lawyer named José Almeida Garrett, who had come as a skeptic, wrote that the colors of the sun were “like a revolving ball of fire throwing out red, yellow, and blue rays which reflected on the ground, on the people, and on the trees.”

A blind woman regained her sight. A man paralyzed for years stood and walked. Countless others were healed of hidden ailments, and all felt renewed in faith. The miracle had not been promised to convince the few who already believed—but to reach the hearts of the unbelieving world.

A Message for Our Time

The Miracle of the Sun was not a spectacle of nature—it was a call from Heaven. The Virgin’s words still echo: “Do not offend the Lord our God any more, for He is already too much offended.” She invited the world to conversion, to prayer, and to the consecration of hearts to her Immaculate Heart.

The sun’s dance reminds us that God rules the cosmos and history. Even the heavens obey His will. At Fatima, He allowed the universe itself to become a preacher, testifying to the reality of sin, mercy, and redemption.

It was not the brilliance of the sun that mattered most, but the light that entered souls that day—the awakening of faith, the tears of repentance, the quiet vow of many to live more purely, pray more deeply, and love more truly.

Reflection

When the sun seemed to fall upon the crowd, they cried out in fear—but then looked up and found themselves unharmed, renewed, and joyful. So too in our times: when the darkness of sin and confusion presses upon us, Heaven calls us to lift our eyes toward the true Light.

The miracle of Fatima is not only a memory but a mission. We are invited to become “reflections of the sun,” radiating the light of Christ through our lives of prayer, purity, and sacrifice.

Prayer

O Immaculate Heart of Mary, radiant with the light of grace,

teach us to trust when the skies are dark,

to pray when the world mocks,

and to hope when faith is tested.

Let the sun of Your Son’s mercy shine upon our hearts,

and may Your message at Fatima take root in our souls,

so that peace may reign in the world and in every heart. Amen.