Fatima for Today: The Urgent Message of Hope - Softcover

Our Lady's call to conversion and penance, issued at the start of the twentieth century, remains timely and urgent today. --Angelo Cardinal Sodano, Vatican Secretary of State Emeritus

"For us, Fatima is a sign of the presence of faith, of the fact that it is precisely from the little ones that faith gains new strength, one which is not limited to the little ones but has a message for the entire world and touches history here and now, and sheds light on this history."--- Pope Benedict XVI

"As was so dramatically obvious during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Fatima in May 2010. Our Lady's apparitions in 1917 remain powerfully compelling for us today. There she was an evangelist, calling us to prayer, conversion of heart, and penance, pointing to Jesus and repeating her words at Cana, `Do whatever He tells you.' This book brings it all home."--- Most Reverend Timothy Dolan Archbishop of New York

"Learn, live, and spread the message of Fatima! This is the express desire of Pope Benedict XVI. And Pope John Paul II once stated that the message of Fatima was more important now than in 1917! That is why this wonderful book on Fatima is so important. Fr. Apostoli has recaptured this heavenly message of urgency and hope for a new generation. Our world needs the message of Fatima more than ever, and I pray that many people are brought back to Jesus, Mary, and the Church through these pages."--- Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC Author, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy

"Fr. Apostoli's book tells us all we need to know about Our Lady's apparitions to the three children in Portugal in 1917. His brief and objective presentation of the facts surrounding the divine revelation not only informs the mind, but also moves the will to embrace and carry out the message of Fatima---prayer and penance---for the salvation of souls and world peace. The message is clear---pray the Rosary every day and offer up some sacrifices for the salvation of sinners and in reparation for sins against God and the Immaculate Heart of Mary."--- Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J. Author, Inside the Bible

"In a manner which is most accessible and, at the same time, complete and accurate. Father Apostoli helps us to know the maternal instruction of Our Lady of Fatima and, following it, to know and `savor', in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, the mystery of divine love in our lives."--- Raymond Cardinal Burke

Though the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima took place almost a hundred years ago, Our Lady's call to prayer and penance for the salvation of souls and peace in the world is as relevant now as when first delivered to three Portuguese peasant children in 1917.

At the peak of World War I, Our Lady warned us of another possible worldwide conflict, the rise and spread of Communism, and a terrible persecution of the Church, unless people repented of their sins and returned to God. She also requested devotion to her Immaculate Heart and a special consecration of Russia.

Much of what Our Lady of Fatima said was revealed soon after her appearances, but the third and final "secret", which was not a message but a prophetic vision seen by the children, was not unveiled by the Vatican until 2000. Pope John Paul II, who read the third secret while recovering from the attempt upon his life in 1981, believed the vision signified the sufferings the Church had endured in the twentieth century.

Because of the prophetic nature of her messages, the story of Our Lady of Fatima has been the subject of much controversy and speculation. In this book, Fr. Andrew Apostoli, acclaimed expert on Fatima, carefully analyzes the events and messages at Fatima and clears up lingering questions and doubts about their meaning. He also challenges the reader to hear anew the call of Our Lady to prayer and sacrifice, for the world is ever in need of generous hearts willing to make reparation for those in danger of losing their way to God.