Rare appearance of the Northern Lights illuminates skies around the world, evoking the " Fatima Storm"
On the last night of Friday to Saturday, May 11th, the skies presented us with a remarkable and rather unusual spectacle, something akin to the Northern Lights, in a rare display that captured the attention of observers from all over the world.
Media outlets around the world ran headlines describing the spectacle, from the BBC's coverage of the stunning show across the UK to NBC's reports of auroras illuminating night skies globally, and even Le Monde's account of the first 'extreme' solar storm in two decades.
Images from various corners of the globe depict the heavens aglow with hues of pink, green, and purple, spanning Europe, the United States, and as far as New Zealand.
In light of the escalating tensions and growing moral decadence plaguing our world, we can't help but reflect beyond the obvious natural explanations of the phenomenon and try to see its possible symbolic significance, particularly in the context of the prophetic messages given by Our Lady at Fatima.
As we approach the 107th anniversary of the Blessed Mother's first apparition in Fatima next Monday, her words resonate with renewed relevance:
"The war will end. But if you don't stop offending God, a worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign that God is giving you that He will punish the world for its crimes, through war, famine and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father".
This reference to an "unknown light" came true in an impressive way with a rare phenomenon that occurred over European skies in 1938, later recognized internationally as the "Fatima Storm".
Whether it was an aurora borealis, an electromagnetic storm, or something else, the truth is that it was exactly what had been announced to the little shepherds at Fatima in 1917.
Just a few weeks after this great phenomenon, on March 12 of that year, Nazi troops from Hitler's Germany invaded and annexed Austria, in a military action that would be the prelude to the Second World War.
The 1938 meteorological phenomenon was visible in many European countries, from Portugal to Austria, and even in North Africa; it was also observed in North America, in various regions of Canada and Bermuda.
Looking back, we can conclude that the world of that time did not stop "offending God" and therefore saw the "great sign" that announced the approach of the calamities predicted in the conditional prophecy of 1917.
But if we compare the world of 1938, the way of life of the population of the traditionally Catholic nations, and the characteristics of the Church at that time with the present state of affairs, how can we not fear even worse punishments now? Such optimism would be sheer insanity.
Last Friday's events were also remarkable for their global scope and rarity.
As with the lights of 1938, only future developments will be able to tell. However, without a profound conversion of humanity, we can only expect tragic events commensurate with contemporary disasters.
Our Lady appeared at Fatima to denounce this process of decadence, to call us to penance, and to fight for the moral restoration of our society.
Let's be faithful to this call and intensify our efforts to restore the Christian West.