ping
I agree that Our Lady may be a powerful aid in converting Muslims, but the author’s idea that they are “unconvertible” is not correct. Islam is the only “religion” that has been spread entirely by violence and war and which hangs over the head of its followers like a sword ready to drop on them at any moment, and has the full power of the law and the state behind it (because it IS the law and the state). In other words, they’re afraid.
There are actually supposedly many Christian converts in Muslim countries, but they don’t dare to acknowledge it. I think the question of how we can free Muslims from that is a very difficult one. But I’m sure Our Lady can definitely help with it!
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This brings us to our second point: namely, why the Blessed Mother, in the 20th century should have revealed herself in the significant little village of Fatima, so that to all future generations she would be known as "Our Lady of Fatima." Since nothing ever happens out of Heaven except with a finesse of all details, I believe that the Blessed Virgin chose to be known as "Our Lady of Fatima" as a pledge and a sign of hope to the Moslem people, and as an assurance that they, who show her so much respect, will one day accept her divine Son too.
Evidence to support these views is found in the historical fact that the Moslems occupied Portugal for centuries. At the time when they were finally driven out, the last Moslem chief had a beautiful daughter by the name of Fatima. A Catholic boy fell in love with her, and for him she not only stayed behind when the Moslems left, but even embraced the Faith. The young husband was so much in love with her that he changed the name of the town where he lived to Fatima. Thus, the very place where our Lady appeared in 1917 bears a historical connection to Fatima, the daughter of Mohammed.
The final evidence of the relationship of Fatima to the Moslems is the enthusiastic reception, which the Moslems in Africa and India and elsewhere gave to the Pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima, as mentioned earlier. Moslems attended the church services in honor of Our Lady, they allowed religious processions and even prayers before their mosques; and in Mozambique the Moslems who were unconverted, began to be Christian as soon as the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was erected.
Very interesting that Bishop Sheen should have written this. Check out my 2007 post that reprints a Zenit news story in it's entirety, which reported on an Iranian television program claim that the Lady of Fatima wasn't Jesus' mother, but rather was the Prophet Mohammed's daughter.
btt
I don't think so. Having "Christian" missionaries preaching a deity other than the Triune God of the Bible does not sound like Christian missions to me. Marian apparitions in particular carve out zones of weirdness in popular culture. At the risk of being branded a whiner and loser, let me predict that the course of future Muslim evangelism will center around Jesus, not around a peripheral figure.
Now is a good time to be learning Turkish, Farsi, and/or Arabic. If God the Father answers our prayers made in the name of Jesus the Son (not Mary the Mother) and acts through the Person of the Spirit to discredit Islam overnight (Hey, it happened with Soviet Communism!) -- may we be ready for the great harvest.
“the Koran believes in her Immaculate Conception, and also, in her Virgin Birth”
Nothing in The Bible about that. The Scripture does mention all of Mary and Joseph’s kids, though. (Matthew 13:55)
For the longest time I though that the major world religions would unify through the charismatic movement; whose major tenant is tongues. Ignore all doctrine differences ... if you speak in tongues you are baptized by the Holy Spirit and that is enough common ground to unify. But I always wondered how the largest religion in the world (Muslim) would be assimilated into the world church.
It appears Catholics have found the common ground that could make this happen.