Today, May 13, as our Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima we are first invited to reflect on a passage from the book of Revelation (11:19---12:17a), entitled “The great sign of the woman in the heavens”. Our treasure, which follows, is from the dogmatic constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council.

Our Lady of Fatima is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, referring to six apparitions reported by three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. From May 13 to October 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to Lúcia dos Santos, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, at the Cova da Iria in Fatima, Portugal. Mary's message to the children emphasized the importance of prayer, especially the Rosary, for world peace, conversion of sinners, and consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The children received a message known as the "Secret of Fatima," which included three parts: a vision of Hell, predictions about the wars, and a vision of the Pope and other religious figures being killed. On October 13, 1917, an event known as the "miracle of the sun" was witnessed by an estimated 70,000 people, where the sun appeared to change colors and move in an unusual manner.

The Church officially recognized the apparitions as "worthy of belief" in 1930 and established a feast day for Our Lady of Fatima on May 13.

Lumen gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. This dogmatic constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,151 to 5. As is customary with significant Roman Catholic Church documents, it is known by its incipit, "Lumen gentium", Latin for 'Light of the Nations'. The document's purpose is to clarify the church's nature and mission, and to help humanity achieve unity in Christ. The document also describes the church as a communion of charity and highlights its complex reality of human and divine elements.

The eight chapters of the document can be paired thematically: chapters one and two treat the church's nature and historical existence, chapters three and four treat different roles in the church, chapters five and six treat holiness and religious life, while chapters seven and eight discuss the saints and Mary.

Lumen gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. This dogmatic constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,151 to 5. As is customary with significant Roman Catholic Church documents, it is known by its incipit, "Lumen gentium", Latin for 'Light of the Nations'. The document's purpose is to clarify the church's nature and mission, and to help humanity achieve unity in Christ. The document also describes the church as a communion of charity and highlights its complex reality of human and divine elements.

The eight chapters of the document can be paired thematically: chapters one and two treat the church's nature and historical existence, chapters three and four treat different roles in the church, chapters five and six treat holiness and religious life, while chapters seven and eight discuss the saints and Mary.

The Apocalypse, or Revelation to John, the last book of the Bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which this book is an outstanding example. Such literature enjoyed wide popularity in both Jewish and Christian circles from ca. 200 B.C. to A.D. 200.

This book contains an account of visions in symbolic and allegorical language borrowed extensively from the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel. Whether or not these visions were real experiences of the author or simply literary conventions employed by him is an open question.