July 23 - The Miracle of the Sun (Fatima, Portugal, 1917)

On July 13, 1917, three young shepherds named Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto claimed to have witnessed a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal. The apparition, who identified herself as Our Lady of Fatima, allegedly told the children that she would perform a miracle on October 13, 1917, so that people would believe in her appearances.

Word spread about the promised miracle, and on October 13, a crowd of approximately 70,000 people gathered near Fatima, hoping to witness the event. What followed has been described as the "Miracle of the Sun" or "the day the sun danced."

Eyewitnesses reported that around noon, a heavy rainstorm suddenly ceased, and the dark clouds parted, revealing the sun as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky. The sun was said to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern, emitting various colors and radiating an intense heat. Panic ensued as some spectators believed it was the end of the world. Abruptly, the sun stopped its descent and returned to its normal position, leaving the stunned crowd in awe.

Many witnesses claimed that their previously wet clothes had dried almost instantly during the event. Some even reported miraculous healings of the blind and disabled. The event was covered by local and international media, with reporters giving their own accounts of the inexplicable occurrence.

Skeptics have proposed various explanations for the event, such as mass hallucination, optical illusions caused by prolonged staring at the sun, or meteorological phenomena like a sun dog or solar prominence. However, the faithful maintain that the Miracle of the Sun was a genuine supernatural occurrence, and the Catholic Church has officially recognized the apparitions of Fatima as "worthy of belief."

The Miracle of the Sun remains one of the most well-known and enigmatic unexplained phenomena of the 20th century, captivating the hearts and minds of believers and skeptics alike.
2024-07-23T09:51:38.003Z