OUR LADY AND ISLAM: HEAVEN’S PEACE PLAN
Fr Ladis J. Cizik, Blue Army National Executive Director

Islam Islam is an Arabic word that can be defined as "to make peace." Islam is the religion founded by Mohammed, which considers the Koran as its holy book. In addition, Islam accepts the New Testament of the Christians and the Old Testament of the Jews as Divinely inspired works. Followers of Islam are known as Muslims (also: Moors, Turks, and Moslems) and, just as Jews and Christians, believe in only one God. Yet, over the centuries, Muslims have engaged in tremendous wars with Christians and Jews. It would seem that there is little hope for peace. However, Heaven's Peace Plan, involving Our Lady, is evidenced at Fatima, Portugal as well as other places around the world.

The Moors once occupied Portugal. The village of Fatima was given the Islamic name of the well-loved Princess of the nearby Castle of Ourem. She died at an early age after marrying the Count of Ourem and converting to Catholicism. Baptized with the Christian name of Oureana, she was named at birth "Fatima," like many other Moslem girls, in honor of the daughter of Mohammed. Of his daughter, Fatima, the founder of Islam, Mohammed, said: "She has the highest place in heaven after the Virgin Mary."

It is a fact that Moslems from various nations, especially from the Middle East, make so many pilgrimages to Our Lady of Fatima's Shrine in Portugal that Portuguese officials have expressed concern. The combination of an Islamic name and Islamic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a great attraction to Moslems. God is writing straight with crooked lines, as we will see. Fatima is a part of Heaven's Peace Plan. It is hope for the world.

In the Koran, the holy name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is mentioned no less than thirty times. No other woman's name is even mentioned, not even that of Mohammed's daughter, Fatima. Among men, only Abraham, Moses, and Noah are mentioned more times than Our Lady. In the Koran, Our Blessed Mother is described as "Virgin, ever Virgin." The Islamic belief in the virginity of Mary puts to shame the heretical beliefs of those who call themselves Christian, while denying the perpetual virginity of Mary. Make no mistake about it, there is a very special relationship between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Moslems!

The Holy Land has been a real battleground between the Islamic peoples and Christianity over the centuries. Evidence of this are the numerous churches and basilicas that have been built by the Church, destroyed by, the Moslems, rebuilt by Catholic Crusaders, leveled again by the followers of Islam, and so on over the course of history. However, there is one remarkable exception: the Basilica of Saint Anne in Jerusalem.

The Crusaders built this church and named it in honor of the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Crypt of St. Anne's Basilica, a statue of the Infant Mary is venerated on what is believed to be the exact spot where Our Lady was born. Their great reverence for Our Lady precluded the Moslems from destroying her birthplace. The foundation for Heaven's Peace Plan at Fatima, Portugal, can be found in the Land of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Moslems swept through Spain in the 8th century, a great religious treasure was buried for safe-keeping in the earth, high in the Estremadura Mountains. It was a much venerated statue of Our Lady holding the Divine Child Jesus that was a gift of Pope Gregory the Great to Bishop Leander of Seville. After the overthrow of Moorish occupation, the image was uncovered in the year 1326, subsequent to a vision of Our Lady to a humble shepherd by the name of Gil. Our Lady's very special statue was enshrined in a nearby Franciscan Monastery next to the "Wolf River."

The Moslems, during their Spanish occupation, had actually named the river. The Islamic term for Wolf River is "Guadalupe" (Guada = River; Lupe = Wolf). Hence, the famous Catholic image in Spain has been known, since the 14th century, by the Islamic name of "Our Lady of Guadalupe."

In the fullness of time, we can be sure that Almighty God knew that the Islamic religion would pose a serious threat to Christianity. God also knew that the Spanish missionaries would face grave resistance in the "new world" from the mighty Aztec Indians. The Aztecs worshipped an evil stone "serpent god" that demanded human sacrifice. It was extremely difficult to win souls for Christ from these bloodthirsty savages. However, with God all things are possible. Our Lady appeared to a humble Aztec Indian convert by the name of Juan Diego in 1531. When asked her name by Juan Diego, at the request of the local bishop, Our Lady's response, in the Aztec language, included the words "te coatlaxopeuh" (pronounced: "te quatlasupe") and meant "one who crushes the head of the stone serpent."

To Juan Diego and his fellow Aztecs, this revelation had great meaning, coupled with the miraculous image of Our Lady standing on top of a "crescent," the symbol of this evil serpent god. A tidal wave of conversions to Catholicism ensued. However, Bishop Zumarraga, who was from Spain, made what was no doubt a "heavenly mistake" that one day may lead to the mass conversion of Moslems. To the Bishop's Spanish ears, Our Lady's Aztec name of "Te Quatlasupe" sounded just like the name of the revered Madonna from Spain with the Islamic name, "Guadalupe." Hence, the bishop named the Mexican Madonna "Our Lady of Guadalupe." It is interesting that the "crescent" is also the symbol for Islam and that America's Shrine to Our Lady has an Islamic name.

On October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Knowing that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory.

We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.

What you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico's Our Lady of Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In the Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord.

At Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: "The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was!

The Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as "Our Lady of Victory." Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed "Our Lady of the Rosary" and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).

And with that we are back to Fatima, Portugal where Our Lady, when asked her name, said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary." At Fatima, Our Lady taught us to pray the Rosary every day. Heaven presented its peace plan at Fatima and truly gave us hope for the world. Conversions were promised at Fatima: the conversion of sinners; the conversion of Russia; and what also appears to be the conversion of Islam. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

Taken from:
Soul Magazine
© 2001 The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, U.S.A., Inc.
September - October 2001, page 6
For subscription information:
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, U.S.A., Inc.
PO Box 976
Washington, NJ 07882-0976
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or Phone Toll Free: 866-513-1917

Your bitterness towards your fellow Christians fill my heart with sorrow. What is the cause of your pain? Perhaps I can recommend a good therapist or just some old fashioned vigorous excercise to refresh the traditional optimism inherent in our common Christian values.

I dont think that was "bitterness" but rather a bit of humor/scarasm meant get your attention

I think the issues of doctrine and biblical interpretation are open for discussion..sometimes it is hard hitting (I have been beat up by both ends of the debate)

As for a therapist ...LOL.....sorry.....they thought Jesus was mad or possesed.....He was just being obedient to his Father.

I have a radical optimism about the power of the word of God to bring man to a saving knowlege of Jesus Christ,I have no optimism about religion or a set of traditions..they are death

Speaking as an Orthodox Christian, I think the best that can be said of Islam is the view expressed by St. John of Damascus, that it is a Christian heresy. At worst, one must take the view, that as its founder knowingly rejected the doctrine of the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church, in particular denying the divinity of Christ, that we are obliged to regard Islam as antichrist in the sense the Holy Apostle and Evanglist John the Theologian used the word in his epistles.

That being said, the Orthodox do not presume to judge those outside of the Church. It may be that Christ's work of salvation extends even to some who truely seek to serve a false image of God; though as we know that salvation is in Christ, that dim unknown possibility is not reason to avoid evangelizing Muslims out of courtesy or "tolerance."

May the prays of St. Ahmad and St. John the Dervish be with us all*

*The only two saints vernerable in the Orthodox Church whom I recall as having been raised Muslim and converting to Christianity.

David I believe all the saved are saints but like you I do think we need to pray for those bound in Islam

Maybe you were not fortunate enough to have parents or others led you to Jesus.

The Father (God that is) led me to Jesus:

All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.
No man can come to Me unless the Father who hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the Last Day.

It has pleased God to reveal Christ in me. There is no other way for a conversion unto Saving Faith to happen.

Why are you trying to get my attention?

So can you whittle your optimism rant down to something a little more plain spoken...? Here is mine...plain and simple. I believe good will triumph evil! Always! God has a plan! America is part of that plan! America will triumph over the evil doers! God gave us George Bush to help lead us to greater heights, just has he provided Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Henry, Hamilton, Madison, Franklin et al. I'm not sure what your rants do to help us in our battle against this clear and present evil being waged against us in the name of Islam.

Perhaps I can recommend a good therapist or just some old fashioned vigorous excercise to refresh the traditional optimism inherent in our common Christian values.

What common values?

Why are you trying to get my attention?

Well actually that was Woody you quoted..but if you dont want to pay attention you dont have to

Actually this is a discussion,anyone is free to join or not..I believe God is in complete control..He knows the outcome of all of this.We only speculate

Not touched by human hands, like meat in the frozen food section? reminds me of the Baprist lad who claimed that he would be saved even if he had been born Chinese of pagan parents. But why then the commission to the Apostle to preach the Gospel to all nations?

I believe that Abraham and Mary are both models of submission,and the stories of their obedience are given to edify ,to teach and to encourage.They illustrate to us that obedience has a cost......But both pale with the perfect model of obedience and submission to the Father....Jesus Christ

You believe? What, you're not sure? Is this your opinion?

"You can believe anything you choose,this is America..."

Yes this is America, but original thought is not a gift from our Founding Fathers, it is a gift from our Lord. Our Founding Fathers simply provided us the freedom to live according to our original thoughts, beliefs, what have you. But let me ask you this...I sense a tinge of pessimism in your language. You don't seemed to be filled with hope for all of America, or for that matter all of humanity. Your hope seems to be confined to those who agree explicitly with you. I hope that is not true.

I think, for the most part, we have agreement. When Christ says that we will be like the angels, I do not wish to put more to the words than they are on the page. I take it to mean that we will be LIKE the angels. However, it could resonablly be interpreted to mean that the there will be no marriage in heaven...that the angels do not have mates in heaven....I think my reading is supported when you consider the question that was asked...."who will this woman belong to as she was the wife of 7 brothers."....The answer was that she will be the wife of none...but "we will be like the angels."....Of course, the MAIN point was how at odds this word from Christ was from what Mohammed was telling his followers......Thanks for a thoughtful exchange...you present your perspectives very well.

Our "worship" for her is only the deference that one should give to holy persons. Seems like much more to me: Then said he unto me, "See that thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the sayings of this book. Worship God!"

Please explain how this quote makes it "seem like much more" to you . . . HUH??? This does not make your point at all, if that's what it is intended to do.

see 126 for starters

Saw it! My original assertion still stands (which caused me to laugh) that you Romans read a lot into a simple verse from Luke 1 concerning God's Messenger telling Mary exactly how it was going to be. Perhaps the angel could have brought a spiritual band-aid to soothe Mary's feelings, but permission is something you have added to the verse.

Now, what common values?

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