On May 13, 1981 — the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima — Pope John Paul II was riding through St. Peter’s Square, greeting thousands of pilgrims.

Then suddenly…

Gunshots rang out.

The pope collapsed into the arms of his aides, bleeding heavily after being shot multiple times by an assassin.

Doctors later said he came frighteningly close to death.

But Pope John Paul II believed something extraordinary happened that day.

He believed a mother intervened.

Years earlier, in 1917, Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, revealing three secrets. The third secret described a mysterious vision of a “bishop dressed in white” walking through suffering and destruction before being struck down by weapons.

For decades, the secret remained hidden.

Then, after surviving the assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II read the Third Secret for himself.

And he was shaken.

He saw his own life in the vision.

He became convinced that Our Lady of Fatima had warned the world of this moment long before it happened.

The pope later said:

“One hand fired the bullet. Another hand guided it.”

He believed the Blessed Virgin Mary protected him from death.

Miraculously, the bullet narrowly missed vital organs. Doctors could hardly explain how he survived.

Exactly one year later, John Paul II traveled to Fatima to thank Our Lady personally for saving his life. In a profound act of gratitude, he placed the very bullet taken from his body into the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

It remains there today.

But the message of Fatima was never about fear, conspiracy, or predicting disasters.

At its heart, Fatima is a call to prayer, repentance, conversion, and trust in God.

The famous words repeated by the angel in the vision were simple:

“Penance, Penance, Penance!”

And through it all shines one powerful reminder:

God is still guiding history.

Mary still intercedes for her children.

And even in humanity’s darkest moments, Heaven has not abandoned us.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Saint John Paul II, pray for us.

Source: Fear Not