As a devoted listener of Fr. Corapi on EWTN, I am used to his strong preaching style, and take-no-prisoners approach to Catholic morality. That's why I listen to him! I'm sick of non-committal homilies about 'being nice'. Charity sometime looks harsh at the outset, but it always has the eternal destiny of the soul in mind. In this series, Fr. Corapi relates a series of facts regarding the Muslim connection to two of the most popular Marian apparitions in history, Fatima and Guadalupe. Both had connections to the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.
The very name "Fatima" is the name of Mohammed's daughter.Today, the Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima has thousands of Muslim visitors.
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a bit more complex. A revered icon of Our Lady, was hidden during the Moorish occupation of Spain for centuries, and discovered around 1500 in a place with an Arabic name, meaning 'hidden river', or Guadalupe. The icon became known in Spain as "Our Lady of Guadalupe" and a shrine in Spain dedicated to her honor. Bishop Zumarraga, the bishop to whom Juan Diego reported his apparitions of Our Lady, didn't understand the name "she who stands in front of the sun"(an Aztec word) and mistakenly used the name of the popular Spanish shrine to describe the apparitiong, thus "Our Lady of Guadalupe" has a Muslim name!
These are surely not accidents, and Our Lady clearly is calling her children there so she can lead them to her Son.
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Consider visiting www.sistermarie.com to learn how Muslims, Christians, and Orthodox all honor Our Lady as they pray side by side in peace in Mary's House at Ephesus. Sr. Marie deMandat-Grancey is recognized by the Catholic Church as Foundress of Mary's House and there is a movement at work supporting the opening of her cause for beatification.
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