The Fatima Prayer

I had hold out hope for the safe return of the crew and passengers aboard Malaysian Flight MN370 that departed March 8 from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.  That hope is becoming more and more unrealistic now that the search has entered its 10th day.  My new hope is embodied in the Fatima prayer. [1]

A New York Times article suggested that the passengers could have died soon after the plane made a turn around and soared to 45,000 feet. [2]  And "[i]f the flight did land safely with the passengers and flight crew still healthy, whoever was in charge of the aircraft would also face a formidable task in any attempt to provide food, water and shelter for more than 200 people." [3]

And when the plane was flying at low altitudes around Maldives [4] the deceased could be dropped into the Indian Ocean.

Those behind the hijacking of this plane are probably not looking for ransom by keeping the hostages alive but are instead looking to use the Boeing 777-200 to achieve nefarious ends.  By putting the world on alert that something sinister could happen anytime, anywhere using the commandeered plane and fear into the hearts of many with their utter silence, they are already succeeding.  These people are especially in need of Christ's forgiveness and mercy.


[1] "Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of Thy mercy."  See http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/fatima-prayers.html , or "Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, salva nos ab igne inferiori, perduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent."  See http://catholicforum.fisheaters.com/index.php/topic,2636472.0.html, line 1.
[2] "... Passengers would have quickly become unconscious if the plane depressurized as it soared to an unusually high altitude right after the turnaround, pilots said. Whoever diverted the plane could have disabled the release of oxygen masks.
"Dr. James Ho, an associate professor of medicine at Hong Kong University, said that death could come within minutes ... [It would be] equivalent [to someone stepping] outdoors at 45,000 feet."  See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/world/asia/questions-over-absence-of-cellphone-calls-from-missing-passengers.html?_r=0
[3] Ibid, (last paragraph).
[4] See article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10706853/MH370-Maldives-Islanders-claim-to-have-spotted-low-flying-jet.html quoted below:

The global hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight has shifted to a tiny island in the Maldives, where residents spotted a “low flying jumbo jet” hours after the aircraft disappeared.

Several witnesses in Dhaalu Atoll saw a plane heading south that bore the red stripe and white background of Malaysia Airlines planes.

The sightings, reported by a local news outlet, would have occurred more than seven hours after the plane, carrying 12 crew and 227 mainly Chinese passengers, lost contact with air traffic control and took its sudden westward turn during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in the early hours of Saturday March 8.

“I’ve never seen a jet flying so low over our island before. We’ve seen seaplanes, but I’m sure that this was not one of those. I could even make out the doors on the plane clearly,” said [a] witness.