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Brother Michel de la
Sainte Trinitéof the Little Brothers of the Sacred Heart THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT FATIMA VOLUME II THE SECRET AND THE
CHURCH(1917-1942) translated by John
Collorafi
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On
the cover:
The
first statue of Our Lady of Fatima, sculpted in wood by José Ferreira Thedim.
This statue, blessed on May 13, 1920, was shortly afterwards placed in the
“Capelinha”, the little chapel built over the place of the apparitions. It is
still venerated there today. (Photo by G. Berin)
Notes
to the reader:
The
first three volumes of Toute la Verité sur Fatima were published in the
mid 1980’s, well before the public disclosure of the Third Secret on June 26,
2000. Therefore, all references to the Third Secret in these volumes should be
interpreted within this pre-revelational context. Volume 4 of this series,
published in 2003, covers the actual Third Secret in depth.
Also
note that Brother Michel’s references to a fourth volume in this series
were to a proposed work that he never completed. This work was eventually taken
up and re-developed by Brother François after the publication of the Third
Secret.
Paperback
editions of the English translation of the first three volumes may be purchased
online from Father Nicholas Gruner’s website: The Fatima Network. Sadly, this organisation has embraced a
very different interpretation of the Third Secret from that of the Abbé de
Nantes’ Catholic Counter-Reformation, on whose Fatima studies they
previously drew so heavily.
Copyright
© La Contre-Réforme Catholique, 10 260 Saint Parres-lès-Vaudes, France.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VOLUME
II
THE
SECRET AND THE CHURCH(1917-1942)
INTRODUCTION:
At the heart of the message, the great Secret of July 13, 1917.
FIRST PART OF THE
SECRET: HEAVEN OR HELLTHE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, SALVATION OF
SOULS
Section
I: Faced with the only evil, hell, the unique remedy, the Immaculate Heart of
Mary.
Chapter
1: HELL EXISTS, AND WE COULD GO THERE• The horrible vision, only too
real. • Inadequate and misleading images? • An authentic, completely
accurate vision. • The testimony of the three seers.
Chapter
2: THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, SALVATION OF SOULS• An anguished appeal for
help. • The pity of a Mother’s Heart. • An incomparable design of
love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary. • A great design of mercy for
sinners. • Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, an uplifting call to
sanctity.
Section
II: A secret of sanctity, the life of the three seers.
Chapter
3: FRANCISCO: «GOD IS SO SAD! IF ONLY I COULD CONSOLE HIM!» (OCTOBER 1917 -
APRIL 4, 1919)• The great sadness of God. • A compassionate
heart. • “I want to die and go to Heaven”. • An exemplary
patient. • The death of a saint.
Chapter
4: JACINTA: «I WANT TO SUFFER... TO SAVE SOULS FROM HELL!» (OCTOBER 1917 -
FEBRUARY 20, 1920)• Haunted by the thought of the salvation of souls. •
The confidante of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. • The sorrowful passion:
“I will suffer everything She wants!” • At the hospital of Ourem. •
Aljustrel. • The supreme sacrifice: “I will die all alone!” • In
Lisbon. • After her death. • Appendix I: Testimonies to Jacinta’s
sanctity. • Appendix II: A message of Our Lady for Canon Formigao.
• Appendix III: An apocryphal message: «The secret of Mother Godinho» (April
24, 1954)
Chapter
5: LUCY: «JESUS WISHES TO USE YOU» (1917-1925)• Lucy, witness of the
apparitions. • In the school of suffering. • At the college of
Vilar (1921). • An apparition of Our Lady (1923). • The religious
vocation. • Appendix: The testimony of Mother Magalhaes.
Section
III: Reparation, a secret of mercy for sinners.
Chapter
6: THE GREAT PROMISE OF THE IMMACULATE HEART AT PONTEVEDRA (1925-1926)• The
apparitions and the message. • The great promise and its
conditions. • The spirit of the reparatory devotion: the revelation of
May 29, 1930. • From the first to the second Secret.
SECOND PART OF THE
SECRET: GULAG OR CHRISTENDOMTHE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, SALVATION OF
THE NATIONS
INTRODUCTION:
The second Secret, a great design of mercy for the salvation of Christendom.•
Appendix: Remarks on the structure of the Secret.
Section
I: The Salvation of Portugal: a miracle and an exemplar for our times.
Chapter
1: BEFORE AND AFTER FATIMA: THE DAWN OF SALVATION (MAY 13, 1917 - DECEMBER 14,
1918)• Portugal before Fatima: a century and a half of Masonic
domination. • Fatima 1917: the dawn of light and hope. • The
government of Sidonio Pais.
Chapter
2: THE PILGRIMAGE OF FATIMA AT THE SOURCES OF THE PORTUGUESE RENEWAL
(1918-1926)• The spontaneous pilgrimage. • The Capelinha. • May 13,
1920. • Finally a bishop! • The buying of the land, the well, the
attempted bombing of 1922, ceremonies of reparation. • Voz de Fatima,
“rain of flowers”, construction.
Chapter
3: THE BEGINNINGS OF A MAGNIFICENT RENAISSANCE (1926-1931)• The dawn of
national recovery. May 28, 1926. • Salazar. • The hierarchy
responds to the grace of Fatima. • The way of the Cross, the Basilica.
• Canonical approval. • The national consecration to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary. • Appendix I: The diocesan process of Fatima. •
Appendix II: The miraculous healings.
Chapter
4: A TRIPLE MIRACLE: PORTUGAL, «SHOWCASE OF OUR LADY» (1931-1946)• A miracle of
conversion: an admirable Catholic renaissance. • A miracle of political
and social renewal. • A miracle of peace: Portugal preserved from the
communist terror (1936-1939). • Preserved from the World War. •
Portugal, “showcase of Our Lady”.
Section
II: A great design of mercy: the salvation of Christendom through the
conversion of Russia.
Chapter
5: «POOR RUSSIA»: FROM CHRISTENDOM TO THE HELL OF THE GULAG (1917-1931)• From
“Holy Russia” to the revolution, a total rupture. • Lenin: the terror is
installed. • Famine. • Stalin: the terror continues. • The
communist revolution: a work of satan.
Chapter
6: THE GREAT REVELATION OF TUY: GOD ASKS FOR THE CONSECRATION OF RUSSIA
(THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1929)• The apparition and message of Tuy. • A
spectacular trinitarian theophany. • “Grace and mercy”. •
Conversion, reparation and consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
• The apparition of Tuy, a turning point of the century.
Section
III: «In the reign of Pius XI»
Chapter
7: «THEY DID NOT WANT TO HEED MY REQUEST.» (1925-1931)• The transmission of the
message. • Father Aparicio, a wise and firm adherence. • The
communication of December 17, 1927. • Canon Formigao, an enthusiastic
adherence. • The nuncio at Tuy. • Revelation of May 29, 1930.
• Father Gonçalves passes on the requests to the Holy Father. • It was
truly God’s hour. • The first refusal of Pope Pius XI. • Summer,
1931: “They did not want to heed My request”. • “They follow the example
of the King of France”. • Appendix: A second account of the vision of
Tuy.
Chapter
8: THE OSTPOLITIK OF POPE PIUS XI (1922-1931)• The Vatican opts for the way of
compromise, 1919-1922. • The Genoa conference. • The relief mission
to the starving. • The d’Herbigny-Chicherin interview. • The
doctrine of Ostpolitik. • Persecutions and blackmail. • Msgr.
d’Herbigny at Moscow (1925-1926). • The Briand-d’Herbigny
interview. • Bitter disillusionment. • The Russicum. •
Mexico. • 1930: The Mass of reparation at the Vatican.
Chapter
9: «RUSSIA WILL SPREAD ITS ERRORS, CAUSING WARS AND PERSECUTIONS» (1931-1937)•
Rising dangers: in Spain, Rome opts for a rallying to the Republic. • The
persecutions. • Rome and Fatima, an ice-cold silence. • The sad end
of Ostpolitik, Moscow’s spies in the Vatican. • 1935: Again the moment
has come to consecrate Russia. • The Spanish Civil War, a final, terrible
warning. • May, 1936: an important revelation. • The Pope blesses
Franco’s crusade. • At Pontevedra. • Bishop da Silva asks for the
consecration of Russia (1937). • The most opportune moment: Divini
Redemptoris. • The second refusal of Pope Pius XI. • Appendix:
The first two Memoirs (1935-1937).
Chapter
10: «THE WAR PREDICTED IS IMMINENT... IT WILL BE HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE!» (JANUARY
1938 - SEPTEMBER 1939)• “When you see a night illumined by an unknown light”
(January 25-26, 1938). • The witnesses describe it. • The final
attempts before the menacing peril. • The mission of Alexandrina da
Costa. • Collective letter of the Portuguese bishops. • “The war is
imminent”. • The “war of Hitler” or the war of Moscow? • “In the reign
of Pius XI” or Pius XII? • Appendix I: The “night illumined by an unknown
light”. • Appendix II: Father Aparicio’s efforts to propagate the
reparatory devotion.
Section
IV: Pius XII, «the Pope of Fatima»?
INTRODUCTION
Chapter
11: «IT IS THE HOUR OF GOD’S JUSTICE OVER THE WORLD!» (1939-1942)• Approval of
the reparatory devotion. • The request for the consecration of
Russia. • The first request and refusal. • The request for the
consecration of the world. • Sister Lucy’s letter to Pius XII. •
Portugal faced with the war. • The infidelity of religious souls. •
Request for the days of carnival. • The revelation of the great
Secret. • The Secret, Russia and Germany. • Appendix: The Third and
Fourth Memoirs (July-December, 1941). • The revelation of the first two parts
of the Secret. • Katyn.
Chapter
12: TOWARDS THE CONSECRATION OF THE WORLD TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
(1939-1942)• Pius XII and Fatima: a triple convergence. • A devoted
servant of Mary. • In the footsteps of Saint Pius X. • The common
Father of Christendom. • Pius XII and Fatima (1940-1941). • The
double jubilee of 1942: In Portugal, the apotheosis of Our Lady. • The
jubilee year at Rome. • The consecration to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. • Radio message to the Portuguese people. • Formula of consecration.
• What was done in 1942. • What remained to be done.
CONCLUSION
«From
the first hour the miracle augments, the mystery develops...»
APPENDICES IN
THE SECOND EDITION (October 1986)
1.
Francisco’s death.2. Three weeks after the Pontevedra apparition, Mother
Magalhaes gives her opinion of Lucy.3. Sister Lucy explains the Reparatory
devotion of the First Saturdays.4. A miraculous healing obtained by Sister
Lucy.5. The first attempts of Father Gonçalves to pass on Our Lady’s requests.6.
New attempts by Father Gonçalves obtain the consecration of Russia.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL
LIST
INTRODUCTION
AT
THE HEART OF THE MESSAGE: THE GREAT SECRET OF JULY 13, 1917
In
July of 1967, in an article pretending to have some critical value, Father
Rouquette dared to write these stupefying lines: «However, what are we to say
about the famous “miracle” of the sun (sic) of October 13, 1917? A good number
of direct statements by the witnesses leave no doubt: several hundred people
were persuaded that they had seen the sun dance upon itself...» No, good
Father! To speak of only “several hundred people” to express the presence of at
least fifty thousand witnesses is not a legitimate use of understatement, a
rhetorical device so dear to the ancients, it is simply a bold-faced lie,
unless one is completely ignorant of the event! But, moving right along, let us
examine only one curious objection which is of interest: «Moreover (continues
the editor of the theological journal Etudes), an authentic miracle
always has a precise, final cause; it is the confirmation of a dogmatic truth.
Now the phenomenon of October 13 seems gratuitous, there does not seem to be
any reason for it; it seems as though God is simply playing with the
physiological laws of human vision.»1
FROM
THE MIRACLE TO THE MESSAGE
What
unbelievable blindness! Is our theologian unaware that since May 13, the Virgin
Mary had appeared six times to the three shepherds, and had spoken to them on
each of these visits? Clearly, the “dance of the sun” was intended to provide a
striking, incomparable, heavenly proof of the Message’s authenticity, as well
as its extraordinary importance in the designs of Divine Providence. The
revelation of the Message and the accomplishment of the great Miracle,
prophesied three months in advance, correspond with each other and mutually
shed light on each other. If the miracle is indeed the guarantee of the divine
authenticity of the Message, the latter confers on the Miracle its whole
significance as a supernatural Sign.
On
June 14, 1917, after having questioned the three seers, the parish priest of
Fatima was astonished: «It is not possible (he said) for Our Lady to come from
Heaven to the earth simply to tell us to recite the Rosary every day. Besides,
the custom is well-nigh universal in the parish...»2 This is what
disturbed Father Ferreira. At the time, he had some excuses: having heard only
a few isolated words of the message, he could not perceive the real importance
of the events. Subsequent events showed in a striking manner that there is
no disproportion in the mystery of Fatima. The wonderful “dance of the
sun”, an event unprecedented in the entire history of humanity, is exactly
proportioned to the unique grandeur and far-reaching implications of the
Message of the Queen of Heaven.
As
early as 1942, Cardinal Cerejeira, the Patriarch of Lisbon, had observed: «From
the very first hour, the fervour increases, the miracle augments, the mystery
develops... Fatima speaks not only to Portugal, but to the entire world.»3
AT
THE VERY HEART OF THE MESSAGE: THE SECRET
One
might ask: “What, then, is the essence of the Message?” The Message, of course,
consists first of all in the words of the Angel, as well as those of the
Blessed Virgin in each of Her appearances from May 13 to October 13, 1917. As
we have already seen, they are so rich in significance and so salutary for our
souls!
However,
for one who studies Fatima as a whole, and considers its implications in the
light of history, the text of paramount, decisive importance is clearly the famous
Secret revealed by Our Lady on July 13, 1917. This does not sit well with
contemporary writers, who seek at any cost to dispute its authenticity, or
minimize its implications. Whether we are talking about highly placed Church
authorities or reform-minded theologians, the Secret of Fatima disturbs them,
irritates them, scandalizes them. This is the reason almost all of them are
obstinate in trying to hide it under a bushel. This is true not only of the
third part, still not revealed by Rome, but even the first two parts as well,
concerning which they maintain a tenacious conspiracy of silence. In short,
they would like to pass the Secret off as something of secondary importance,
utterly non-essential.
Their
efforts are in vain. For in the eyes of the average person, as well as in
actuality, Fatima consists first of all in its great Secret... because the
Blessed Virgin wanted it this way. We will see more and more clearly that this
text stands out as the central core, the heart of the Message of Fatima. It is
the central point, from which the light comes beaming out everywhere, the point
of convergence for everything Our Lady came to teach us at the Cova da Iria.
Everything flows from it, and everything relates back to it. It is the summary,
the synthesis of the message, coming from the very mouth of the Blessed Virgin.
OUR
TASK: TO COMMENT ON AND EXPLAIN THE SECRET
Our
task, then, is simple: with all childlike docility, with immense respect and
painstaking attention, we must scrutinize and meditate on the heavenly words.
We need not fear attributing too much importance to these words, secure in the
knowledge that the Blessed Virgin is speaking to us, for our own salvation and
for the entire world’s as well. Hence we will follow this great text step by step,
contenting ourselves with commenting on it and explaining it. It will fill us
with admiration as it unveils, little by little, the salutary and profound
mystery of Fatima. The Secret itself, by its profundity, coherence, and
richness of content, bears the mark of its incontestably divine origin. For as
we will see at the end of our investigation, the mystical, theological, and
prophetic contents of the Secret are alone sufficient proof that no human mind
could have invented such a text.
A
UNIQUE AND THREEFOLD SECRET. Later on we will retrace the historical
circumstances of its writing down, and the drama of its publication, which has
been interminably delayed. Now, however, we must indicate its structure, since
this will serve as the framework for our own exposition.
«The
Secret (Sister Lucy writes in her Third Memoir) is composed of three distinct
parts, and I shall reveal two of them. The first was the vision of hell... The
second concerns devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.»4 The
third part undoubtedly adds a new element. In reference to this text, it might
be helpful to point out that the first part of the Secret is generally
identified with the vision of hell, the second part with the prophetic words of
Our Lady revealed in 1942, and the third part has not yet been revealed.
More
importantly, we stress that there is one unique Secret, revealed in its
entirety by Our Lady in the apparition of July 13, 1917. It forms a coherent
whole, the parts of which are very tightly joined together. Is it not remarkable
that in the manuscript of her Third Memoir, Sister Lucy wrote the whole thing
out, from the beginning which contains the description of hell, to the
conclusion, “and a certain period of peace will be given to the world”, without
marking a single division in the text?5
Basing
ourselves on this fundamental unity and on the fact that Sister Lucy herself
did not firmly indicate the precise plan of the Secret, we will adopt the
distinction that in our opinion brings out most clearly its three essential themes,
the logical development of the whole, and its perfectly balanced construction
in spite of its baffling appearance. To this point we shall return in some
detail.
Thus
we will divide the great Secret into three parts and a conclusion, which are
all interlinked by a close connection and interdependence. The first part
concerns the salvation of souls, the central idea of the second is the
salvation of the nations and of Christendom, the peace of the world, while the
third part undoubtedly deals with the preservation of the Catholic Faith and
the salvation of the Church. These three themes, which are joined by an
indissoluble bond, reveal to us the extraordinary mystical, moral, political,
ecclesial, and dogmatic implications of the Secret of Fatima.
Before
commenting on it step by step, let us read once more this incomparable text,
adding in subtitles corresponding to the various stages of our explanation, for
the fundamental basis of these subtitles have a solid justification in reality,
as we will also show.
FIRST
PART: HEAVEN OR HELL! THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, SALVATION OF SOULS.
«As
She said these last words, Our Lady parted Her hands as She had done the two
previous months. The reflection of the light seemed to penetrate the earth, and
we saw what seemed to be an ocean of fire ...»
At
this point follows the description of hell. Is it not logical to believe
that the words of Our Lady, commenting immediately after this vision, and
proposing a supernatural lesson from it, belong to the first theme of the
Secret, to its “first part”?
«Terrified,
and as if to plead for succour (Lucy continues), we looked up at
Our Lady, who said to us, so kindly and so sadly:
«You
have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to
establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart.
«If
My requests are heeded, many souls will be saved and there will be peace...»
Here,
the dominant idea is that of the salvation of souls. Right at the outset, this
first part introduces us to the heart of the drama of our own life: Heaven or
hell, for all eternity! And what must we do here below to avoid the one and
merit the other? This is the most poignant danger, the most convincing moral
exhortation, the most compelling appeal of mystical theology.
The
hidden and heroic life of the three seers : — their almost obsessive concern
with praying and sacrificing themselves to save the souls of : sinners from
hell, their vehement desire to go speedily to Heaven — this along with the holy
_ death of Francisco and Jacinta will be the best : commentary on the first
part of the Secret, which all three lived so intensely.
SECOND
PART: GULAG OR CHRISTENDOM! THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, SALVATION OF THE
WORLD.
«If
My requests are heeded (Our Lady continued), many souls will be
saved and there will be peace.
«The
war will end. But if men do not cease offending God, another worse one will
begin in the reign of Pius XI.
«When
you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign
given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means
of war, famine, and persecutions against the Church and the Holy Father.
«To
prevent this, I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My
Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the first Saturdays of the
month.
«If
My requests are granted. Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If
not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, raising up wars and
persecutions against the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father
will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated.»
Here,
the Secret takes on a political and prophetic tone, where promises and
chastisements are mentioned and specified in their turn, depending on whether
men obey the requests of Our Lady or not. It is the marvellous, but also
terrible and dramatic exposition of the great design of mercy offered by God to
the world in 1917, for our century, for the peace of the world and the rebirth
of Christendom.
Using
this second part of the Secret, so packed with significance, we will find the
thread connecting the events of the religious and political drama of 1917 to
our own time, our own era burning with significance, in this year 1989...
THIRD
PART: THE FINAL SECRET... THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, SALVATION OF THE CHURCH
«In
Portugal, the dogma of faith will always be preserved, etc. (sic).»
Although
the third part of the Secret has not been divulged, we can nevertheless make
extremely probable conjectures about its essential contents. In this complex
and detailed study of all the evidence, we have a sure guide: Father , Alonso,
who was the official expert of Fatima. At issue is the very salvation of the
Church in the frightful crisis it has suffered since 1960, and the means of its
miraculous restoration. This new stage in the history of our current era, even
sadder than the preceding one, will be the subject of Volume III.
CONCLUSION
OF THE ENTIRE SECRET: THE UNIVERSAL TRIUMPH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY.
«In
the end (Our Lady concludes), My Immaculate Heart will triumph.
The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, which will be converted, and some
time of peace will be granted to the world.
«Tell
the Secret to no one. Francisco, yes, you may tell him.»
The
Secret ends, then, with the prophecy of a wonderful future for the Church and
Christendom, which Our Lady announced to us in all certitude: it must
inevitably come, regardless of what comes before. What mercy! Here is the
source of our invincible and immense hope. «In the end, My Immaculate Heart
will triumph»: we have only these words to guide us as a star, in this night
which grows ever darker. Ave! Maris Stella!
THE
SECRET OF THE SECRET: THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, OUR FINAL SALVATION
The
secret of the Secret, the soul of each one of the parts of this text, as we
will discover to our wonderment, is the revelation of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary as the sovereign remedy for all our evils, the final and unique salvation
of our souls, our nations, and all Christendom, as well as the Roman Church
herself. Such is the Holy Trinity’s unfathomable design of infinite Mercy,
which wishes to give us everything through the mediation of this Heart, which
is so good, so holy and Immaculate.
Let
us state right away the conclusion in which our long exposition shall end: with
the passage of time, as its prophecies are fulfilled each day, the great Secret
of Fatima manifests its immense importance more and more. It opens a veritable
new era in the history of the Church. These words are not an exaggeration. For
there is no question of a “Reform”, a capricious dream of men full of
themselves and their own work, but a sovereign and irrevocable decision of
Divine Providence, revealed to the Church by Our Lady of Fatima: «God wishes to
establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart.»
Cardinal
Cerejeira said, rightly: «We believe that the apparitions of Fatima open a
new era: that of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.»6 When it is
revealed in all its fullness, the great Secret of Fatima will then be seen for
what it really is: an unprecedented document in the entire history of the
Church, a divine oracle without precedent, which by the transcendent heights of
its heavenly origin dominates the history of our century, and surely future
centuries as well.
Our
part is to understand it, to rejoice in it while giving thanks to God, so as
to be penetrated with it and live it. May Our Lady of Fatima, the
Immaculate Mediatrix, deign to give us this signal favour!
Seat
of Wisdom, pray for us!
Endnotes
(1)
Actualité religieuse, Les Etudes, July-August 1967, p. 83.(2)
Quoted by De Marchi, Témoignages sur les apparitions de Fatima, p. 108.(3)
Preface to Jacinta, by Canon Galamba. Obras pastorais, Vol. II,
p. 329, 333.(4) III, p. 108, 111. Recall that we quote from Lucy’s Memoirs in
the English version edited by Father Kondor, annotated by Father Alonso,
indicating only the number of the Memoir and the page quoted from. (Postulation
Centre, Fatima, 1976)(5) Cf. the photograph of the original in Documentos,
p. 218-220. In the manuscript of the Fourth Memoir, she put a period before «to
prevent this...», which moreover does not correspond to the «three things» she
mentioned as constituting the Secret, p. 338-340 (Documentos de Fatima,
published by Antonio Maria Martins, S.J., Porto, 1976).(6) Preface to the third
edition of Jacinta, 1942. Obras pastorais, Vol. II, p. 333.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL
NOTE
To
designate certain frequently cited works, we have at times used abbreviations.
The list of abbreviations is given at the end of this volume, with complete
corresponding references.
CHAPTER I
«HELL EXISTS, AND WE
COULD GO THERE»
The
Secret of Fatima opens with the terrifying vision of hell. Through this vision,
Our Lady reminds us right away of the essential, the only thing that counts:
our eternity. This first part of the Secret is of primordial importance. Even
more than the prediction of famines, wars and persecutions, this striking,
anguished reminder of the eternity in hell which threatens us is one of the
essential points of the message of Our Lady. This is one of the most important
truths of our Catholic Faith which Our Lady of Fatima wished to recall to our
apostate, naturalist and materialist century, which is blindly set on purely
earthly horizons.
THE
HORRIBLE VISION: ONLY TOO REAL
Once
again, let us recall the terrible and realistic description which Sister Lucy
traces for us in her Memoirs:1
«As
Our Lady spoke these last words, She opened Her hands once more, as She had
done during the two previous months. The rays of light seemed to penetrate the
earth, and we saw as it were an ocean of fire.
«Plunged
in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning
embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration,
now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves
together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks
in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of
pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (It must
have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me.)
«The
demons could be distinguished (from the souls of the damned) by their
terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black
and transparent.
«This
vision lasted only a moment, thanks to our good Heavenly Mother who, at the
first apparition, had promised to take us to Heaven. Without this promise, I
think we would have died of fright.»
HEAVEN
OR HELL
There
it is. And how frightening is the spectacle! Yet in this lies the whole drama
of our human life. Clearly, before all else the Blessed Virgin wants us to
consider the extremely serious character of our short life, which must lead us
to Heaven or hell for all eternity. We know that it must be one or the other;
there is no other possible outcome. In the brief years of our mortal life, our
final destiny is decided, and decided irrevocably...
“COME,
YE BLESSED OF MY FATHER...” (Mt. 25:34) If by the grace of God we go to Heaven,
introduced into the family of God, transformed and divinized by His glory and
rejoicing in it, we will be happy for all times with an unspeakable joy. The
Faith already lets us get a glimpse of this happiness which is promised to us,
and for which we hope...
This
will be the return of the Prodigal Son to the blessed bosom of His most loving
Father. It will be the Heart of Jesus our Spouse and crucified Saviour, and His
nuptial embrace. It will be the great banquet one-on-one, He present to us and
we to Him, the hidden life for all eternity in the secret of His Face and the
transforming fire of His Spirit of Love.
Heaven
will be contemplation full of the joy of the beauties and glories of the
Immaculate Virgin Mary, Her maternal arms and Her smile. It will be the
canticles of the praises of God by the myriads of angels and saints, and life
in their sweet presence, as among so many brethren and friends. It will be,
finally, the joy of being reunited with our dear loved ones, all gathered
together at the table of the Father, for the wedding feast of the Lamb.
How
could such a state of beatitude not be perfect, overflowing and ever renewed?
For it is ever increasing, as one sees the happiness of so many other persons
in Heaven who are loved with an immense love. According to our Catholic Faith,
such is the divine felicity reserved to the elect. It is immense and it
surpasses anything we can conceive, imagine or feel here below.2
“DEPART,
YE CURSED, FAR FROM ME, INTO ETERNAL FIRE!” (Mt. 25:41) But if, freely, and
through our own fault, we merit eternal chastisement, what a contrast! An
eternity of frightful misery awaits us: tortures of the soul, tortures of the
body, atrocious sufferings in our whole being, at every instant, without any
respite and for all eternity, without any hope of deliverance, ever. Eternally
cursed, rejected and far from God, deprived forever of His presence, and of all
peace, and all joy, and delivered over forever into the blackest despair...
This
is what is expressed in an incomparable manner, with a striking force of
expression, although in very sober fashion – in Sister Lucy’s account. If
accepted literally, it will profoundly stamp our minds with this fear of hell,
so salutary and so profoundly Catholic.
But
must it be accepted literally? Here is the whole question, and rare are those
who dare to answer with a firm yes. The well-nigh universal objection against
this vision is important; it is worth examining.
I.
INADEQUATE AND MISLEADING IMAGES?
THE
RATIONALIST OBJECTIONS
FATHER
DHANIS: A CHILDISH VISION. «Many readers (the critic of Fatima wrote), no doubt
ask themselves what must be thought of the description of hell given by Lucy.
Let us respond, without hesitating that we cannot imagine that it can be
taken as a literal expression of reality... In any case, the demons do not
have “a terrifying and repellent likeness of frightful and unknown animals”;
they do not even have human forms at all; once the soul is separated from the
body it no longer has any “human form”, according to which they could appear as
“transparent embers”; and this is enough to prove that we can attribute no more
than a symbolic significance to the vision described by Lucy.»3
Also, we must «beware of taking literally what is meant to be taken otherwise».
We
have seen how Father Dhanis tried to cast suspicion on the supernatural
authenticity of the vision of hell.4 The most favourable hypothesis
he suggests to explain it is that of a childish vision. Yes, although
Heaven bent over backwards with condescension towards the three children, it
could show them nothing more than... childish images: «If indeed (he
writes), a supernatural agent wishes to give to children a vision to make them
understand the horror of hell, should it not communicate to them a
representation of hell which is recognizable for them, and therefore a
representation which more or less corresponds to images already seen or
descriptions already heard? But in all probability the images or descriptions
of hell known to our little children presented it as a great pool of fire
filled with souls and demons. Therefore, are not the various traits described
by Lucy in some way “required elements” of a vision of hell given to these
children?»5 In short, Father Dhanis explains to us, the “images
of hell” proposed by Sister Lucy are all well and good for childish
imaginations, but cannot speak to informed and intelligent adults.
FATHER
SERTILLANGES: MYTHICAL AND MEDIEVAL REPRESENTATIONS. It must be pointed out
that our anti-Fatima author is far from being the only one to reject these
images of hell, which are familiar to the whole Catholic tradition. Dhanis
himself invokes the name of a theologian of repute, Father Sertillanges. Had
the latter, already in 1930, adopted a similar position? «Hell is not a myth»,
our defender of the faith wrote back then. But, «what is true is that our
imagination portrays it under inevitably mythical forms, and sometimes,
it must be admitted, more than is reasonable, if we consider so many paintings
inspired by the Divine Comedy of Dante.» He goes on to repudiate «the images of
the Florentine school, the Gothic Cathedrals, Fra Angelico, Michelangelo,
Tiepolo, Jean Goujon, and so many others», as so many medieval and therefore
outdated images. «I take them for what they are: images, in other words, symbolic
figures, which we must avoid taking literally, and which today must be
replaced, because they depart too much from the underlying reality, and are
misleading.»6
“REPRESENTATIONS
IN IMAGE FORM” WHICH HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FAITH. Since this book was
written, the idea has made the rounds to the point where it is almost
universally accepted. Today, the catechisms themselves imbue our children with
this profound disdain for the traditional imagery, supposedly too medieval. One
need only open Pierres Vivantes, “Living Stones”, the new catechism imposed by
the French bishops on all children. Among the very few lines devoted to the
subject of hell, we find the following statement, presented as an established
fact: «One must not confuse this suffering (caused by separation from God) with
imaginary representations which might have been made.»7
What
an astonishing affirmation! Indeed, in his fascinating commentary on this
“Catechism for the Eighties”, our Father asks: «By whom, then, have these
“imaginary representations”, not to be confused with the faith of our bishops,
been spread? By whom have these descriptions of horrors, designed to frighten
poor human beings, been spread? BY JESUS CHRIST Himself!»8
IMAGES...
FROM THE GOSPELS! As a matter of fact, regardless of what Father Sertillanges
says, or what Father Dhanis says, these images are not medieval. They do not go
back to Dante. Far from being the inspiration behind the Middle Ages, Dante was
only, as has been said, the most eloquent and the last spokesman for them; and
the sculptures of our Cathedrals were completed long before the Divine
Comedy appeared! For centuries, St. Augustine and the other Fathers had set
forth and explained the same images, quite simply because they go back to the
words of Our Lord! Was not He the first to speak of gehenna, of its
inextinguishable fire and of the worm which never dies, and threatened the
reprobate with the «outer darkness, where there will be weeping, and the
gnashing of teeth»? It was Saints Peter and John who depicted the demons as
frightening and cruel beasts! So? Was it then Jesus, the Word of the Father and
our gentle primordial Truth, and was it the Apostles who propagated these
images «which are misleading», and «which must today be replaced»?
FROM
A RATIONALIST APOLOGETIC TO THE MODERNIST HERESY
By
the way, just what should the traditional imagery be replaced with? On this
question our innovators are silent. Father Dhanis writes: «The pains of hell
are not only the privation of the vision of God and the remorse of conscience,
but the damned suffer other pains which affect them in various ways and even
in their relations with the exterior world.»9 These are simply
nothing more than tranquilizing, anesthetizing abstractions.
“HELL
IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF!” Once we enter this slippery slope of
demythologization, our fall is rapid. What remains of the doctrine of eternal
hell in Pierres Vivantes? This quintessential abstraction which really
cannot alarm anybody: «When Christians speak of hell, they mean the tragic
situation of those who have refused God, and put themselves voluntarily and
definitively outside of His love.» And that is all! In vain does Pierres
Vivantes insist: «It is truly a “hellish suffering” to be so separated from
God», for this threat alone, without commentary or explanation, does nothing to
put any fear into sinners! If hell is simply living without God, then, alas,
millions of men can accommodate themselves to it; they even believe that in
this theoretical and practical atheism lies the condition of their happiness!
In short, with this type of catechesis, the Catholic Faith is emptied of all
its content: no longer is there any judgment, or divine chastisement, hell is
no longer a place of horrible torments; it is simply (from the Christian point
of view!) «a tragic situation».
When
separated from the trauma-inducing “images”, fire, worms, darkness, the shouts
and groans of the damned, hell becomes a very “bearable” reality, which any
free man can envisage with serenity.
“HELL
DOES NOT EXIST!” For that matter, once the principle of demythologization is
admitted, there is no reason to stop at this stage. For a Hans Kung, for
example, the very existence of hell and the eternity of its pains are myths
from which we must be delivered. As for Satan and the legions of devils, the
theologian of Tubingen sees only a «mythological representation», which passed
«from Babylonian mythology into primitive Judaism, and from there, into the New
Testament.»10
Under
the fallacious pretext of abandoning medieval images, arbitrarily judged
inadequate and outdated, our theologians have managed to empty this Truth of
faith of all concrete representations, as well as the slightest real content.
Yet, this truth is of capital importance; on it depends all the other elements
of our religion. The most daring of them openly deny the eternity of the
torments of hell, and even the torments themselves, and finally the very
existence of life in the next world. In any case, what all of them have in
practice is that they never preach hell to anybody anymore.
In
such a context of growing apostasy, the vision of hell granted to the three
seers of Fatima takes on a prophetic significance: Our Lady willed to forewarn
us against this blindness, the most terrible blindness that can exist, because
it leads straight to the abyss which it strives in vain to ignore.
II.
AN AUTHENTIC, COMPLETELY ACCURATE VISION!
Granted,
for our feeble human reason, which knows neither the sanctity of God, nor the true
malice of sin, as well as for our poor heart and its spontaneous sentiments,
often so strangely blinded, the existence and eternity of the torments of hell
always remain a disconcerting mystery, an indemonstrable, incomprehensible
truth. This is why, confronted with the terrible vision of Fatima, we always
have the very natural temptation to avoid it, explain it away, or even openly
rebel against it. Yet it would be folly to let ourselves be carried away by
this instinctive reaction. For the only question, the only one of supreme
importance to us, is to know if it is true that hell is really the way it is
described to be.
On
this question, no doubt is possible, and that is what we will demonstrate,
showing the ludicrous and arbitrary character of all objections by which
various people have pretended to minimize its significance. Our demonstration
shall consist of two points.
JESUS
CHRIST DIED TO DELIVER US FROM HELL. First of all the vision of Fatima is the
pure echo, the most faithful expression of the teaching of Jesus Himself. Yes,
it must be stressed that the vision of hell related by Sister Lucy is
eminently evangelical.11 For it cannot be denied that Jesus
never ceased to teach and preach the doctrine of hell all His life, especially
by His sorrowful Passion and Death on the Cross.
«What
my human reason could not dare to conclude, Jesus with all His reasoning power
as perfect man reflected on before me and understood; what my heart did not
want to accept, His Heart, which had an infinitely human tenderness, consented
to. How could I go on disputing, what could I say, what could I object, when
the most beautiful of the children of men, the wisest, the most loving, the
most generous, knew by Divine Knowledge what hell was, and intellectually
accepted it? Not to want to believe what You have revealed to us, as terrible
as it might be, would be to separate myself from You, O Word, O Christ, Master
of perfect Wisdom!
«You
were so sure of it, both by human and Divine Knowledge, that Your whole life
was determined by it, without an obsession, but without any sort of
distraction... Here is where the Christian mystery of eternal damnation begins.
A God became man, and this man set about preaching, and this man was
delivered over to the tortures of the Passion and Death to save us from hell.»
It
must not be forgotten that the Mystery of the Redemption is at the same time
the supreme mark of the infinite Love of God for men, and the most certain
proof of the eternal damnation with which sinners are threatened:
«If
I were tempted not to believe in Jesus Christ at all, because I could not
believe in hell, how much I would be obliged to believe in hell anyway,
because Jesus Christ has proved its existence to me by the atrocious peril of
His sorrowful Passion.»12
JESUS
SPEAKS TO US IN THE LANGUAGE OF TRUTH. A second point: these images so
insistently employed by Our Lord, far from being remote approximations vaguely
calling to mind the reality, appear to us, on the contrary, to be its most
exact expression, to the point where one can say in all truth: «Hell is just
that! It is at least that!» And let this be pointed out as well: after the
horrible vision, Our Lady did not say to the three shepherds: “You have seen a
symbol, an image of eternal damnation, which of course is quite different from
the symbol, because damnation belongs to the purely spiritual order.” No, She
simply said to them: «You have seen hell, where the souls of poor
sinners go.» Hell is a real danger that threatens us! It is as concrete as it
is frightful.13
What
a lesson! The sufferings of hell, as well as the joys of Heaven are mysterious
to human reason alone. The subject cannot be handled wisely without
scrupulously following the teachings of the Gospel. The vision of Fatima calls
to mind the urgent and eternal truth of these same teachings. In this domain
where Faith is the sovereign Teacher, the supreme wisdom for human reason
consists in bowing down humbly before these truths. We must understand that the
images proposed to us by our Creator are surely much more true and exact than
all the ideas that we can forge for ourselves, since it concerns the “beyond”,
of which we have no experience.14
Let
us return therefore to the description of Sister Lucy, as we bring out all the
richness of the vision, its evangelical character, its exact theological and
even philosophical truth.
«WE
SAW AS IT WERE AN OCEAN OF FIRE»
Just
as in the Scriptures, hell is described as a place. It is precisely «the
pool of fire and brimstone» mentioned on several occasions by the Apocalypse:15
«But as for the cowardly and unbelieving, and abominable and murderers, and
fornicators and sorcerers, and idolaters and all liars, their lot shall be in the
pool that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.» (Apoc.
21:8.)
Here
is the first important affirmation, which sweeps away all arbitrary
watering-down of the text, which might lull us to sleep in a false security:
hell is not only a state, «the tragic situation» of those who refuse God. It is
the place of chastisement, a place of eternal torments: «an ocean of fire».
Another
observation, which struck the children into a sorrowful understanding: what
they saw is an immense extension, «an ocean», «a great sea of fire»
filled with the damned. If in the very text of the Secret Sister Lucy does not
mention it explicitly, in her Memoirs she often insists on this aspect of the
vision. Thus she reports the frequent exclamations of Jacinta, who was
unceasingly afflicted with this thought: «So many go there! So many!» Or again:
«So many people go to hell! So many!»16 We will see later that
Sister Lucy herself did not cease to repeat the same thing, and her words
resonate as so many cries of alarm: «Many are those who are damned.» «Many are
lost.» «Souls go to hell in droves.»
But
the vision of Fatima does not merely remind us that hell exists, and that it is
filled with innumerable damned souls, it also teaches us – and with what
realism! – the atrocious torments that they endure, and for eternity.
«PLUNGED
IN THIS FIRE... DEMONS AND DAMNED SOULS.»
«Plunged
in this fire (Sister Lucy continues), were demons and souls in human
form, like transparent, burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze.»
“SOULS
... IN HUMAN FORM.” This last trait, far from creating a difficulty, as Father
Dhanis claimed, on the contrary illustrates a profound philosophical truth.
Even when temporarily separated from the body, the human soul is not a
self-subsisting spirit. It is, and essentially remains, the form of the body
of which it was the life-principle. Before long, at the final resurrection,
it will once again take on the body, from which it was violently separated only
for a short lapse of time. Even after death, a mysterious but very real bond
subsists in some way between the soul and the body; and in its spiritual being
the soul remains proportioned to the body.
In
all truth, therefore, and not merely in a vaguely symbolic manner, God in His
Omnipotence can even cause a human soul to appear under its proper individual
corporeal form. In short, if a soul is to be depicted in a manner perceptible
to the senses, it cannot do so in a more exact fashion than under the very
figure of the body which it once animated, and which, following the
resurrection of the body, it will animate once more.
THE
DEVILS: “TERRIFYING FORMS OF FRIGHTFUL ANIMALS.” «The demons (Sister
Lucy relates) could be distinguished (from the souls of the damned) by their
terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black
and transparent.» Mythical symbols or medieval fantasies? No! The image,
once again, comes from the Bible. It is the only image in creation willed by
God to make us understand the unbearable hideousness of these fallen spirits,
their malice and the atrocity of their presence, the terrible torments they
make poor human beings endure. These are the terrible beasts of the Apocalypse
who inhabit «the great furnace» of the infernal «abyss»,17 the
«great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns...»18 As for Saint
Peter, he compares the devil to «a roaring lion who goes about seeking someone
to devour».19
THE
LANGUAGE OF THE CREATOR. Although it might be true that the symbolic
representations invented by men through custom can at times be arbitrary, and
perhaps vary according to the various civilizations that evolve with time, it
is a gross error to believe that the same is true for the essential themes of
biblical symbolism. We are forgetting that it is the Creator Himself Who
through these images speaks to us.
When
Our Lord tells us that hell is the eternal, inextinguishable fire, the worm
which never dies, the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, it is the Word and Creator addressing us, the eternal Wisdom through
Whom everything was made and by Whom everything subsists. If, avoiding all the
vague and abstract formulas, He deliberately chooses to speak to us in this
language which is so concrete, it is because this is the most accurate
language: these terrifying realities were willed by Him in creation itself, to
make us understand here below the mystery of eternal hell.
Likewise,
when Saint Jude mentions the darkness and chains of an eternal prison,20
when Saint John speaks of a second death, eternal death, a veritable unending
agony, and the abyss which opens up in the centre of the earth over a pool of
fire and sulfur,21 when he describes the demons as frightful and
cruel beasts, he appeals to created realities which are, in their very
being, a language, a divine word addressed to us to make us see in a concrete
and accurate way the frightful torments reserved to the damned.
Far
from leaving us in ignorance about the beyond, in His immense goodness God
willed certain creatures of His to see it already here, in all accuracy. There
it was, with all the putrid miasms, the infectious pestilences, the hideous
stench. There, too, were the ferocious, monstrous, unclean beasts, who awaken
in us an instinctive fright. The Creator programmed this horror into us, that
it might serve us as a motivation, a warning. Here, no doubt, is one of the
most profound reasons for all the evils that God has created, willed or
permitted in the world. In one of his Pages of Mystical Theology, our
Father develops this idea at length. It is as important as it is little known.22
A
DEVOURING FIRE WHICH IS NEVER EXTINGUISHED
Above
all else, there is the reality of the fire, expressly created by God to make us
understand, through His Eyes as it were, the atrocity of the eternal
chastisement. Nine times in a row, in the short text of the Secret, Sister Lucy
mentions this devouring fire which, as it burns the damned, makes them undergo
atrocious sufferings.
Here
again, be it noted, there is a perfect correspondence with the entire New
Testament, where there are dozens of references by Jesus or His Apostles to the
«eternal fire» or to the «gehenna of fire». By what blindness, today, do we
neglect these innumerable texts, when they are so formal and explicit, and one
or two would be sufficient to solidly ground our faith in the terrible
chastisement of eternal fire?
«And
if thy hand or thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off and cast it
from thee! It is better for thee to enter life maimed or lame, than, having two
hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if thy eye
is an occasion of sin to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee! It is better
for thee to enter life with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into
the gehenna of fire.»23
And
in that grandiose picture Jesus creates of the Last Judgment, He says: «Then He
will say to those on His left hand: “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the
everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels... and these
will go into everlasting punishment, but the just into everlasting life.”»24
The
vision of Fatima is fully biblical: it lets us see how this terrible fire in
itself summarizes the various torments of the damned.
A
SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL FIRE. The fire of hell is a real fire with nothing
metaphorical about it – of that we can be sure! It is a spiritual and physical
fire which burns the whole being taken together, in all its powers or
faculties, just as coal is entirely consumed by the fire. «The souls
(writes Lucy) were like transparent, burning embers, all blackened or
burnished bronze», and the devils themselves appeared «black and
transparent, like burning embers.» In other words, nothing escapes this
terrible sensation of burning. It is both physical, and, even more horribly,
spiritual as well.
And
the spiritual burning? It is the terrible «pain of loss», the eternal
and definitive privation of God. The most painful thing for the soul is the
fire of the Divine Wrath, and His just judgment. What could be more terrible
than the angry Face of God, the Thrice Holy? What could be more frightful than
the sentence of the “jealous God”, spurned in His infinite Love? As the Apostle
Saint Paul writes in his Epistle to the Hebrews: «For if we sin wilfully after
receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remains no longer a sacrifice for
sins, but a certain dread expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire
which will consume the adversaries. A man making void the Law of Moses dies
without any mercy on the word of two or three witnesses: how much worse
punishments do you think he deserves who has trodden under foot the Son of God,
and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant through which He was
sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of Grace? For we know Him Who has said,
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God.» (Heb.
10:26-31) «For Yahweh your God», we read in Deuteronomy, «is a devouring
fire, a jealous God.» (Dt 4.24)
The
fire of hell is also a physical, mysterious fire, no doubt different from the
fire we are familiar with here below, but a real and terrible fire
nevertheless. It is the instrument of the divine chastisement, this «pain of
sense», which combines its torments with those of the «pain of loss».
AN
INTERIOR FIRE. While he is burned from without, the damned finds in himself the
source of another fire which redoubles his sufferings: the souls of the damned,
having human forms, «floating about in the conflagration, now raised into
the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great
clouds of smoke». Does not this interior fire correspond to the
ever-renewed flame of remorse, fury and despair? Does it not express the same
interior torture as «the worm which never dies», mentioned by Our Lord?25
«SHRIEKS
OF PAIN AND DESPAIR»
One
last trait completes the picture of the frightful lot of the damned: the
absence of all peace, stability, and repose in themselves: «They were
floating in this fire... falling back on every side, like sparks in a huge
fire, without weight or equilibrium...» Without any mastery over their own
being, they are the plaything of the flames which devour them.
Along
with this horrible spectacle, Lucy relates, there were «shrieks and groans
of pain and despair which horrified us and made us trembles with fright.»
And this recalls for us the «weeping and gnashing of teeth» so often mentioned
in the Gospel: «So will it be at the end of the world. The angels will go out
and separate the wicked from among the just, and will cast them into the
furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.»
(Mt. 13:49-50).
Here
then is hell, exactly as Our Lady willed to show it to the three innocent
shepherds. It is simply the teaching of Jesus which is recalled for us,
literally and insistently, by the Mother of God. It is as if She wanted to arm
us in advance against the modernist heresy, which has succeeded in getting this
tragic reality almost completely forgotten, even within the Church: because the
majority of pastors no longer preach hell, many of the faithful no longer
believe in it, and those who do believe in it hardly ever think of it. That is
why this part of the Secret is more relevant than ever for us.
To
understand the real implications of the vision of hell, its central place in
the message of Fatima, it is sufficient to listen to our little seers, Lucy,
Jacinta, and Francisco, since they actually saw it. They are the best
interpreters of what they contemplated, seized with fright, for as Sister Lucy
herself tells us, «ordinarily God accompanies His revelations with an intimate
and detailed knowledge of what they signify.»26
III.
THE TESTIMONY OF THE THREE SEERS
A
TERRIFYING FEAR
Several
witnesses of the apparition of July 13, as we have already said, mentioned the
sudden fear which came over the children.27 Lucy’s face became
livid, and she cried: «Aie, Our Lady! Aie, Our Lady!» Witnesses whose testimony
is all the more valuable, since they were present at the apparition, did not
learn the reason for this sudden fright until much later on. Lucy tells us that
if Our Lady had not promised, on May 13, to take the children to Heaven, «I
believe we would have died of fright.» Since that day, this terrifying fear
remained imprinted on their souls. The few passages in the Memoirs, where
Sister Lucy explains how this fear came to have a decisive importance in their
mystical life, are among the most stirring parts of the book.
“...
HORRIFIED... TO THE POINT OF BEING CONSUMED WITH FRIGHT.” «Jacinta (she writes)
was very impressed by certain things revealed in the Secret. This was in fact
the case. The vision of hell had horrified her to such a point that all
penances and mortifications to her seemed insufficient to save some souls from
hell ...»
«Certain
people, even pious people, did not like to speak of hell to the children, so as
not to frighten them (Lucy records). But God did not hesitate to show it to the
three children, one of whom was only six, and He knew quite well that she would
be horrified, to the point of being consumed with fright, I would go so far
as to say.»28
“WE
FOUND HIM TREMBLING WITH FEAR...” And Francisco? «At the third apparition (Lucy
informs us), he seemed to be the one least impressed by the vision of hell,
although it did have a considerable effect on him.»29
Nevertheless,
although he was in no sense a timorous or fearful character, he did strive
«never to think of hell, so as not to be afraid». «When Jacinta would become
disturbed at the thought of hell, he used to say to her: “Do not think of hell
so much! Think about Our Lord and Our Lady instead. I never think about hell,
so that I won’t be afraid.”30»
Yet,
if the Most Holy Virgin willed to show this terrible spectacle to Her three
privileged souls, it was so that they would remember it, and the constant
thought of the eternal ruin of the damned would incite them to unceasing
prayers and sacrifices for sinners. So Francisco tried to forget about hell?
Heaven reminded him of it by a new vision. Here is Sister Lucy’s account:
«One
day we were looking for a place called the Pedreira, and, as the sheep passed
by, we climbed from one rock to another, trying to make our voice echo from the
bottom of these great ravines. Francisco, as usual, retired into the hollow of
a rock. After a long pause, we heard him crying, calling on Our Lady and invoking
Her.
«We
were very disturbed, thinking something had happened to him. We began to look
for him, saying: “Where are you?” “Here! Here!” But it still took us a little
while to reach where he was. We found him, finally, trembling with fear, still
on his knees, very much shaken and incapable of getting up. “What’s the matter
with you? What happened?” In a voice half suffocated with fear, he told us:
“One of those great big beasts from hell was just here, breathing fire.”31»
AN
IMMENSE PITY
Jacinta
was almost seized with dizziness, so great was her pity for poor sinners. «What
astonished her the most (says Lucy) was eternity. Even while she was playing,
from time to time she would ask: “Even after years and years, hell still
doesn’t end?”32» And Lucy would always supply the astonishing, but
correct, reply of the catechism: “No, never, never! Hell is eternal.”
«Jacinta
would often sit on the ground or on a rock, and she would say, growing pensive:
“Oh, hell, hell! How sorry I am for the souls that go to hell! And the
people who are there, being burned alive, like wood in a fire!” And she would
kneel down, half trembling, with her hands joined, to recite the prayer Our
Lady had taught us: “O my Jesus, forgive us, deliver us from the fire of hell,
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need”... And Jacinta
would remain kneeling for a long time, repeating the same prayer.»33
To
see that Lucy is not making anything up, it is enough to look at the admirable
photograph of the two cousins, taken in October of 1917, while they were
staying at Reixida: Lucy is standing and Jacinta is seated on a rock next to
her. Jacinta’s hands are joined in prayer, and she is going through the beads
of her Rosary; she has an extraordinarily profound look, unspeakably sad
although still peaceful.34 Lucy remembered her friend, and gave us
an intimate picture of her. Jacinta had seen hell. She knew that many souls go
to hell. She never got over it. This was her torment, but also the source of
her heroic generosity. Let us take a few more texts, for they are so eloquent,
so moving.
«SO
MANY PEOPLE GO TO HELL! SO MANY!»
«Sometimes
(Lucy recalls) Jacinta would call me or she would call her brother (as if she
were waking from sleep): “Francisco! Francisco! Are you praying with me? We
must pray a lot to save souls from hell. So many go there! So many!”35
«Other
times, after reflecting for a moment, she would say: “So many people fall
into hell! So many are in hell!” To reassure her, I would say to her:
“Don’t worry, you’re going to Heaven.” “Yes, I’m going”, she would say calmly,
“but I wish everyone would go there also!”»36
Under
the movement of grace, her childlike heart grew in an astonishing degree, to
the dimensions of the crowds at the Cova da Iria, to the dimensions of the
whole world.
Another
time Lucy relates a terrible secret her cousin told her, as Jacinta was riveted
to her bed by the sickness that would soon take her away:
«One
day, I went to her house to stay a little while with her. I found her seated on
the bed, very pensive. “Jacinta, what are you thinking of?” Jacinta replied,
“About the war which will come. So many people will die, and almost all of
them will go to hell!”»37
“SO
MANY ARE DAMNED!” Lucy herself, during her whole life, never ceased bearing witness
to what she had seen. She never tired of repeating the great warning of July
13, 1917.
Father
Lombardi, founder of the “Movement for a Better World”, visited her on October
13, 1953 [according to Father Alonso, this interview took place on February 7,
1954]. He got around to questioning her on the subject of hell. The
conversation is worth quoting:
«“Do
you really believe that many people go to hell? I myself hope that God will
save the greater number (I wrote the same thing in a book entitled, The Salvation
of the Unbeliever).” “Many are those who are lost.” “Certainly the
world is a cesspool of vices... But there is always hope of salvation.” “No,
Father, many are lost.”»38
More
recently, in a letter to a young man tempted to leave his seminary, three times
she recalled to him the grave danger of falling into hell. Here is how she ends
her plea to the young man to remain faithful to his vocation:
«Do
not be surprised that I speak to you so much about hell. This is one truth that
it is necessary to recall often in these times, because we forget that souls
are falling into hell in droves. Why? All the sacrifices that you make so
as not to go there, and to prevent many others from going there – will you not
find them well worth it?»39
Sister
Lucy does not elaborate, nor does she add anything to these words.
In
her conversation with William Thomas Walsh, the latter laid a “trap” for her –
the thorny theological question of the number of the elect. It came in the form
of a question:
«“Our
Lady showed you many souls going to hell. Did you get the impression from her
that more souls are damned than saved?” This amused her a little. “I saw
those that were going down. I didn’t see those that were going up.”»40
What
wisdom in this response! It is not for us to compare and make this calculation.
The Gospel tells us nothing explicit, and the controversy is futile. We must be
content with what God wants us to know, and with what Our Lady recalls to us so
insistently: “Many are those who are lost”, and at the end of their life of
sin, they fall into this “ocean of fire” which is hell.
«OH!
IF ONLY I COULD SHOW THEM HELL!»
What
can be done to preserve souls from falling into this fatal state? Seeing the
great crowds at the Cova da Iria – this was in July, August or September, 1917,
and the pious pilgrims, as well as the unbelieving and the curious were coming
by the thousands every thirteenth of the month –, Jacinta had an idea:
«“Why
doesn’t Our Lady show hell to sinners?” she asked Lucy. “If they could see it,
they wouldn’t sin, so as not to go there. You must ask Our Lady to show hell to
all these people... You’ll see, they’ll be converted.”
«After
the following apparition, she was somewhat unhappy and asked me: “Why didn’t
you ask Our Lady to show hell to all these people?” “I forgot”, I answered. “I
forgot too”, she said, looking sad.»41
Jacinta
had understood well that the horrifying vision was not for themselves alone,
but for the salvation of sinners. Since it did not enter into the designs of
Our Lady to «show hell to all these people», it was necessary that Lucy at
least speak to them about it:
«Sometimes,
she would suddenly grab my arm and say: “I’m going to Heaven. But since you are
staying here, if Our Lady lets you, tell all these people what hell is like,
so that they don’t commit any more sins and don’t go there!”»42
How
right she was! Of course, it is not conformable to the designs of God to give
all men the vision of hell. Besides, not even that would suffice to convert
hardened sinners, and Dom Jean-Nesmy is right to remind us of the parable of
poor Lazarus and the words attributed to Abraham: «If they do not hear Moses
and the prophets, they will not believe even if someone rises from the dead.»
(Lk. 16:31) Still, that does not change what all of Holy Scripture and Jesus
Himself teach, as well as all the Saints who came after Him and followed His
example: We must preach about hell untiringly, so that all souls of good will
are averted, and, moved by a salutary fear, are converted. The greatest victory
of the devil is to succeed in making his existence forgotten, so that nobody
fears the chastisements of hell any more. This is a well known truth. The
Venerable Pope Pius IX told the priests of Rome that the devil feared those
priests who preach about hell. This kind of preaching is so beneficial to souls
– the most miserable as well as the most perfect – because it makes them all
grow in their horror and hatred of sin.
«HOW
SORRY I AM FOR SINNERS!»
«You
have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go», the Most Blessed
Virgin had said. Concerning these last words, Jacinta had a question:
«Sometimes
(Lucy recalls) she would ask: “What sins do people commit to go to hell?” “I
don’t know. Perhaps the sin of not going to Mass on Sunday, of stealing, saying
bad words, or swearing.” “And for one word, they go to hell?” “It’s a sin.”
“What would it cost them to be quiet and go to Mass? How sorry I am for
sinners! Oh, if only I could show them hell.”»43
This
question preoccupied Jacinta. To warn souls, she wanted to know for what sins
so many souls are damned. She was not satisfied with Lucy’s answers, so she
asked the Most Holy Virgin during the apparitions she had during her sickness.
A detailed account of these new apparitions we will give later on. Here we will
give only the response of Our Lady: «The sins which lead the most souls to
hell are sins of the flesh.»44 What a lesson for our modern
society, even more corrupted now than it was at the beginning of the century!
TO
SAVE SOULS BY PRAYER AND SACRIFICES
Jacinta,
as we shall see, was not satisfied with warning us of the danger. With an
unbelievable generosity, she completely devoted herself to prayer and penance
to preserve souls from being eternally lost. She was truly goaded on by this
thought, to unceasing and constantly renewed acts of love and reparation.
Sister Lucy could truthfully write this about Jacinta: «All the penances and
mortifications seemed to her as nothing, if through them she could save a
few souls from hell.»45
To
pray, to ask pardon of God, to offer Him sacrifices in the name of sinners and
in their place, in reparation for their faults and to console the Holy Hearts
of Jesus and Mary – here is the whole spirituality of Fatima, which was the
program of sanctity for Lucy, Jacinta, and Francisco. And how simple it is! It
goes right to the essential: Heaven and hell, the thought of sin, of
Redemption, and the Communion of Saints.
In
a single sentence, Our Lady summed up the whole drama of our life, the danger
menacing us, and the most pressing appeal to generous love: «Pray, pray much
and make sacrifices for sinners», She said on August 19, growing somewhat
sadder in Her appearance, «for many souls go to hell because they have no
one to pray and make sacrifices for them.»
CONCLUSION:
«HELL EXISTS, AND WE COULD FALL INTO IT!»
This
is what the Blessed Virgin wished to teach us at the Cova da Iria, before all
else. Sister Lucy never stopped insisting on this point. On December 26, 1957,
she is quoted as saying to Father Fuentes:
«My
mission is not to announce to the world the material chastisements which will
surely come if the world does not pray and do penance. No. My mission is to
indicate to everyone the imminent danger we are in of losing our souls for ever
if we remain obstinate in sin.»46
On
July 11, 1977, after a visit to Sister Lucy in the Carmel of Coimbra, Cardinal
Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I, summarized this first part of the Secret,
in words that can hardly be improved on:
«Hell
exists, and we could fall into it (he wrote). At Fatima, Our Lady taught us
this prayer: “O my Jesus, forgive us, deliver us from the fire of hell, lead
all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need.” There are
important things in this world, but there is nothing more important than to
merit Heaven by living well. It is not only Fatima that says so, but the
Gospel: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own
soul?”» (Mt. 16:26)47
Endnotes
(1)
Cf. our Vol. I, p. 179, sq. (III, p. 108; IV, p. 165-167).(2) On the subject of
Heaven, the series of twenty-two Pages mystiques of our Father, the Abbé
de Nantes, is must reading. They are at once mystical, biblical and always very
concrete. There is nothing more beautiful to give a glimpse and a lively desire
for the joys of Heaven. Some titles are sufficient to evoke this prodigious
richness: “The home awaiting us”, “The family reunited”, “Friendship
recovered”, “In the communion of saints”, “I shall go to see Her one day, in
Heaven, in our homeland”, “In the fire of the Holy Spirit”, “Towards the
Father”, “Jesus, my happiness”, “The Heaven of poor people”, “The secret of a
nuptial love”, “Oh! my final secret”, etc. (Contre-Réforme catholique,
nos. 103 to 128, March 1976 - April 1978, Vols. VIII, IX and X.)(3) “Concerning
Fatima and criticism”, Nouvelle Revue théologique, 1952, p. 591-592.(4)
Cf. our Vol. I, p. 399, 404-405; and the review Streven, 1944, p.
196-198.(5) NRT, p. 592.(6) Catéchisme des incroyants, Vol. II, p. 186,
Flammarion, 1930.(7) P. 118.(8) La foi catholique. Réponse à “Pierres
vivantes”, catéchisme moderniste. CRC no. 183, All Saints, 1982, p. 20.(9)
NRT, p. 591.(10) Etre chrétien, p. 425, Seuil 1978. To measure the
extent of the apostasy we have reached, it will not be in vain to quote a long
passage concerning hell: «In any case, hell is not to be conceived
mythologically as a place located in the upper world or the lower world. It
signifies, in a theological sense, the exclusion of communion with the living
God as a last and final possibility, an exclusion presented figuratively under
a thousand different images, and which nevertheless remains inexpressible. When
it speaks of hell, the New Testament does not intend to pass on information on
the beyond destined to satisfy curiosity or the imagination. It is for this
world that it means to recall the extreme gravity of God’s demand, and the
urgency of man’s conversion here and now. The “eternity” of the punishment of
hell (of “fire’’), which the New Testament has affirmed many times in
figurative terms, remains subordinate to God and to His will. Some
neo-testamentary passages, too isolated to balance those we have just
discussed, suggest, at the moment of the final consummation, a
reconciliation for all, a universal mercy.» (p. 425-426.) And here we have
the old heresy of Origen revived, the apocatastasis, a heresy which has no
foundation in Holy Scripture, for not one of the rare texts brought forward
even suggests this solution, which is as convenient as it is false.
Alas! Hans Kung is not the only “master in Israel” to profess such a heresy.
Karl Rahner also dares to declare: «However, I have the feeling that we can
say: I hope – no, I know – that the final conclusion of the world’s history
will be such that what the traditional theology understands by the name of
“hell” will no longer be a reality.» In other words, hell will not be
eternal! And he continues: «How, in the last analysis,
can the mercy of God, which the present Pope has wanted to celebrate, coexist
with His justice and with the possibility that a man, by his free decision,
would go to perdition? I would not venture to propose here who knows what
“synthesis”. As a theologian and a Christian, I know that I must reckon with the
possibility of this perdition. Still, there is no need to affirm that it is
really actualized.» What does that mean? That hell is only a purely
theoretical possibility. Let us sleep on, calmly: if it exists, hell is empty
(Interview with La Croix, April 13, 1983, p. 9). We
find the same reductionist theology in François Varillon, La souffrance de
Dieu, p. 110. (Le Centurion, 1975.) And even in Urs von Balthasar (Cf. CRC
128, April 1978, p. 14.)(11) Dom Jean-Nesmy has very justly remarked as much: Lucie
raconte Fatima, p. 212.(12) Pages mystiques, “L’enfer après
Jésus-Christ”, CRC no. 93, p. 12, June 1975.(13) Sister Lucy was glad that
Our Lady asked her to keep secret, for a long time, the description of this
terrible vision. Being still a child, she would have been incapable of
expressing the reality of it with exactitude. She writes in 1941, «For me,
keeping silent has been a great grace. What would have happened had I described
hell? Being unable to find words which exactly express the reality – for
what I say is nothing and gives only a feeble idea of it all...» III, p.
115. Cf. her letter of August 31, 1941, to Father Gonçalves, where she
expresses the same feelings (Documentos, p. 445).(14) In the face of all
the minimizations of the rationalist apologetic, our Father has never failed to
affirm the literal truth of biblical symbolism concerning Heaven or hell. In
it, he explains, we must see the adequate expression, the only one willed by
God to make us understand realities that surpass us. Cf. his Pages mystiques
on hell: CRC 92, May 1975; CRC 93, June 1975; CRC 79, April 1974. The doctrine
set out there exactly corresponds to the Fatima message.(15) Apoc. 19:20;
14:10; 20:10.(16) III, p. 110.(17) Apoc. 9:1-11.(18) Apoc. 12:3.(19) I Pet.
5:8. On this theme of cruel and deadly beasts as symbols of evil and the
demons, mentioned many times in the Bible, cf. the article “Bête et Bêtes” in Vocabulaire
de théologie biblique, p. 98-101. Cerf, 1966.(20) Jude 6, 7.(21) Apoc.
14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8.(22) «Concentration camps are nothing, the worst
tortures men have invented to make their fellow man suffer are nothing compared
to the sufferings of the damned. All this exists here below and is permitted by
God precisely to make us fear what is worse... «No,
life is not misleading and nobody will be able to say that he did not know when
already, by the light of the Gospel, all human joys and sufferings are like a
faint image of the punishments and rewards of hell and Heaven. Hell is present
among us, frightful enough to make us horrified! And Heaven is even more
present, already ravishing us and filling us, to attach us to it! But right
until the end, nobody must forget the remembrance of both the one and the
other, so as to be attached to his Saviour by the double and triple bond of
fear, hope and love...» (Abbé Georges de Nantes, CRC 93, June 1975, p. 12.)(23)
Mt. 18:8-9.(24) Mt. 25:41; 25:46.(25) In the account where she describes how
one day, being in prayer, she seemed to be transported body and soul to hell,
Saint Teresa of Avila insists particularly on this suffering: «In my soul I
felt a fire whose nature I am powerless to describe, while my body went through
intolerable torments... If I tell you that it was as if your soul was being
continually wrenched away from itself, it is nothing because in this case it is
somebody else who seems to take away your life. But here the soul itself tears
itself to pieces. I confess that I can hardly give an idea of this interior
fire and this despair which are combined with such terrible torments. Being
tortured by the fire of this world is almost nothing compared with the fire of
hell. I was terrified, and although about six years have gone by since then,
such is my terror in writing these lines that my blood runs cold in my veins,
right where I am...» Auto-biography, chap. 32.(26) III, p. 116.(27) The fact is
solidly attested by the concordant and repeated declarations of Ti Marto, Maria
Carreira and Antonio Baptista.(28) III, p. 109.(29] IV, p. 132.(30) IV, p. 143.(31)
IV, p. 143.(32) I, p. 30.(33) III, p. 109-110.(34) Cf. our reproduction, Vol.
I, among the photographs following p. 270. (35) III, p. 110.(36) III, p. 110.(37)
III, p. 114.(38) Quoted by Alonso, The Secret of Fatima: Fact and Legend,
p. 106.(39) A.M. Martins, Cartas da Irma Lucia, p. 120-122, Porto, 1979.
Later on we will quote from this important letter at length. Unfortunately,
Father Martins does not give us the exact date of its writing.(40) Our Lady
of Fatima, p. 219, Image Books, 1954.(41) III, p. 110.(42) III, p. 110.(43)
III, p. 110.(44) According to Mother Godinho’s testimony. Cf. De Marchi, p. 279
and 274; III, p. 111.(45) III, p. 109.(46) Quoted by Alonso, La vérité sur
le Secret de Fatima, p. 92.(47) Mt. 16:26. Quoted by the review, Les
Voyants de Fatima, bulletin for the beatification causes for Francisco and
Jacinta, September-December 1978, p.7.
CHAPTER II
THE IMMACULATE HEART OF
MARY, SALVATION OF SOULS
«This
vision (Lucy continues) lasted only a moment... otherwise I
believe we would have died of fright.
«Terrified,
and as if to plead for succour, we looked up at Our Lady, who said to ns, so
kindly and so sadly: “You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go.
To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate
Heart”.»
Such
are the words in which Our Lady Herself wished to give us the lesson to be
drawn from the terrifying vision of hell. These are gentle, calming words, full
of a warm hope. For never does God reveal to us the terrible danger of our
eternal damnation without immediately opening to us the arms of His mercy,
indicating to us a way of salvation which is easy, accessible, and so
attractive!
After
the atrocious spectacle of the infernal devils comes the “blessed vision of
peace”, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, Queen and Gate of Heaven.
Let
us comment word for word on these few phrases, the simplicity of which is
equalled only by the profound richness of their content.
I.
AN ANGUISHED APPEAL FOR HELP
«TERRIFIED,
AND AS IF TO PLEAD FOR SUCCOUR…»
He
who does not understand, and who has never felt this fright, this profound and
real fear of eternity in hell, and first of all for himself, will hardly be
able to penetrate the real meaning of the rest of the Secret. For let us have
no hesitation in repeating it: the consideration of hell is literally the first
and last word of the Secret. It is not through chance if, just as it begins
with the vision of hell, the Secret ends with the little prayer which Our Lady
teaches us: «When you recite the Rosary, say after each mystery: “O my Jesus,
forgive us, deliver us from the fire of hell,” etc.»
Hell
is therefore a real threat for us also. The greatest saints themselves feared
this eternal perdition. Here are the words of one of the most recent, Saint
Maximilian Kolbe, this angel of purity who wrote down in his private notebook:
«You can still sin gravely and go to hell.»1 Then what about
us! We have within us a persistent source of malice, an inclination to sin so
strong that, unless we continually implore God for His grace and pardon, this
inclination would inevitably lead us straight to hell. «Hell exists, and I
myself can go there» – such is the true conviction of every true Christian.2
«…
WE LOOKED UP AT OUR LADY...»
Penetrated
with this salutary fright, which little by little leads to filial fear, the
children spontaneously called for help. It is enough for us to lift up our
eyes: the Blessed Virgin is there, opening wide the doors of Her Heart to us.
As Father Alonso writes: «The vision of hell was given to inspire the children
to have recourse to the protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Her
powerful intercession for the salvation of sinners.»3
Our
Lady Herself, with an admirable pedagogical art, willed this contrast. The
radiant vision of the Immaculate Heart of Mary immediately follows the horrible
vision, like the second in a series of paintings. We are face to face with the
absolute Evil which threatens us – eternal chastisement, and even before that
the evil of mortal sin which leads to it. All of Fatima reminds us these two
are inseparable. God offers to us who are faced with this Evil the only Remedy
which can preserve us from it: the Immaculate Heart of His Mother, Refuge of
Sinners.
Sister
Lucy explains this to Father Fuentes, indicating to him the way of salvation:
«Finally devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Most Holy Mother, considering
Her as the seat of clemency, goodness and pardon, and the sure gate for
entering Heaven.»4
Here
we are in the purest Catholic tradition, which from time immemorial has
venerated the Blessed Virgin as the «Mother of mercy and pardon», «the
patroness of the most desperate causes», our last recourse after the greatest
faults, as in the most terrible temptations. An eloquent testimony to this
truth is the touching exhortation of Saint Bernard, which the liturgy has us
read on the feast of the Holy Name of Mary:
«O
man, whoever you are, if you realize that in the whirlwind of this world, far
from walking on firm ground, you are driven hither and thither by storms and
tempests, turn not your eyes from this bright Star, if you do not want to be
swallowed up by the hurricane. If the winds of temptation are stirred up, if
you encounter dangers and tribulations, look at the Star, and invoke Mary:
“respice Stellam, voca Mariam”!
«If
you are shaken by waves of pride, ambition, criticism or jealousy, look at the
Star and invoke Mary! If anger, avarice, or the seductions of the flesh stir up
a storm in your soul, cast a glance towards Mary, “respice ad Mariam”.
«If
troubled by the enormity of your crimes, confused by the weight of the sins on
your conscience, you feel yourself slipping into the whirlpool of sadness and
the abyss of despair, then think of Mary, “cogita Mariam”. In perils, in
anguish, in perplexity, think of Mary, invoke Mary. Let Her name be constantly
on your lips, let it never leave your heart...»5
Yes,
this is exactly what took place: faced with the danger of sin as well as the
menace of hell, «terrified, and as if to plead for succour, we looked up at
Our Lady»: “Illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte!” To this appeal
from the children, full of anguish, Heaven deigned to respond.
II.
THE PITY OF A MOTHER’S HEART
«...
We looked up at Our Lady, who said to us so kindly and so sadly: “You have
seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go.”»
«SO
KINDLY AND SO SADLY…»
At
Lourdes, although Bernadette cried one day because the Blessed Virgin seemed so
sad, at other times the Blessed Virgin had nevertheless smiled. In the sky of
Pontmain, by just one smile, Our Lady of Hope had ravished the seers with
unspeakable joy: «See, She is smiling! See, She is smiling!» they exclaimed.6
Then, jumping for joy, and clapping their hands, they kept saying: «Oh, She is
so beautiful! She is so beautiful!» At Buissonnets also, the Blessed Virgin had
smiled, instantly healing little Therese of her mysterious malady.
However,
at the Cova da Iria, the Blessed Virgin always appeared serious, and never
smiled. Canon Formigao had asked Francisco: «Did She ever weep or smile at
all?» «Neither one nor the other, She is always serious.»7
«Tell
them also, Lucy is quoted as saying to Father Fuentes, that my cousins
Francisco and Jacinta sacrificed themselves because they always saw the
Blessed Virgin very sad in all Her apparitions. While with us She never smiled,
and this sadness, this anguish we noticed in Her is because of offences against
God and the chastisements threatening sinners. This anguish of Hers penetrated
our soul; in our childish imaginations we could hardly think of enough ways to
pray and make sacrifices...»8
This
twofold sadness is the fruit of a twofold love: love of God, who is so
offended, and love of men, who march so miserably to their damnation.
Let
us quote yet another statement of Sister Lucy’s. In 1946, William Thomas Walsh
asked her:
«“Does
the statue in the shrine at the Cova da Iria look like the Lady you saw there?”
“No, not much. I was disappointed when I saw it. For one thing it was too
gay, too alegre. When I saw Our Lady, She was more triste, or
rather, more compassionate. But it would be impossible to make a statue as
beautiful as She is.”»9
This
sadness of Our Lady, like the sadness of God which so afflicted Francisco,
manifests the immense gravity of sin. Yet it is still full of goodness and compassion
for sinners: Our Lady would like to tear them all away from the peril of
eternal fire. «Poor sinners», Our Lady says, such as in French, when
they say the Hail Mary, the faithful say “pray for us poor sinners”, judging
the Latin formula, “pray for us sinners”, to be a bit too austere. We are
reminded of Saint Bernadette, who made these words her last ones. She had seen
the Blessed Virgin and lived like a saint. Still, on her deathbed, she kept
repeating: «Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, a poor sinner, a poor
sinner.»
III.
AN INCOMPARABLE DESIGN OF LOVE FOR THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
This
unspeakable sadness of the Heart of Mary in our regard cannot leave the Heart
of God insensible for very long: He cannot resist Her intercession in our
favour. Our Lady continues: «You have seen hell, where the souls of poor
sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to
My Immaculate Heart.» Our Lady repeats this last phrase on July 13 for the
second time; She had already said it on June 13, before manifesting Her Heart
to the children. Here is the “secret of the Secret”, the whole essence and
most important element of the Message of Fatima. More than anything else,
and before anything else, Fatima is first of all the revelation by Our Lady of
the Heart of God, His great design of love, and His absolute and irrevocable
will for our times. This sentence looms large like an oracle, and every word
must be carefully weighed.
“GOD
WISHES...” The Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is not a matter of
personal taste, an optional choice left to the faithful depending on their own
interior attractions. Still less, of course, is it a desire Our Lady has for
Her own benefit. No! It is willed by God. And not only is it willed by
God hypothetically, or as something that “would be nice”, it is an absolute,
unconditional will of God Himself!
“TO
ESTABLISH IN THE WORLD DEVOTION TO MY IMMACULATE HEART.” Devotions usually
spread more or less gradually, from province to province, nation to nation, or
from religious family to religious family. In the case of devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, God wishes it to be extended to the entire world; and
He wishes it to be «established». In other words, it is not simply a
matter of a private devotion, which can take rise, flourish and disappear, but
a public cult – solemn and established on a stable foundation, and therefore a
liturgical cult – recognized, patronized and spread by the hierarchy itself.
THE
FINAL REVELATION OF THE HEART OF GOD
At
Fatima, God could have manifested His Omnipotence as He did to Moses on Mount
Sinai. He could have manifested His Wisdom as He did to the prophets. Such,
however, was not His design. If He worked stirring miracles and prophecies at
Fatima, it was secondary; it was to bring us to believe in His essential
message. He could have showed us His Justice, as He did so many times in the
Old Testament. He did not will to do it. Fatima is not a gospel of wrath, even
if we are threatened there with terrible chastisements. No, what God has
revealed to us there is His Heart. His Heart, that is the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, and what is dearest to this Heart, Its most profound intention, which is
to make the Immaculate Heart of His Mother loved.
God
wills that this Immaculate Heart of Mary reign, so that He Himself, in His
Trinity of Persons, can be satisfied in His greatest Love. He loves Mary more
than anything else, and He wishes Her to be glorified, honoured, loved, and
served by all His other creatures. If we may dare to say it, in this lies the
joy of God, His good pleasure, according to Fatima. From this primordial,
boundless love for the Immaculate Virgin flows His absolute decree to make Her
the universal Mediatrix, and the Instrument of Salvation for our souls:
«To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate
Heart.»
Thus
the revelation of Fatima completes that of Paray-le-Monial, and devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary is united with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
which He has demanded for over a century and a half. For these two devotions,
just like the two Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, are inseparable and one can
never go without the other. They necessarily go together and they mutually
reinforce each other. Such is the great design of Our Heavenly Father for «the
last centuries of history»: the reign and universal triumph of Their two
united Hearts.
He
has for the Heart of Jesus, His only beloved Son, pierced upon the Cross, a
love so powerful that henceforth He wishes this Heart to be the object of
a universal devotion; that everything be granted to us through this Heart, and
nothing outside of It. And secondly, the Father and the Son, in the Heart of
Jesus, have such Love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for Her Sorrowful Heart
at Calvary, pierced with thorns by the sins of the world, that They have
decided that everything would be granted to mankind through Her agency, through
Her alone, and nothing without Her. Behold Her now, in Her turn,
established as C0-Redemptrix alongside Jesus, our universal Mediatrix, “the
Mediatrix of all graces”.
IV.
A GREAT DESIGN OF MERCY FOR SINNERS
«TO
SAVE THEM...»
God
is Love, and in His infinite Wisdom He found a way to combine His first love,
His unique and incomparable love for the Immaculate Virgin, and His infinite
mercy for us poor sinners. And how? By deciding to save us through Her and Her
alone, since She has become inseparable from Her Son, our unique Redeemer.
There does She find Her honour and glory, while sinners find their salvation
and their joy! «Our salvation is in Her hands», chants the liturgy for
the feast of Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces. At Fatima, Our Lady reveals Herself
in all clarity as the Queen and Gate of Heaven; to Her the eternal destiny of
souls has been confided.
DEVOTION
TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, A SURE SIGN OF SALVATION
The
apparition of July 13, 1917 sheds a bright new light on this truth of the
Secret, a truth of decisive importance. When the children ask Her to take them
to Heaven right away, Our Lady answers as though She were a Sovereign: «Yes,
Francisco and Jacinta, I will take them soon.» Lucy alone was to remain:
«Jesus wishes to use you to make Me known and loved... My Immaculate Heart will
be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.» Thus Our Lady Herself
promised to take Her three privileged souls to Heaven.
Then,
through an unbelievable disposition of mercy, the promise is immediately
extended to all. For Our Lady continues: «Jesus wishes to establish in the
world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whomever will embrace this
devotion, I PROMISE SALVATION; these souls will be dear to God, like
flowers placed by Me to adorn His throne...» What stupefying words! An
unbelievably easy way of salvation is offered us: it is enough that we adopt
the predilection of the Heart of Jesus for the Immaculate Virgin, and to prove
our fidelity by accomplishing Her little requests. What an anchor of salvation,
what a sure and easy way for the poor souls of sinners, and the weak and cowardly
souls that we are! What an unprecedented offer: devotion to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, the only condition for obtaining salvation! Who would still dare
to say that Heaven is too hard to gain?
BUT
IT IS THE FINAL MEANS, THE LAST RECOURSE!
Since
the keys of Heaven have been entrusted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, how vain and
perilous it would be to want to enter through any other door. To despise, then,
the last excess of the mercy of our God and Saviour would mean turning a deaf
ear to the offers of the Immaculate Heart of His Mother; on our part it would
constitute a grave injury to God. Sister Lucy explains to Father Fuentes:
«The
Holy Rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are our two last
recourses, and so this means there will be no others... With a certain
trepidation God offers us the final means of salvation, His Most Holy Mother.
For if we scorn and reject this final means, we will no longer have the pardon
of Heaven, because we have committed a sin which the Gospel calls the sin against
the Holy Spirit, which consists in openly rejecting, with full knowledge and
consent, the salvation being offered us. Let us remember that Jesus Christ is a
good Son, and He does not permit us to offend and despise His Most Holy
Mother.»10
The
Message of Fatima teaches us insistently one thing we had not considered: since
God decided to attach such promises to the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of
His Mother, the greatest sin in His eyes is the lukewarmness, the deliberate
forgetfulness and scorn towards this Heart through which the Holy Trinity
wishes to grant us the greatest blessings.
But,
you will say: what if I do not have this devotion? Understand first that there
is nothing astonishing in this, for it does not come of itself. Sister Lucy
tells us that it is like an “infused virtue”. Like all other graces, it is
obtained by prayer. We also receive it through a kind of “supernatural
attraction” seeing it at work in the souls of the saints who lived it to
perfection.
V.
DEVOTION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, AN UPLIFTING CALL TO SANCTITY
Besides
being the final recourse of the greatest sinners on the verge of perdition,
devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary also stands out in the Message of
Fatima as the surest and most rapid road to sanctity. The life of the three
seers is a striking and fascinating proof.
If
the Angel precursor, in his three apparitions of 1916, as well as Our Lady on
May 13 had already mentioned the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it was only on June
13 that the three seers received the full revelation.11 «Before
the palm of the right hand of Our Lady was a Heart surrounded by thorns which
seemed to be piercing It. We understood that It was the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, which desired reparation.» The
vision was accompanied with an infused grace which filled the children with «a
special knowledge and love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary... Since that day,
as Lucy tells us, we felt in our hearts a more ardent love for the Immaculate
Heart of Mary.»12
AN
AFFECTIONATE AND TENDER DEVOTION
Silent
on her own spiritual progress, Lucy relates for us – and with such refreshing
spontaneity! – Jacinta’s outbursts of love for the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Here is one of the most beautiful passages in the Memoirs:
«From
time to time Jacinta would say to me: “Our Lady said that Her Immaculate Heart
would be your refuge and the road which would lead you to God. Don’t you love
that? As for myself, I love Her Heart, it is so good!”»
«After
the month of July, when Our Lady told us in the Secret that God wishes to
establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and that to
prevent the future war, She would come to ask for the consecration of Russia to
Her Immaculate Heart as well as the Communion of reparation on the first
Saturdays, when we would talk among ourselves Jacinta would say: “I am so sorry
I cannot receive Communion in reparation for sins committed against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary!”
«Among
the ejaculatory prayers Father Cruz had taught us, Jacinta had chosen this one:
“Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation!” Sometimes, after saying this
prayer, she would add, with the simplicity so natural to her, “I love the
Immaculate Heart of Mary so much! It is the Heart of our little Heavenly Mother!
Don’t you love to repeat, often, Sweet Heart of Mary, Immaculate Heart of
Mary? I love that so much!”
«Sometimes,
she would gather flowers from the fields and sing, with a melody she would
invent at the same time: “Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation! Immaculate
Heart of Mary, convert sinners, save souls from hell!”»13
Let
us quote also this charming anecdote which shows how devotion to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary always necessarily makes us grow in love for the Sacred Heart of
Jesus:
«One
day I was given a beautiful image of the Heart of Jesus, at least as beautiful
an image as men can make of it. I brought it to Jacinta: “Do you want this
image?” She took it, looked at it closely, and said: “It’s so ugly! It doesn’t
at all look like Our Lord. He is so beautiful! But I want it anyway. It’s Him
just the same!”
«She
always carried it around. At night, when she became sick, she kept it under her
pillow until it cracked. She kissed it often and said: “I kiss it over the
Heart; that’s what I love the most. How I would also like to have a Heart of
Mary! Do you have any? I would love to have the two together.”»14
Let
us quote, finally, the admirable words by which Jacinta, as if expressing her
last will and testament, confided to Lucy the most intimate secret of her soul.
At the same time, she expressed in an incomparable manner the quintessence of
the Message of Fatima:
«Shortly
before leaving for the hospital, she said to me: “I don’t have much time left
before going to Heaven. You will stay here, to tell the world that God wants to
establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When the moment comes, do
not be silent. Tell the whole world that God gives graces through the
Immaculate Heart of Mary; that we must ask Her for them; that the Heart of
Jesus wishes the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be venerated alongside of It;
and that we must ask for peace through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, since God
has entrusted it to Her.”
«“Oh,
if only I could put into all hearts the fire I have in my heart, which makes me
burn with so much love for the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary!”»15
Lucy,
who was charged for her part with «making known and loved» the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, never forgot her mission. To close this chapter, let us listen to her
reveal to us, in just a few lines, the Secret of secrets:
«I
always remember the great promise which fills me with joy: “You will
never be alone. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the road which will
lead you to God.” I believe that this promise is not for me alone, but
for all souls who wish to take refuge in the Heart of their Heavenly Mother,
and let themselves be drawn wherever She leads them... It seems to me that
these are also the intentions of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: to make this ray
of light shine before souls, to show them once more this Port of Salvation,
always ready to welcome all the shipwrecked of this world... As for myself,
even as I savour the delicious fruits of this beautiful garden, I strive to
make them more available to souls, so that there they may quench their thirst
with grace, comfort, and heavenly aid.»16
In
another letter, Sister Lucy reports confidences made by Our Lord Himself:
«I
desire most ardently, He says, the propagation of the cult of the
devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, because the love of this Heart
attracts souls to Me; it is the centre from which the rays of My light and My
love go through all the earth, and the unquenchable fountain from which the
living water of My mercy flows into the earth.»17
THE
BEST COMMENTARY ON THE SECRET: THE LIFE OF THE THREE SEERS
Here
is the whole essence of the Secret, and this was also the deepest inspiration
of the life of our three seers. Their souls were so profoundly marked by the
great Secret of Our Lady that the account of their lives is the best commentary
on it. And, conversely, one could never understand the lightning speed of their
ascent along the way of holiness, unless it were considered in the light of the
great themes of the Secret: an immense compassion for sinners on the road to
hell; confidence without limits in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as the final
recourse capable of saving souls from hell; a vehement desire to go to Heaven
and lead many souls there, by prayer and sacrifices; and finally a constant solicitude
to make reparation vicariously for the faults of sinners, by offering loving
consolation to the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary, outraged by sin.
Such
was the program of sanctity for our three shepherds. All that remains for us is
to see how heroically they put it into practice: in sickness and even unto
death in the case of Jacinta and Francisco, and in exact obedience and
immolation for Lucy, who was called to remain here below as the witness of the
apparitions and messenger of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Endnotes
(1)
Carnets spirituels, Retraites et méditations, p. 29; Lethielleux 1981.(2)
Read the beautiful Page Mystique where our Father places this vital
truth in bold relief: CRC 92, May 1975.(3) Fatima et le Coeur Immaculé de
Marie, MSC, p. 36; cf. p. 61.(4) Quoted by Alonso, The Secret of Fatima:
Fact and Legend, p. 110.(5) Homily II, on Missus est.(6) Cf. CRC 40,
January 1971, Il y a cent ans, Pontmain.(7) Interrogation of September
27, De Marchi, p. 170. Lucy gave the same answer to Father Lacerda on October
19, 1917. Cf. Martins dos Reis, Sintese, p. 44.(8) Quoted by Alonso, op.
cit., p. 109.(9) Our Lady of Fatima, p. 219-220.(10) Quoted by Alonso, La
vérité sur le Secret de Fatima, p. 93.(11) Cf. our Vol. I, p. 158-159; p.
163-165.(12) III, p. 111-112.(13) III, p. 112.(14) III, p. 116.(15) III, p.
116.(16) Letter to Mother Cunha Mattos, April 14, 1945, FCM, p. 21-22. Cf, our
Vol. III, p. 150-151.(17) Letter of May 27, 1943, to the Bishop of Gurza. FCM,
p. 62-63. Cf. our Vol. III, p. 149-150.
CHAPTER III
FRANCISCO:«GOD IS SO
SAD... IF ONLY I COULD CONSOLE HIM!»(OCTOBER 1917 - APRIL 4,
1919)
Since
May 13 and the first “vision of God” which Our Lady had granted to Her
privileged ones, Francisco, who had a contemplative and tender heart, was
continually animated by one thought, dominated by just one sentiment: The
Blessed Virgin and God Himself are infinitely sad; we must console Them.
I.
THE GREAT SADNESS OF GOD
Here
is an earth-shaking revelation which the Message of Fatima brings to light. Of
course, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit enjoy an infinite beatitude which
nothing could ever alter. This is an unquestionable truth, taught also by
theology. And yet a mysterious suffering, a real pain that sinners cause Him
coexists in Him with this perfect joy, this unalloyed happiness which is
lacking in nothing.
Yes,
it is a mystery which makes sense only in the light of His incomprehensible
love for His creatures: the love of a kind-hearted Father who goes so far as to
deliver over His only and beloved Son to death (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 8:32), the love
of a Spouse and a Brother who sheds for us all the Blood from His Heart, the
love of a sweet Friend, a Defender and Consoler Who wishes to remain in our
souls for ever. Because our rebellions grieve Him (Is. 63:10), Saint
Paul exhorts us «not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God.» (Eph. 4:30)
WHEN
GOD WEEPS. Yes, as mysterious as it might seem to us, God really “suffers”, He
is sad because of our sins, our hardness of heart which makes us deaf to His
appeals and draws down upon us His paternal chastisements: «But if you do not
hear this warning, My soul shall weep in secret for your pride: weeping it
shall weep, and My eyes shall run down with tears, because the flock of the
Lord is carried away captive.» (Jer. 13:17)
“SORROWFUL
EVEN UNTO DEATH.” Jesus, the “Image of the Father”, His only and beloved Son,
has given us a perfect expression of this “Divine sorrow’’, for in a real sense
He lived it in His soul: in His perfect sensibility as man, He wanted to be
able to suffer, and to be vulnerable like us. In the garden of agony, He wanted
to feel this human anguish even to the point of paroxysm, to the measure of His
Divine sadness for our sins: “My soul is sorrowful even unto death” (Mk. 14:34),
“and His sweat became as drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Lk. 22:44.)
And this great sadness of the Son, is it not, indeed before all else, the great
sadness of the Father? “For he who sees Me, sees the Father.” (Jn. 14:9)
“IN
AGONY UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD.” Yet, an even more astonishing mystery is
that, even after rising from the dead, and being exalted up to Heaven where He
sits in the Glory and infinite Joy of the Father, our Saviour still suffers,
because of sins. As we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews, «they crucify
again for themselves the Son of God and make Him a mockery...» (Heb. 6:6)
And it was He that Saul persecuted in the person of His disciples, who had
become members of His body. (Acts 9:56) Yes, the Passion of Jesus continues, although
in a different manner, and it will continue until the end of the world, as long
as ungrateful men continue to offend Him.1
Is
it not remarkable that, having willed to leave His Church the miraculous image
of His Divine Face, Jesus chose to show it to us in a sorrowful state,
imprinted with mortal sadness and all disfigured by the marks of His cruel
Passion? Our risen Saviour, who came forth glorious from the tomb, could have
left us an image of His Face resplendent with glory. But He did not wish to do
so. He chose to give to men His outraged Face to contemplate, the face of the
“Suffering Servant”. Why? So that this authentic photograph of His Body
inscribed on His Shroud invite them, until the end of the world, to have
compassion on Him and be converted.2
“CONSOLE
YOUR GOD!” In this agony, Jesus looks for souls willing to console Him, just as
He did at Gethsemane. «I looked for compassion, but in vain, and for someone to
console Me, and I found none...»3 At Paray-le-Monial, Jesus will
make the same complaint and the same appeal to St. Margaret Mary, showing her
His Heart surrounded by thorns.4
The
life of little Francisco was marked by this stupefying revelation, this
revelation of the Heart of God, this sadness which is the highest and
unmistakeable mark of His love for us. This is the great message Francisco
bequeaths to us.
«GOD
IS SO SAD, BECAUSE OF SO MANY SINS!»
Francisco
once confided to his sister and cousin:
«I
loved seeing the Angel, but I loved still more seeing Our Lady. What I loved
most of all was to see Our Lord in that light from Our Lady which penetrated
our hearts. I love God so much! But He is so sad because of so many sins!
We must never commit any sins again.»5
This
unspeakable sorrow was what moved the little seer the most, when he was again
introduced by the Blessed Virgin into the Divine Light and the very mystery of
God on June 13 and July 13. At that time he pronounced these striking words:
«What is God?... We could never put it into words. Yes, that is something
indeed which we could never express! But what a pity it is that He is so
sad! If only I could console Him!...»6 Francisco’s words are
mysterious, but ever so profoundly significant. In their laconic conciseness,
they are certainly more true and more useful than so much vain speculation by
philosophers about a Divine impassibility which only appears to men as the mark
and the sign of a cold, dry, lonely heart, which can love neither itself nor
anybody else. But if God shows that He is sad because of our sins, it is because
He has an infinite love for us,7 as a loving Father Who pardons
repentant hearts, but knows that He will have to chastise in a terrible manner,
rebellious and hardened hearts who prove deaf to all His advances.
On
August 19, and again on October 13, Our Lady showed Herself as very afflicted.
In this contemplation, Francisco found his own vocation, the end of his whole
life: to console God and console Our Lady.
«I
WOULD LIKE TO CONSOLE OUR LORD»
Here
is Sister Lucy’s own account of what her cousin confided to her:
«I
asked him one day (doubtless shortly after October 13, 1917): “Francisco, which
do you like better: to console Our Lord, or to convert sinners, so that no more
souls go to hell?’’ “I would rather console Our Lord. Didn’t you notice how
sad Our Lady was that last month when She said that people must not offend Our
Lord any more, for He is already much offended? I would like to console Our
Lord, and after that, convert sinners, so that they won’t offend Him any
more.”»8
Already
in 1916, at the Cabeço, the Angel had invited them to make reparation for the
offences against the Eucharistic Jesus and to console Him. Before giving them
His broken Body and His Blood poured out for us, he said: «Take and drink the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly a outraged by ungrateful men. Make
reparation for their crimes and console your God.» As we will see, soon,
at Pontevedra, Our Lady will make the same request to Lucy, with insistence: «You,
at least, try to console Me...»
But
how can we fulfil this sublime office? By prayer and sacrifices. Francisco had
understood this well.
TO
CONSOLE GOD BY PRAYER. Since he prayed above all to console his God, Francisco
felt moved by grace to look for solitude. He loved to be alone with God, heart
to Heart with Him.
«He
spoke little (Lucy recalls), and whenever he prayed or offered sacrifices, he
preferred to go apart and hide, even from Jacinta and myself. Quite often, we
surprised him hidden behind a wall or a clump of blackberry bushes, whither he
had ingeniously slipped away to kneel and pray, or, as he used to say, “to
think of Our Lord, who is so sad on account of so many sins.”
«If
I asked him: “Francisco, why don’t you ask me to pray with you, and Jacinta
too?” “I prefer praying by myself”, he would answer, “so that I can
think and console Our Lord, Who is so sad!”»9
TO
CONSOLE GOD BY SUFFERING. Prayer and sacrifice are the two great inseparable
means – for the one cannot please God without the other – by which God wishes
to be consoled for all the outrages He receives from sinners.
To
sacrifice ourselves means, before all else, to accept all the sufferings which
God sends us:
«From
time to time, Francisco used to say: “Our Lady told us that we would have much
to suffer, but I don’t mind. I’ll suffer all that She wishes! What I
want is to go to Heaven!”
«One
day, when I showed how unhappy I was over the persecution now beginning both in
my family and outside, Francisco tried to encourage me with these words: “Never
mind! Didn’t Our Lady say that we would have much to suffer, to make reparation
to Our Lord and to Her own Immaculate Heart for all the sins by which They are
offended? They are so sad! If we can console Them with these sufferings, how
happy shall we be!”»10
This
same constant determination to console Our Lord and the Immaculate Heart of
Mary inspired Francisco with the desire to make sacrifices. Here is a charming
episode reported by Sister Lucy:
«On
our way to my home one day, we had to pass by my godmother’s house. She had
just been making a mead drink, and called us in to give us a glass. We went in,
and Francisco was the first to whom she offered a glassful. He took it, and
without drinking it, he passed it on to Jacinta, so that she and I could have a
drink first. Meanwhile, he turned on his heel and disappeared. “Where is
Francisco?” my godmother asked. “I don’t know! He was here just now.”
«He
did not return, so Jacinta and I thanked my godmother for the drink and went in
search of Francisco. We knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would be sitting
on the edge of a well which I have mentioned so often. “Francisco, you didn’t
drink your glass of mead! My godmother called you so many times, and you did
not appear!” “When I took the glass, I suddenly remembered I could offer
that sacrifice to console Our Lord, so while you two were taking a drink, I
ran over here.”»11
GIVING
UP DANCING AND SINGING AS A SACRIFICE. Although they were used to making these
little sacrifices – and their life as children offered them plenty of
opportunities for such sacrifices each day – we must not imagine that our three
shepherds went around like long-faced ascetics. Sister Lucy repeated many times
that «we continued to play as before».
They
remained so simple, so spontaneous, so utterly lacking in ostentation and
contentiousness, that their neighbours quickly tended to forget the heavenly
graces with which Heaven had favoured them. And their little companions the
same age still expected Lucy to organize the games and merrymaking on feast
days, as she did before the apparitions.
More
than once, Lucy recalled in her Memoirs that Francisco himself intervened to
encourage her to resist these pressing requests of the little children. Since
his mind had often dwelt on the great sorrow of God, he felt spontaneously that
they at least, to whom the Blessed Virgin had manifested Her immense
affliction, should no longer participate in certain games or diversions,
however innocent they might be in themselves.
One
day, Lucy’s godmother had all three of the children over, as well as a group of
children from the neighbourhood, to have the pleasure of seeing them sing and
dance:
«The
women of the neighbourhood no sooner heard the lively singing than they came
over to join us, and at the end they asked us to sing it through again.
Francisco, however, came up to me and said: “Let’s not sing that song any more.
Our Lord certainly does not want us to sing songs like that now.” We therefore
slipped away from the other children, and ran off to our favourite well.»12
No,
Francisco realized quite well that they could no longer entertain themselves
like ordinary children.
THE
CARNIVAL OF 1918. «Meanwhile, it was getting near carnival time, in 1918. The
boys and girls met once again that year to prepare the usual festive meals and
fun of those days. Each one brought something from home – such as olive oil,
flour, meat, and so on – to one of the houses, and the girls then did the
cooking for a sumptuous banquet. All those three days, feasting and dancing
went on well into the night, above all on the last day of the Carnival.
«The
children under fourteen had their own celebration in another house. Several of
the girls came to help me organize their festival. At first, I refused. But
finally, I gave in like a coward, especially after hearing the pleading of Jose
Carreira’s sons and daughter, for it was he who had placed his home in Casa
Velha at our disposal. He and his wife insistently asked me to go there. I
yielded then, and went with a crowd of youngsters to see the place. There was a
fine large room, almost as big as a hall, which was well suited for the
amusements, and a spacious yard for the supper! Everything was arranged, and I
came home, outwardly in a most festive mood, but inwardly with my conscience
protesting loudly.
«As
soon as I met Jacinta and Francisco, I told them what had happened. “Are you
going back to those parties and games?” Francisco asked sternly. “Have you
already forgotten that we promised never to do that any more?” “I didn’t
want to go at all. But you can see how they never stopped begging me to go; and
now I don’t know what to do!”
«There
was indeed no end to the entreaties, nor to the number of girls who came
insisting that I play with them. Some even came from far distant villages.»
(And Lucy – once again demonstrating her uniquely gifted memory – enumerates
here all her little companions’ names!) «How could I so suddenly let down all
those girls, who seemed not to know how to enjoy themselves without my company,
and make them understand that I had to stop going to these gatherings once and
for all?
«God
inspired Francisco with the answer: “Do you know how you could do it? Everybody
knows that Our Lady has appeared to you. Therefore, you can say that you have
promised Her not to dance any more, and for this reason you are not going!
Then, on such days, we can run away and hide in the cave on the Cabeço! Up
there nobody will find us.”
«I
accepted his suggestion, and once I had made my decision, nobody else thought
of organizing any such gathering. God’s blessing was with us. Those friends of
mine, who until then sought me out to have me join in their amusements, now
followed my example, and came to my home on Saturday afternoons to ask me to go
with them to pray the Rosary in the Cova da Iria.»13
From
now on, the children would flee from too noisy companions. What they sought
above all was solitude. There, in the blessed hollow where the Angel appeared
to them, either at Arneiro near the well, or near the hollow of Cabeço, they
could not be found by curious and nosy people. They were in prayer for long
hours, prostrate, and repeating the prayers of the Angel.
«Once
the apparitions on each 13th of the month were over, he said to us on the eve
of every following 13th: “Look! Early tomorrow morning, I’m making my escape
out through the back garden to the cave on the Cabeço. As soon as you can, come
and join me there.”»14
II.
A COMPASSIONATE HEART
Just
as he was sensitive to the “sorrow” of God, Francisco was also sensitive to the
needs of the sick and the suffering. In a few brief episodes from the Memoirs,
Lucy shows how good and charitable her cousin was.
«Thereabouts,
lived an old woman called Ti Maria Carreira, whose sons sent her out sometimes
to take care of their goats and sheep. The animals were rather wild, and often
strayed away in different directions. Whenever we met Ti Maria in these
straits, Francisco was the first to run to her aid. He helped her to lead the
flock to pasture, chased after the stray ones and gathered them all together
again. The poor old woman overwhelmed Francisco with her thanks and called him
her dear guardian angel.»15
Francisco
was not only eager to help people, he also had a tender heart, full of
affection, with an extraordinary inclination for pity and compassion. One
anecdote Sister Lucy relates for us illustrates very well this dominant trait
of his character, which was reinforced still more by the grace of the
apparitions:
«When
we came across any sick people, he was filled with compassion and said: “I
can’t bear to see them, as I feel so sorry for them! Tell them I’ll pray for
them.”
«When
we were called to speak to speak to people who were looking for us, he would
ask if they were sick and say: “If they’re sick, I’m not going! they cause
me too much suffering! Tell them I’m praying for them.”
«One
day, they wanted to take us to Montelo, to the home of a man called Joaquim
Chapeleta. Francisco did not want to go. “I’m not going, because I can’t bear
to see people who want to speak and cannot.” (The man’s mother was dumb.)»16
What
a loving and sensitive heart he demonstrates here! For from compassion he
passes to acts of charity. Indeed, one of his virtues was the seriousness and
intensity with which he set about praying for those who had confided their
intentions to him. Lucy gives many other touching examples of this in the
Memoirs.
A
FAITHFUL AND EFFICACIOUS INTERCESSOR
Here
is one episode which gives a marvellous picture of the atmosphere in which the
children lived, in the period following the apparitions. Sister Lucy records
it:
«One
day, we were just outside Aljustrel, on our way to the Cova da Iria, when a
group of people came upon us by surprise around the bend in the road. In order
to see and hear us better, they set Jacinta and myself on top of a wall.
Francisco refused to let himself be put there, as though he were afraid of
falling. Then, little by little, he edged his way out and leaned against a
dilapidated wall on the opposite side.
«A
poor woman and her son, seeing that they could not manage to speak to us
personally, as they wished, went and knelt down in front of Francisco. They
begged him to obtain from Our Lady the grace that the father of the family
would be cured and that he would not have to go to the war. Francisco knelt
down also, took off his cap, and asked if they would like to pray the Rosary
with him. They said they would, and began to pray. Very soon, all those people
stopped asking curious questions, and also went down on their knees to pray.
After that, they went with us to the Cova da Iria, reciting a Rosary along the
way. Once there, we said another Rosary, and then they went away, quite happy.
The poor woman promised to come back and thank Our Lady for the graces she had
asked for, if they were granted.
«She
came back several times, accompanied not only by her son but also her husband,
who had by now recovered. (They came from the parish of St. Mamede, and we
called them the Casaleiros).»17
When
prayers were requested of him, Francisco always kept his promise: he would pray
with all his heart, and he would always obtain the grace requested.
III.
«I WANT TO DIE AND GO TO HEAVEN!»
During
the apparition of June 13, Lucy had made a request, a request as full of daring
as it was of love: «I would like to ask you to take us to Heaven.» The kind
Virgin deigned to give a clear answer: «Yes, I will take Francisco and Jacinta
soon.» From now on they knew what their future would be: Jacinta and Francisco
knew that they did not have very long to live in this world.18
This
certitude of going to Heaven – which was transformed into a courageous
acceptance, and then a firm act of the will, a heroic decision – along with the
consideration of the immense sorrow of God is what best explains the behaviour
of Francisco, and the amazing progress he made in such little time. For only
eighteen months passed between the apparition of October 13 and the day of his
death.
“I
DON’T WANT TO DO ANYTHING... I WANT TO DIE AND GO TO HEAVEN!” We have many
moving testimonies of this clear knowledge concerning their future,
demonstrated by Jacinta and Francisco. Ti Marto relates the following anecdote,
recorded by Father de Marchi:
«One
day, two ladies were talking to Francisco. They wanted to know what career he
would choose when he grew up.
«“Do
you want to be a carpenter?” one of them asked. “No, ma’am.” Another said: “A
soldier, then?” “No, ma’am.” “Would you like to be a doctor?” “Not that
either.” “I know what you’d like to be... a priest! To say Mass... hear
confessions, preach... isn’t that true?” “No, ma’am, I don’t want to be a
priest.” “Then what do you want to be?” “I don’t want to be anything!... I
want to die and go to Heaven.”
«Ti
Marto, who was present at this conversation, offered his own comment: “Now
there was a real decision!...”»19
“A
LITTLE WHILE LONGER, AND THEN I’LL GO TO HEAVEN!” Everything Francisco ever
said bore witness to this fact: he was anxious to go to Heaven soon, but like
the true mystic he was already, he was not thinking only of his own joy, but
that of Jesus as well: «Soon (he exclaimed) Jesus will come to look for me to
take me to Heaven with Him, and then I will be with Him always to see Him
and console Him. What happiness!»20
While
he waited for this day, whenever possible he used to go down on his knees
before the Tabernacle:
«Sometimes
on the way to school, before we reached Fatima, Francisco would say to me:
“Listen! While you go to school, I’ll stay with the Hidden Jesus. It’s not
worth it for me to learn to read. Soon I will go to Heaven. When you come
back, come and look for me here.”
«The
Blessed Sacrament was kept at that time near the entrance of the church, on the
left side, as the church was undergoing repairs. Francisco went over there,
between the baptismal font and the altar, and that was where I found him on my
return.»21
At
this time the three seers were no longer of any use around the house – indeed,
since autumn of 1918 the family flock had been sold – and so they could go more
often to school at Fatima. Francisco had begun going to school – although no
doubt very rarely – between February and July of 1918. We know this through one
of his fellow students who became a priest, Father Antonio dos Reis, whom
Francisco had begun to go around with, albeit doubtless infrequently, between
February and July 1917.
Francisco
was very much behind in his studies. After the apparitions, he had to endure
persecution and sarcastic remarks from his teacher, a man devoid of either
faith or morals, who treated the boy as a lazy, false visionary. Father dos
Reis adds that his schoolmates would gang up on him, and the poor boy would
have to spend recreation pinned to a wall, to try to defend himself against the
ill-treatment which the stronger and hardier ones did not hesitate to inflict
on him.22 Did this ill-treatment continue when Francisco returned to
school after October, 1917? We do not know.
In
any case, during the process of beatification, the “devil’s advocate” surely
did not fail to bring forth this testimony to call into question the
disinterestedness of our seer... For when Francisco spent long hours at the
foot of the Tabernacle when school was going on, was it not an “escape” for
him, to get away from the insults he was suffering there? As natural as this
hypothesis might seem, it is groundless. For we know that far from complaining,
Francisco, always humble, gentle and patient, put up with all these affronts
without saying anything, even to the point that his parents never found out
about it. However, all he had to do to put an end to this unjust persecution
was to tell his father, who would have stepped in. For that matter, perhaps,
his father would have excused him from going to school. Indeed at that time,
for young peasant children, going to school was not mandatory at all; parents
never sent their children there unless they had nothing useful for them to do
at the house. Thus the context is quite different from our own; it explains the
liberty our seer took in choosing to remain at the foot of the Tabernacle
rather than go to school. In acting this way he considered himself disobedient
neither to Our Lady nor his own parents.
A
precise recollection on Sister Lucy’s part shows that when he went to church,
it was not to take the easy way out, or to get out of school, but in a
courageous spirit he wished to do everything he could to console Our Lord:
«On
another occasion, as we left the house, I noticed that Francisco was walking
very slowly: “What’s the matter?” I asked him. “You seem unable to walk!” “I’ve
such a bad headache, and I feel as though I’m going to fall.” “Then don’t come.
Stay at home!” “I don’t want to. I’d rather stay in the church with the
Hidden Jesus, while you go to school.”»23
“I’LL
STAY WITH THE HIDDEN JESUS, AND I’LL ASK HIM FOR THAT GRACE...” Sometimes, to
intercede more at length and more fervently in favour of those who had
requested it, Francisco would decide to spend the whole morning before the
Tabernacle, as Sister Lucy relates:
«He
came out of the house one day and met me with my sister Teresa, who was already
married and living in Lomba. Another woman from a nearby hamlet had asked her
to come to me about her son who had been accused of some crime which I no
longer remember, and if he could not prove his innocence he was to be
condemned, either to exile or to a term of some years’ imprisonment. Teresa
asked me insistently, in the name of the poor woman for whom she wished to do
such a favour, to plead for this grace with Our Lady.
«Having
received the message, I set out for school, and on the way, I told my cousins
all about it. When we reached Fatima, Francisco said to me: “Listen! While
you go to school, I’ll stay with the Hidden Jesus, I’ll ask Him for that
grace.”
«When
I carne out of school, I went to call him and asked: “Did you pray to Our Lord
to grant that grace?” “Yes, I did. Tell your sister Teresa that he’ll be
home in a few days’ time.”
«And
indeed, a few days later, the poor boy returned home. On the 13th, he and his
entire family came to thank Our Lady for the grace they had received.»24
How
did Francisco know that his prayer had been heard? We do not know. In any case,
on that day he showed signs of the assurance the saints show when they prophesy
or perform miracles... Thus he demonstrated his own intimacy with God and the
profound self-denial which it presupposes...
«I
will suffer everything Our Lady wants», he said again; «what I want is to go to
Heaven.» Such words are precious pearls which introduce us right away to the
essence of the Message of Fatima: Yes, Heaven first! Only Heaven counts,
because it is the final end to which we are all destined! To desire, in all
truthfulness and sincerity of soul, nothing more than to “go to Heaven”
– is this not to already have made the sacrifice of all creatures and one’s
whole life? Is it not already true sanctity? Having reached this stage,
Francisco was ready for the final sacrifices.
IV.
AN EXEMPLARY PATIENT(OCTOBER 1918 - APRIL 1919)
The
prophetic words Our Lady had pronounced on May 13, in response to the generous
offering of Her three confidants, was fulfilled to the letter: «You will
have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort», She had
foretold to them. And in fact, after this promise was made, the greatest joys
were mingled with tears for the three shepherds. If they remained happy and
smiling, it is because they knew how to accept with a good heart all the sufferings
which the Lord had sent them.
After
the persecutions, and the trial of non-stop interrogations, there now followed
a heavier cross, that of sickness.
THE
FIRST MONTHS OF SICKNESS: OCTOBER - DECEMBER 1918
Towards
the end of October 1918 – only a year had gone by since the last apparitions –
Jacinta, who was still only eight, and Francisco, who was only ten, came down
at about the same time with a terrible case of influenza. The epidemic
originated in Spain and was then ravaging almost all of Europe. It was
particularly deadly in Portugal. Usually the malady rapidly developed into
bronchial pneumonia, as was the case with Jacinta and Francisco.
Soon
everybody was sick in the Marto house, and at the same time. Only Ti Manuel and
his son John were left standing. Then finally, Ti Marto was left all alone to
care for his entire household... What a trial! «(But the finger of God showed
itself even there», he confided later on. «God helped me... I never had to ask
anybody for money.»25
Luckily,
after a few weeks, everything went back to normal. Francisco and Jacinta got
better, and they could get up again. But there was only a brief time of
respite, for on December 23, Francisco and Jacinta fell gravely ill again.26
«The force of the illness was so violent», recalled their mother Olimpia, «that
this time Francisco especially could not even move any more.» For fifteen days
he was struck by an intense fever.
A
HEROIC PATIENCE. In spite of everything, Lucy reports, «he always appeared
joyful and content. I asked him sometimes: “Are you suffering a lot,
Francisco?” “Quite a lot, but never mind! I am suffering to console Our Lord,
and afterwards, within a short time, I am going to Heaven!”»27
In
another passage of the Memoirs, Sister Lucy recalls:
«During
his illness, he suffered with heroic patience, without ever letting the
slightest moan or the least complaint escape his lips. One day, shortly before
his death, I asked him: “Are you suffering a lot, Francisco?” “Yes, but I
suffer it all for love of Our Lord and Our Lady.”
«One
day, he gave me the rope that I have already spoken about, saying: “Take it
away before my mother sees it. I don’t feel able to wear it any more around my
waist.”
«He
took everything his mother offered him, and she could never discover which
things he disliked. He went on like this until the day came for him to go to
Heaven.»28
His
mother Olimpia, for her part, told Father de Marchi:
«The
child took all the medicine I gave him. He never made a fuss. I never could
figure out what pleased him. Poor child!... Even bitter medicines he drank
without making a face. Thus, we thought he would get over the sickness. But
why?... He kept saying that it was all useless, that Our Lady would come to
take him to Heaven.»29
«OUR
LADY CAME TO SEE US»
Indeed,
the Blessed Virgin came to visit Her two privileged ones, and renew to them Her
promise of June 13, 1917:
«In
the meantime Jacinta’s health improved somewhat. She could get up and she spent
the day seated at her little brother’s bed.
«One
day she called for me, telling me to come over to her right away. As I ran
over, she told me: “Our Lady came to see us, and She said that She would
come to take Francisco soon, to take him to Heaven”…»30
As
for Jacinta, as we will see later on, she was to remain a little while longer,
to continue to suffer and to convert more sinners.
Did
this apparition perhaps take place around Christmas 1918? From then on,
Francisco knew that the day of his departure for Heaven was quite near.
«HE
KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HIS DESTINY WAS!»
“OUR
LADY WILL COME TO TAKE ME SOON.” «In the middle of January, his mother recalls,
he began to get better for the second time, even to where he could get up. We
were all happy over that. He, himself, knew otherwise, and he kept repeating
the same thing; “Our Lady will come to take me soon.”
«“You
will get well, Francisco, you’ll be a robust man!” his father would say to
him... But the child would repeat, with assurance and serenity: “Before long
Our Lady will come to take me.” His father would try furtively, to wipe away
the tears from his eyes with the back of his calloused hands; those same eyes
which were fatigued from so many sleepless nights. “Lights from on high!” he
murmured.
«“If
Our Lady heals you”, said his godmother Teresa, “I promise to offer Her your
weight in wheat!” “It’s not worth the trouble”, Francisco answered with a
gentle smile. “Our Lady will not grant you this grace.”»31
All
these firmly worded answers of Francisco concerning his future were pronounced
with «a mysterious aura and an impressive tone».32
“HE
SAID NOTHING, LOOKING A LITTLE SAD.” Francisco was certain of going to Heaven
soon, and being reunited with Our Lord and Our Lady. No doubt this filled our
little seer with an immense supernatural joy. But we should not be mistaken:
this joy was not always a palpable one, and the wonderful promise of Our Lady
demanded on his part an act of heroic love, an act which is so contrary to
nature, and consists in making the sacrifice of our own life. If there were
moments of luminous joy and luminous hope, there were other moments when all
feelings of joy disappeared: at those times he saw nothing but the sacrifices
he had to accept to fulfil God’s designs. Here is one such moving incident,
which Ti Marto told Father de Marchi:
«I
remember once that he went out and fetched a small basket of olives and then
sat on a bench and began to cut them. “Francisco”, I said, “how nice to see you
work; do you feel better?” But he said nothing, looking a little sad. He
clearly foresaw that, despite everything, he was going to die... “He knew
exactly what his destiny was”, Olimpia concluded.»33
THE
LAST PILGRIMAGE TO THE COVA DA IRIA. In the short space of time when he began
to feel a little better, the middle of January to early February, he was able
to go to the Cova da Iria. We can imagine what an emotional experience it was.
He knew that it was the last time he would visit this blessed place!
«And
in fact, a few days later, he returned to bed never to rise from it again. His
condition became steadily worse until his parents at last realized that they
would lose him. Every encouraging word of theirs brought forth the same reply:
“It’s no use. Our Lady wants me in Heaven with Her.”
«And
yet he was so cheerful, so happy and smiling that the illusion remained until
the end. The high fever was gradually and implacably undermining his
enfeebled body until only a thread held him to earth.»34
THE
CONSOLER OF THE SACRED HEARTS OF JESUS AND MARY
As
soon as she finished her household chores, Lucy would go to her cousins’ house
to keep them company. The other two kept no secrets from Lucy.
The
constant thought and ideal of Francisco was always the same. He wanted to offer
all his prayers and sufferings to console Our Lord and Our Lady:
«When
Jacinta and I went into his room one day, he said to us: “Don’t talk much
today, as my head aches so badly.” “Don’t forget to make the offering for
sinners”, Jacinta reminded him. “Yes. But first I make it to console Our
Lord and Our Lady, and then, afterwards, for sinners and for the Holy
Father.”»35
He
was quite conscious of the fact that his special role was that of consoler of
the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary. This was to be his vocation here below and
in eternity. For if he desired to go to Heaven, it was to be able to console
Them that much better:
«On
another occasion, I found him very happy when I arrived. “Are you better?” “No.
I feel worse. It won’t be long now till I go to Heaven. When I’m there, I’m
going to console Our Lord and Our Lady very much. Jacinta is going to pray
a lot for sinners, for the Holy Father and for you. You will stay here, because
Our Lord wants it that way. Listen, you must do everything that She tells you.»36
His
greatest regret was that he could no longer spend long hours before the
Tabernacle, as he once did, to console the “Hidden Jesus”.
«Later,
when he fell ill, he often told me, when I called in to see him on my way to
school: “Look! Go to the church and give my love to the Hidden Jesus. What
hurts me most is that I cannot go there myself and stay awhile with the Hidden
Jesus.”
«When
I arrived at the house one day, I said goodbye to a group of school children
who had come with me, and I went in to pay a visit to him and his sister. As he
had heard all the noise, he asked me: “Did you come with all that crowd?” “Yes,
I did.” “Don’t go with them, because you might learn to commit sins. When you
come out of school, go and stay for a little while near the Hidden Jesus,
and afterwards come home by yourself.”»37
What
supernatural wisdom and what love of God is this brotherly suggestion! It
manifests a soul already utterly imbued with the presence of God, completely
transformed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
So
as not to lose this Divine Presence, Francisco preferred to be alone:
«If
he was asked whether he wanted some of the children to stay with him and keep
him company, he used to say that he preferred not, as he liked to be alone. He
would say to me sometimes: “I just like having you here, and Jacinta too.”»38
Indeed
their presence did not deprive him of the presence of God. Together, they could
pray, or speak about Heaven and the words of Our Lady.
THE
RADIANCE OF SANCTITY
«When
grown-ups came to see him, he remained silent, only answering when directly
questioned, and then in as few words as possible. People who came to visit him,
whether they were neighbours or strangers, often spent long periods sitting by
his bedside, and remarked: “I don’t know what it is about Francisco, but it
feels so good to be here!”
«Some
women from the village commented on this one day to my aunt and my mother,
after having spent quite a long time in Francisco’s room: “It’s a mystery one
cannot fathom! They are children just like any others, they don’t say anything
to us, and yet in their presence one feels something one can’t explain, and
that makes them different from all the rest.” “It seems to me that when
we go into Francisco’s room, we feel just as we do when we go into a church”,
said one of my aunt’s neighbours, a woman named Romana, who apparently did not
believe in the apparitions. There were three others in this group also: the
wives of Manuel Faustino, José Marto, and José Silva.39
Lucy
goes on to explain this astonishing influence exercised by her companions over
their visitors by their simple presence, their attitudes and the few words they
spoke, for Jacinta spoke more readily than her older brother:
«I
am not surprised that people felt like that, being accustomed to finding in
everyone else only the preoccupation with material things which goes with an
empty, superficial life. Indeed, the very sight of these children was enough to
draw their minds to our Heavenly Mother, with whom the children were
believed to be in communication; to eternity, for they saw how eager,
joyful and happy they were at the thought of going there; to God, for
they said that they loved Him more than their own parents; and even to hell,
for the children warned them that people would go there if they continued to
commit sin.»40
Eternity,
Heaven and hell, the love of our Father and our Heavenly Mother – here lay the
whole Message of Fatima which they lived so profoundly, whose light they
reflected, and which they preached by their whole life. What a testimony!
A
SAINT WHO WORKS MIRACLES. In her Memoirs, Sister Lucy reports several cases
where true miracles of grace were worked through the prayer of the little seer.
One
day, a woman from Alqueidao came to ask for the healing of a sick person and
the conversion of a sinner. Since Lucy and Jacinta had the time to hide,
fleeing the company of the group of visitors, Francisco received them alone in
his bedroom. He promised to pray.
Not
long after his death, the same woman returned to Aljustrel. She asked where
Francisco’s tomb was, for she wished to thank him for the two graces which she
had asked for and obtained through his intercession.41 Then Lucy
mentions another case.
«A
woman called Mariana, from Casa Velha, came one day into Francisco’s room. She
was most upset because her husband had driven their son out of the house, and
she was asking for the grace that her son would be reconciled with his father.
Francisco said to her in reply: “Don’t worry. I’m going to Heaven very soon,
and when I get there I will ask Our Lady for that grace.”
«I
do not recall just how many days remained before he took his flight to Heaven,
but what I do remember is that, on the very afternoon of Francisco’s death,
the son went to ask pardon of his father, who had previously refused it because
his son would not submit to the conditions imposed. The boy accepted everything
that the father demanded, and peace reigned once again in that home. This boy’s
sister, Leocadia by name, later married a brother of Francisco and Jacinta.»42
Once
again, Francisco had shown himself to be a faithful intercessor.
V.
THE DEATH OF A SAINT
«Suddenly
Francisco’s condition grew worse. He could no longer cough up the phlegm; his
throat became blocked; the fever grew worse; only with difficulty could he take
any medicine; the weakness and exhaustion grew rapidly, giving away the fact
that the end was near.»43
In
barely six months, the terrible malady had overcome his robust health. At one
time Francisco recited as many as seven or eight Rosaries a day – a fact which
Olimpia confirmed – but now he was so weak that evening would come before he
had the strength to say just one. This greatly afflicted Francisco. No longer
being able to pray, he felt that the end was near and he asked Father Ferreira
to let him receive Holy Communion before he died.
WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 2: «I AM GOING TO CONFESSION SO THAT I CAN RECEIVE
HOLY COMMUNION AND THEN DIE.»
As
Mr. Marto went to the presbytery he recited the Rosary on the way, overcome
with anguish and desolation. Would the implacable Father Ferreira finally grant
to his poor Francisco the favour of being able to receive Communion? Had he not
excluded Francisco from the Holy Table yet again in May 1918, on the pretext
that the boy was still unsure of a point concerning the Creed? Ti Marto
remembered how Francisco had come back to the house in tears.44
Nevertheless,
on April 2, 1919, the parish priest of Fatima was surely touched, and he agreed
to come without delay, the very same day, to visit the poor dying boy.
“TELL
ME IF YOU HAVE SEEN ME COMMIT ANY SIN...” In the meantime, Francisco prepared
himself, and with what seriousness! He wanted to be sure that he had confessed
all his faults, without forgetting a single one. It was still early in the
morning when he sent his sister Teresa to get Lucy:
«“Come
quickly to our house! Francisco is very bad, and he says he wants to tell you
something.” I dressed as fast as I could, and went over there. He asked his
mother and brothers and sisters to leave the room, saying that he wanted to
tell me a secret. They went out, and he said to me: “I am going to
confession so that I can receive Holy Communion and then die. I want you to
tell me if you have seen me commit any sin, and then go and ask Jacinta if she
has seen me commit any.” “You disobeyed your mother a few times, when she told
you to stay at home, and you ran off to be with me, or to go and hide.” “That’s
true. I remember that. Now go and ask Jacinta if she remembers anything else.”
«I
went, and Jacinta thought for a while, and answered: “Well, tell him that
before Our Lady appeared to us, he stole a coin from our father to buy a music
box from José Marto of Casa Velha; and when the boys from Aljustrel threw
stones at those from Boleiros, he threw some too!”
«When
I gave him this message from his sister, he answered: “I’ve confessed those,
but I’ll do so again. Maybe, it is because of these sins that I committed that
Our Lord is so sad! But even if I don’t die, I’ll never commit them again. I’m
heartily sorry for them now.” Joining his hands, he recited the prayer: “O my
Jesus, forgive us, deliver us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those who are most in need.”
«Then
he said: “Now listen, you must also ask Our Lord to forgive me my sins.” “I’ll
ask that, don’t worry. If Our Lord had not forgiven them already, Our Lady
would not have told Jacinta the other day that She was coming soon to take you
to Heaven. Now, I’m going to Mass, and there I’ll pray to the Hidden Jesus for
you.” “Then, please ask Him to let the parish priest give me Holy Communion.”
(He also was apprehensive; not having made his First Communion in church, he
was afraid of being refused again.)
«When
I returned from the church, Jacinta had already got up and was sitting on his
bed. As soon as Francisco saw me, he asked: “Did you ask the Hidden Jesus for
the parish priest to give me Holy Communion?” “I did.” “Then, in Heaven, I’ll
pray for you…” Then I left them, and went off to my usual daily tasks of
lessons and work.
«When
I returned in the evening, I found him radiant with joy. He had made his
confession, and the parish priest had promised to bring him Holy Communion the
next day.»45
Francisco
was exultant. The moment he so ardently desired had arrived. For the first time
since his miraculous Communion at the Cabeço, he was going to receive his
“Hidden Jesus”, at whose feet he had spent so many hours in silence. Given his
sickness, of course, he could have been dispensed from the fast. But no! He
wished to offer this one last sacrifice: «He made his mother promise that she
would not give him anything after midnight so that he could receive Communion
fasting, like everybody else.»46
THURSDAY,
APRIL 3: HOLY VIATICUM
Here
is Father de Marchi’s account of the recollections of the Marto family:
«Finally
came the dawn of April 3. It was a beautiful spring day... When Francisco heard
the sound of the bell announcing the arrival of the King of Heaven, he wanted
to seat himself on his bed; however, he was too weak, and he fell back on his
pillow. “You can remain lying down to receive Our Lord”, his godmother Teresa
told him. She had come specially to attend the first and last Communion of her
godson...
«Near
the bed, the two little children (Lucy and Jacinta) were kneeling with sadness,
but also with holy jealousy. Jesus was coming to take their companion away, and
usher him into Heaven. After receiving the Host on his parched tongue,
Francisco closed his eyes, and remained motionless for a long time... The first
words he pronounced were to say to his mother: “Will Father bring me the Hidden
Jesus once again?”47
«I
don’t know», she answered, undoubtedly sensing that this first Communion would
also be his Viaticum.
Francisco,
however, was still overcome with joy. He said to his little sister: «I am
happier than you are, because I have the Hidden Jesus within my heart. I’m
going to Heaven, but I’m going to pray very much to Our Lord and Our Lady for
Them to bring you both there soon.»48
HIS
LAST WORDS
«That
day I spent almost the whole night by his bedside with Jacinta (Lucy recalled).
Since he could no longer pray, he asked us to recite the Rosary for him.»
“I
WILL MISS YOU TERRIBLY IN HEAVEN!” Francisco could still exchange a few words
with Lucy and Jacinta. The thought of having to leave them seemed to put a
damper on his joy. Already he cherished them so much! Lucy records this charming
dialogue: “I am sure I shall miss you terribly in Heaven! If only Our Lady
would bring you there soon, also!” “You won’t miss me! Just imagine! And you
right there with Our Lord and Our Lady! They are so good!” “That’s true!
Perhaps, I won’t remember!”»49
“I’M
AFRAID I’LL FORGET... MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE I WANT TO CONSOLE HIM!” In still
another place, Lucy writes: «The day before he died, he said to me: “Look! I am
very ill; it won’t be long now before I go to Heaven.” “Then listen to this.
When you’re there, don’t forget to pray a great deal for sinners, for the Holy
Father, for me and for Jacinta.” “Yes, I’ll pray. But look, you’d better ask
Jacinta to pray for these things instead, because I’m afraid I’ll forget
when I see Our Lord. And then, more than anything else, I want to console Him.”»50
Is
it childish simplicity, charming candour? Be that as it may, it still moves the
Heart of God and greatly consoles it. For Jesus Himself said: «Suffer the
little ones to come to Me; do not prevent them, for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven. Truly I say to you, whoever does not humble himself as this little
child, shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Then He blessed them and imposed
His Hands upon them.»51
THE
LAST FAREWELLS. During the day, Francisco’s condition worsened alarmingly. «He
was thirsty but he could no longer take any milk, or even the spoonfuls of
water which he was given from time to time. If his mother or his godmother
asked him how he felt, he answered: “All right; I have no pain.”»52
Lucy writes:
«That
night I said goodbye to him. “Goodbye, Francisco! If you go to Heaven tonight,
don’t forget me when you get there, do you hear me?” “No, I won’t forget. Be
sure of that.”
«Then,
seizing my right hand, he held it tightly for a long time, looking at me with
tears in his eyes. “Do you want anything more?” I asked him, with tears running
down my cheeks, too. “No!” he answered in a low voice, quite overcome. As the
scene was becoming so moving, my aunt told me to leave the room. “Goodbye then,
Francisco! Till we meet in Heaven, goodbye!...”»53
FRIDAY,
APRIL 4, 1919: «HE DIED SMILING»
On
Friday, everything indicated that his end was near. He still had the strength
to ask pardon of his godmother for the few times he had caused her some little
trouble during his life, and to ask for her blessing.
Later,
when night had fallen completely, he called his mother and said: «Mother,
look!... What a lovely light, there, by the door!» And after a few minutes:
«Now I can’t see it any more...»54
At
about ten o’clock in the evening, his countenance lighted up in an angelic
smile, and without the slightest trace of suffering, without any agony or
groans, he died calmly. «He took his flight to Heaven in the arms of his
Heavenly Mother», Lucy writes.55 During the parochial investigation,
his mother declared, «He seemed to smile, then he stopped breathing.» As
for Francisco’s father, he declared: «He died smiling.»
«HUMILITY
GOETH BEFORE GLORY...»
On
Saturday, April 5, a modest funeral procession conducted Francisco’s body to
the cemetery of Fatima. Lucy followed, in tears, while Jacinta, herself also
sick and in tears, kept to her room.
The
ceremony was without any pomp or affluence, just like Francisco’s humble and
hidden life. His burial reflected his poverty, in a simple grave, marked only
by a wooden cross. On March 13, 1952, his mortal remains were transferred to
the basilica of Fatima, where they repose today, waiting to be presented to the
faithful after his canonization56 – a canonization ardently desired
not only by Sister Lucy herself, but by a multitude of souls who have received
great graces through his intercession.
THE
LESSON OF SUCH A BRIEF LIFE: «A SECURE, EASY, SHORT
AND PERFECT WAY.»57
On
June 13, 1917, Our Lady had promised, «Jacinta and Francisco, I will take them soon...»
The “faithful Virgin” kept Her word... Francisco had been filled to the brim
with graces from each one of Her visits, sanctified by the innumerable Rosaries
he had recited, absorbed with the thought of consoling the Hidden Jesus, and purified,
finally, by the sufferings imposed by illness. He was already prepared to go to
Heaven, and the Blessed Virgin could come and take him. He was not yet eleven
years old, and since the last apparition at the Cova da Iria only one and a
half years had gone by! Thus in all truth we can apply to him the beautiful
maxim of St. Louis de Montfort: «One advances more in a short time by
submission and dependence on Mary, than by long years of following our own will
and relying on ourselves.»58 By granting to Her witnesses the
extraordinary grace of such a precocious sanctity, Our Lady of Fatima
demonstrated that She is indeed the Mediatrix of all graces, the Queen and Gate
of Heaven.59
ON
THE DEATH OF FRANCISCO, SEE APPENDIX I, AT THE END OF THIS VOLUME.
Endnotes
(1)
Let us point out, however, that this “suffering”, this “sadness” of the
Heavenly Father, or of Jesus since His Ascension, are to be understood
analogically. They are not suffered passively as with us, but on the contrary
freely willed and chosen as the ultimate expression of Their mercy towards
sinners called to conversion. They are only a manifestation of God’s love for
sinners, a love which is sovereignly free and gratuitous, and which is not
irrevocable.(2) Cf. Le Saint Suaire de Turin, preuve de la Mort et de la
Résurrection du Christ, by Brother Bruno Bonnet-Eymard, member of the
scientific congresses of Turin (1978) and Bologne (1981). This fascinating and
exhaustive study, both from the theological, exegetical and scientific
viewpoint, takes into account all the most recent discoveries of the experts
(Maison Saint-Joseph, 1982).(3) Ps. 69:21: «Improperium expectavit cor meum
et miseriam. Et sustinui qui simul constristaretur et non fuit; et qui
consolaretur, et non inveni. Et dederunt in escam meam fel; et in siti mea
potaverunt me aceto.»(4) In his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor,
on the reparation due the Sacred Heart of Jesus from everyone, Pope Pius XI
wrote: «In His apparitions to Margaret Mary, when He revealed His infinite
charity to her, at the same time Christ let her perceive a sort of sadness,
complaining of so many and such grave outrages, which the ingratitude of men
made Him undergo... Thus we are able now, and we even must console this
Sacred Heart, unceasingly wounded by the sins of ingrates, in a
mysterious yet real manner...» And he mentions the beautiful words of Saint
Augustine: «take a person who loves: he will feel what I am saying.» May 8,
1928, Actes de S.S. Pie XI, vol. IV, p. 106-108 (Bonne Presse, 1932).(5)
IV, p. 129.(6) IV, p. 133.(7) However, let us beware of the foolish presumption
of modern man, who dares to believe himself indispensable to God! The
exposition of Father Manaranche concludes in this aberration in La
souffrance de Dieu (p. 110, Le Centurion, 1976): God could not condemn
anyone to eternity in hell without necessarily inflicting an eternal torment on
Himself! But this is failing to understand the sanctity
of the just Judge, who the more He showed them, in the beginning, the excesses
of His Divine Mercy, the more He shall show Himself to be pitiless towards the
obstinate rebels.(8) IV, p. 141-142.(9) IV, p. 135 and 141. Cf. our Vol. I, p.
115, 120, 136-137.(10) IV, p. 129.(11) IV, p. 135-136.(12) IV, p. 139-140.(13)
IV, p. 140-141.(14) IV, p. 145.(15) IV, p. 144.(16) IV, p. 144-145.(17) IV, p.
149.(18) On the symbolic vision which also showed it to them, cf. our Vol. I,
p. 165-168.(19) De Marchi, p. 241.(20) p. 242.(21) IV, p. 142.(22) Quoted by De
Marchi, p. 248-249.(23) IV, p. 146.(24) IV, p. 146.(25) De Marchi, Témoignages,
p. 251. The author, assisted by the great Portuguese writer Dona Maria de
Freitas (cf. Alonso, Historia da Literatura, p. 56), has reviewed in a
quasi exhaustive manner, and presented in a moving fashion all testimonies
concerning the sickness and death of Jacinta and Francisco. Along with Lucy’s
Memoirs, this work constitutes the principal source of our exposition.(26) Cf.
Vicomte de Montelo, Les grandes merveilles de Fatima, p. 105 (1927, French
edition, Pelican 1930).(27) IV, p. 148; cf. p. 143.(28) II, p. 94.(29) De
Marchi, p. 179.(30) I, p. 43.(31) De Marchi, p. 252-253.(32) Montelo, Les
grandes merveilles de Fatima, p. 106.(33) De Marchi, p. 252.(34) De Marchi,
p. 180.(35) IV, p. 142-143.(36) IV, p. 142-143.(37) IV, p. 142.(38) IV, p. 187.(39)
IV, p. 188.(40) IV, p. 188.(41) IV, p. 148.(42) IV, p. 188-189.(43) De Marchi,
p. 185.(44) De Marchi, p. 173.(45) IV, p. 149-150.(46) De Marchi, p. 257.(47)
Ibid.(48) IV, p. 150.(49) IV, p. 150.(50) IV, p. 149.(51) Mk. 10, 13-16; cf.
Mt. 18:3 & 19:14; Lk. 11:25.(52) De Marchi, p. 258.(53) IV, p. 151.(54) De
Marchi, p. 258.(55) IV, p. 151.(56) On the recognition of Francisco’s mortal
remains, cf. da Fonseca, Nossa Senhora da Fatima, p. 172-173. The
diocesan informative process in view of his beatification was opened at Leiria
on December 21, 1949, at the same time as Jacinta’s. It was passed on to Rome
in 1979 (cf. S. Martins dos Reis, Na Orbita de Fatima, reacçoes e contrastes,
p. 56-57).(57) Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, Treatise on True
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Chap. V, art. 5.(58) Ibid., no. 155. Quoted
by De Marchi, p. 240-241.(59) As surprising as it might seem, let us point out
that much hesitation exists among Fatima historians on the exact hour of
Francisco’s death. To realize that, it is sufficient to compare the successive
editions of Canon Barthas (Merv. In., p. 172; Merv. XXe s., p. 178; TPE, p.
176). In 1969, following De Marchi, he finally opted for ten o’clock in the
morning (Fatima 1917-1968, p. 202). Dom Jean-Nesmy (p. 145) and Fernando
Leite (Francisco, p. 76) say the same. But
Father Alonso (Sister Lucy’s Memoirs, French version, p. 152, note 10, Téqui,
1980) prefers to go by the testimony of the parish priest of Fatima, who in a
text written two weeks after the event explicitly indicates Friday, April 4, at
ten o’clock in the evening. Father Kondor, vice-postulator of the little seer’s
cause, adopts the same solution. Finally, Joao Marto, Francisco’s elder
brother, to whom we were recently (July 12, 1983) able to pose the question at
Aljustrel, answered us in the same sense without hesitation.
CHAPTER IV
JACINTA:«I WANT TO
SUFFER... TO SAVE SOULS FROM HELL!»(OCTOBER 1917 - FEBRUARY
20, 1920)
Jacinta
was very different from Francisco in character and temperament. She was even
more different in her spiritual physiognomy. What a contrast between the
brother and the sister! By a wonderful design of Providence, it seems that each
one had the mission of living to the full one of the two complementary aspects
of the Message of Our Lady.
TO
CONSOLE GOD AND CONVERT SOULS
Francisco,
who had a contemplative soul, was fascinated above all by the sadness of God
and Our Lady, and what he wanted above all was to have compassion on Their
pain, to console Them by his loving prayer. Jacinta also had a tender and
affectionate heart, but seized with fright at the sight of so many souls
falling into the fire of hell, she wished to make reparation in every possible
way for their crimes, and obtain the grace of their conversion from the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. She wanted to save them from eternal damnation at any
price: «Pray, pray much and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to
hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them!» These
words of Our Lady confirmed Jacinta in her ideal and primary objective. With an
unlimited generosity, she was to give herself over to heroic prayer and
sacrifice, for the conversion of sinners.
If
Francisco strived to be the consoler of the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Jacinta wanted to be their cooperatrix. Her dominant thought, the thought that
haunted her and animated all her supernatural activity, was the salvation of
souls, an ardent thirst for their conversion, in short, missionary zeal.
In one sentence Sister Lucy summed up this difference in their vocations, which
in fact is illustrated on every page of her Memoirs: «While Jacinta seemed to
be solely concerned with the one thought of converting sinners and
saving souls from going to hell, Francisco appeared to think only of consoling
Our Lord and Our Lady, Who had seemed to him to be so sad.»1
I.
HAUNTED BY ONE THOUGHT: THE SALVATION OF SOULS
We
have already quoted2 some striking passages from the Memoirs, where
Sister Lucy recalls how the mind of her little cousin was obsessed, so to
speak, by the thought of so many souls in danger of being lost.
What
we must show now is how these images of the vision of July 13, which were
engraved on her memory forever, incited her to the heroic practice of
sacrifice. Sister Lucy observes:
«Some
of the things revealed in the Secret made a very strong impression on Jacinta.
This was indeed the case. The vision of hell filled her with horror to such a
degree that every penance and mortification was as nothing in her eyes, if
it could only prevent souls from going there.»3
Then
Sister Lucy asks:
«How
is it that Jacinta, small as she was, let herself be possessed by such a
spirit of penance and mortification, and understood it so well? I think the
reason is this: firstly, God willed to bestow on her a special grace, through
the Immaculate Heart of Mary; and secondly, it was because she had looked
upon hell, and had seen the ruin of souls who fall therein.»4
«Jacinta
(Sister Lucy goes on to observe) took this matter of making sacrifices for the
conversion of sinners so much to heart, that she never let a single opportunity
escape her.»5
SACRIFICES
FOR THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS
How
can we resist the pleasure of citing some new examples of these numerous
sacrifices with which Jacinta would strive to pack her days?6 The
account traced for us by Sister Lucy is so charming, so spontaneous!
“JACINTA
NEVER FORGOT SINNERS.” «We were playing one day at the well I have already
mentioned. Close to it, there was a grape vine belonging to Jacinta’s mother.
She cut a few clusters and brought them to us to eat. But Jacinta never forgot
her sinners. “We won’t eat them,” she said, “we’ll offer this
sacrifice for sinners.”
«Then
she ran out with the grapes and gave them to the other children playing on the
road. She returned radiant with joy, for she had found our poor children, and
given them grapes.
«Another
time, my aunt called us to come and eat some figs which she had brought home,
and indeed they would have given anybody an appetite. Jacinta sat down happily
next to the basket, with the rest of us, and picked up the first fig. She was
just about to eat it, when she suddenly remembered, and said: “It’s true!
Today we haven’t yet made a single sacrifice for sinners! We’ll have to make
this one.” She put the fig back in the basket, and made the offering; and
we, too, left our figs in the basket for the conversion of sinners.»7
“I’M
NOT GOING TO DANCE ANY MORE!” «Jacinta dearly loved dancing, and had a special
aptitude for it. I remember how she was crying one day about one of her
brothers who had gone to the war and was reported killed in action. To distract
her, I arranged a little dance with two of her brothers. There was the poor
child dancing away as she dried the tears that ran down her cheeks.
«Her
fondness for dancing was such that the sound of some shepherd playing his
instrument was enough to set her dancing all by herself. In spite of this, when
St. John’s Day festivities or carnival time came around (in 1918), she
announced: “I’m not going to dance any more.” “And why not?” “Because I want
to offer this sacrifice to Our Lord.”
«Since
we were the ones who organized the games for the children, the dances which
used to take place on these occasions stopped.»8
“I
AM SO THIRSTY, YET I DO NOT WANT TO TAKE A DRINK!” «Occasionally, also, we were
in the habit of offering to God the sacrifice of spending nine days or a month
without taking a drink. Once, we made this sacrifice even in the month of
August, when the heat was suffocating.
«On
these occasions, Jacinta would say: “Our Lord must be pleased with our
sacrifices, because I am so thirsty, so thirsty! Yet, I do not want to take a
drink. I want to suffer for love of Him.”»9
«Jacinta’s
thirst for making sacrifices seemed insatiable», Lucy remarked.10
She always made her sacrifices with this thought, a thought which was habitual
with her: to suffer for sinners, to make acts of reparation in their place, to
substitute herself for them, to obtain for them pardon and the grace of
conversion. This untiring zeal for the salvation of souls, pushed even to the
point of heroic charity, appears in many subsequent episodes found in the
Memoirs:
«When,
in a spirit of mortification, she did not want to eat, I said to her: “Listen,
Jacinta! Come and eat now.” “No! I’m offering this sacrifice for sinners who
eat too much.”
«When
she was ill, and yet went to Mass on a week day, I urged her: “Jacinta, don’t
come! You’re not able. Besides, today is not a Sunday!” “That doesn’t
matter. I’m going for sinners who don’t go on a Sunday.”
«If
she happened to hear any of those expressions which some people make a show of
uttering, she covered her face with her hands and said: “Oh, my God, don’t
those people realize that they can go to hell for saying those things? My
Jesus, forgive them and convert them. They certainly don’t know that they are
offending God by all this! What a pity, my Jesus! I’ll pray for them.” Then and
there, she repeated the prayer that Our Lady had taught us: “O my Jesus,
forgive us, deliver us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those who are most in need.”»11
«Jacinta
made such sacrifices over and over again, but I won’t stop to tell any more, or
I shall never end», Lucy tells us.12 What a loving and generous
heart is revealed to us in such a testimony! And what miracles of grace in a
child of seven or eight! Such precociousness assumes a very special
predilection on the part of God, which was indeed the child’s lot. In this, as
in more than one trait of her character, she resembles Saint Theresa of the
Child Jesus.
II.
THE CONFIDANTE OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
Lucy
had remarked previously that in her own opinion, «Jacinta was the one who
received from Our Lady a greater abundance of grace, and a better
knowledge of God and of virtue.»13 Although she was indeed the
youngest of the three seers, it was she who appeared to enjoy the greatest
intimacy with the Most Holy Virgin. When the cycle of the six great public
apparitions was completed, Jacinta continued almost uninterruptedly to enjoy
supernatural favours, right up until her death.
NEW
VISITS FROM THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN
Through
the official report which Father Ferreira drew up concerning the events of
Fatima, we know that the Blessed Virgin appeared to her at least three times,
in the short space of time between October 13, 1917 and August 6, 1918, the
date on which the parish priest of Fatima completed his Memoir. According to
this report:
«Jacinta
affirms that Our Lady appeared to her another three times. The first time was
in the church at Fatima, during Mass, on Ascension Thursday. At that time
Our Lady taught her how to say the Rosary. The second time was at night, at
the door of the cellar, while the whole family was sleeping. The third time, in
the house, was above a table; the Blessed Virgin was immobile and silent.
Jacinta cried out: “Oh, mother!... There, don’t you see Our Lady from the Cova
da Iria? Look!”»
This
last apparition was confirmed for the parish priest of Fatima by Olimpia Marto
herself, who told Father de Marchi about it many years later.14
Unfortunately, Lucy tells us nothing about these apparitions in her Memoirs. On
the other hand, she tells us about several prophetic visions in which Jacinta
was able to contemplate, as though they were a series of animated pictures,
certain events announced in the great Secret of July 13, 1917.
PROPHETIC
VISIONS ILLUSTRATING THE GREAT SECRET
THE
VISION OF THE HOLY FATHER INSULTED AND PERSECUTED. In her Memoirs, Lucy tells
us: «One day we spent our siesta down by my parents’ well. Jacinta sat on the
stone slab on top of the well. Francisco and I climbed up a steep bank in
search of wild honey among the brambles in a nearby thicket.
«After
a little while, Jacinta called out to me: “Didn’t you see the Holy Father?”
“No.” “I don’t know how it was, but I saw the Holy Father in a very big
house, kneeling by a table, with his head buried in his hands, and he was
weeping. Outside the house, there were many people. Some of them were throwing
stones, others were cursing him and using bad language. Poor Holy Father, we
must pray much for him.”»15
This
mysterious vision is not easy to interpret correctly. However, we know that it
certainly took place after July 13, 1917, since it presupposes that the Secret
was already revealed, and indeed before October 1918, when Jacinta and
Francisco became sick. We also know that this vision concerns an event
announced in the Secret, for Lucy continues her account, and writes:
«I
have already told you how, one day, two priests recommended that we pray for
the Holy Father, and explained to us who the Pope was. Afterwards, Jacinta
asked me: “Is he the one I saw weeping, the one Our Lady told us about in
the Secret?” “Yes, he is,” I answered. (And Jacinta, with childlike
candour, went on:) “The Lady must surely have shown him also to those priests.
You see, I wasn’t mistaken. We need to pray a lot for him.”»16
This
vision must be kept in mind, for it helps us to better understand the
corresponding words of the Secret, announcing «persecutions against the
Church and the Holy Father», who «will have much to suffer». Has the
prophecy been fulfilled? Certain interpreters believed it applied to Pope Pius
XII. But as we will explain in Volume III, it seems more probable to us that it
concerns the future, just like another vision of Jacinta concerning the Holy
Father...
THE
VISION OF THE WAR AND THE HOLY FATHER IN PRAYER. At another time, Lucy says,
«We went to the cave called Lapa do Cabeço. As soon as we got there, we
prostrated on the ground, saying the prayers the Angel had taught us. After
some time, Jacinta stood up and called to me: “Can’t you see all those
highways and roads full of people, who are crying with hunger and have nothing
to eat? And the Holy Father in a church praying before the Immaculate Heart of
Mary? And so many people praying with him?”»17
Horrible
visions of a frightful war, of which the events of 1939-1945 were, alas, only
the first phase. We will have occasion to return to this subject. For the great
war prophesied in the Secret, of which the nocturnal aurora of January 25-26,
1938, was only a sign announcing that it was at hand, was not so much the
German war. It was the pitiless struggle, the unceasing war waged by the Soviet
Union to extend to the whole world the hegemony of an atheistic, antireligious
and bloody communist regime.
As
for the Holy Father «praying before the Immaculate Heart of Mary», may we not
believe that it concerns the Pope mentioned at the conclusion of the Secret:
«In the end... the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me»? Again Sister Lucy
clarifies the point, for this second vision corresponds to an event prophesied
in the Secret:
«Some
days later, Jacinta asked me: “Can I say that I saw the Holy Father and all
those people?” “No. Don’t you see that that’s part of the Secret? If you do,
they’ll find out right away!” “All right! Then I’ll say nothing at all.”»18
THE
SECRET IN THE LIFE OF JACINTA. The striking images contemplated in her recent
visions keep the Secret on Jacinta’s mind; the themes of the Secret made a more
profound impression on her than on her two companions. Sister Lucy is insistent
on this point, showing clearly how the Blessed Virgin wished to make this soul
– so young and so delicate, but so sensitive and courageous – the confidante of
the most intimate thoughts of Her Heart. The great and dramatic Message of Our
Lady was destined for the whole world; and Our Lady willed that this innocent
soul, Jacinta, be penetrated with it and live it with such love that she
became, as Sister Lucy dares to say, «filled with horror»19, and was
led very quickly, within a few months, to the total gift and sacrifice of her
life. Lucy continues:
«As
I said in the notes I sent about the book called Jacinta, she was most
deeply impressed by some of the things revealed to us in the Secret. Such was
the case with the vision of hell and the ruin of the many souls who go there,
or again, the future war with all its horrors, which seemed to be always present
in her mind. These made her tremble with fear. When I saw her deep in
thought, and asked her: “Jacinta, what are you thinking about?” she frequently
replied: “About the war which is coming, and all the people who are going to
die and go to hell! How dreadful! If they would only stop offending God, then
there wouldn’t be any war, and they wouldn’t go to hell!”
«Sometimes,
she also said to me: “I feel so sorry for you! Francisco and I are going to
Heaven, and you’re going to stay here all by yourself! I asked Our Lady to take
you to Heaven, too, but She wants you to stay here for a while longer. When the
war comes, do not be afraid. In Heaven, I’ll be praying for you.”»20
“POOR
HOLY FATHER, WE MUST PRAY MUCH FOR HIM!” When Our Lady revealed the future to
Jacinta, and let her see the Holy Father persecuted, mocked, abandoned by all,
and in tears, Jacinta understood how much he needed prayers. «This gave Jacinta
such love for the Holy Father that, every time she offered her sacrifices to
Jesus, she added: “And for the Holy Father”. At the end of the Rosary, she
always said three Hail Marys for the Holy Father.»21
It
is indeed surprising to observe how much, after the apparition of July 13, the
thought of the Holy Father kept constantly coming back to the minds of the
three seers. This was one of their major preoccupations, along with solicitude
for sinners, and the sight of the terrifying war to come. Why? Undoubtedly
because the Pope plays a role of decisive importance in the great prophecy of
the Secret: he is already named five times in the published part of the Secret;
we may believe that he is mentioned again in the part which has not yet been
published.
Let
us add that several supernatural communications Sister Lucy was later favoured
with, concerning the role of the Holy Father in the great prophecy of the
Secret, surely supply us with the context which sheds much light on the visions
of Jacinta.22 But we must not get ahead of ourselves...
Let
us merely point out how the things Our Lady confided to her three messengers,
and especially Jacinta, turned upside down their life as shepherds, which until
then had been so tranquil, joyful, and carefree, From now on the great
intentions of Our Lady, so grave, so dramatic, would dominate their days, even
while they were at play, immensely enlarging their childish horizons, but
throwing a pall over them as well... For all these revelations could not remain
without fruit in their souls. Before they could be revealed to the world, the
secrets of Our Lady had to engage their humble recipients more and more each
day, along the sorrow-laden road of compassion and reparation.
TOWARDS
PERFECT IMMOLATION
When,
at the end of October, 1918, influenza struck Jacinta, and shortly after
Francisco as well, for both of them it was the beginning of the sufferings
which would soon lead them to the supreme sacrifice. They knew it. Per
crucem ad lucem. Per mortem ad vitam. Instructed by so many extraordinary
graces for almost three years, they understood intuitively.
AT
ARNEIRO, SUMMER, 1916. Already the Angel Precursor had begun to prepare them.
«Above all, he had insistently recommended, accept and bear with submission the
sufferings which the Lord will send you.»
MAY
13, AT THE COVA DA IRIA. Well after that, Our Lady had pledged them along the
Way of the Cross. She had asked them their acquiescence to a real offering of
themselves as victims of reparation for sins. This dialogue, from the very
first encounter with Our Lady, affected their entire lives:
«“Are
you willing to offer yourselves to God, and bear all the sufferings He
will send you, in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in
supplication for the conversion of sinners?” “Yes, we are,” Lucy had answered
in the name of all three. “Then you win have much to suffer, but the
grace of God will be your comfort.”»
After
this courageous, voluntary self-oblation, immolation had in fact followed. How
many trials they had endured and valiantly bore since that blessed May 13! Not
in vain were they given over to suffering, offered as victims of love to
console the outraged holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary, to convert sinners and make
reparation for their crimes. Since that day, how many prayers and sacrifices
Jacinta had offered at the well of Arneiro, which had become so dear to them!23
How many tears had all three shed together at the same well where the Angel had
promised them that they would have so much to suffer!24
Francisco
and Jacinta, already strongly committed to the Way of the Cross, were near the
final stage of the journey. It was at this point that the Blessed Virgin came
to let them know this, to renew their fervour. Let us now follow Sister Lucy’s
account of this apparition, which undoubtedly took place in the final days of
1918, or in January, 1919.
«OUR
LADY CAME TO SEE US»
«Jacinta
did improve somewhat, however. She was even able to get up, and could thus
spend her days sitting on Francisco’s bed.
«On
one occasion, she sent for me to come and see her at once. I ran right over.
«“Our
Lady came to see us”, Jacinta said. “She told us She would come to take
Francisco to Heaven very soon, and She asked me if I still wanted to convert
more sinners. I said I did. She told me I would be going to a hospital where I
would suffer a great deal; and that I am to suffer for the conversion of
sinners, in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, and for love of Jesus. I asked if you would go with me. She said you
wouldn’t, and that is what I find hardest. She said my mother would take me,
and then I would have to stay there all alone!”»25
On
another day, Jacinta was more precise; she confided to her cousin: «Our Lady
wants me to go to two hospitals, not to be cured, but to suffer more for
love of Our Lord and for sinners.»26
Sister
Lucy avows: «I do not know Our Lady’s exact words in these apparitions to
Jacinta alone, for I never asked her what they were. I confined myself to
merely listening to what she occasionally confided in me. In this account, I
have tried not to repeat what I have written in the previous one, so as not to
make it too long.”»26aHow we regret – even as we admire – this
supernatural discretion, which deprives us of knowing the confidences of our
Heavenly Mother to Her beloved child!
Yet,
we know enough for us to be moved by this predilection of Heaven, which is
expressed by the gift of a cross which is heavier and more punishing to bear...
But Jacinta had known for a long time that the more she suffered, the more
souls she would snatch away from the eternal flames. This was a certain and
absolute truth with her. Taught by the infused grace which accompanied the
words of the Angel, she had understood «the value of sacrifice, how pleasing it
is to God, and how, in return for it, God converts sinners.»27
And
with all her ardour, she gave a generous “yes” to the hardest sacrifice that
could have asked of her, a sacrifice which she undoubtedly had never imagined:
to suffer and die alone far from her mother, far from her father, and above all
far from Lucy, her only confidante and intimate friend, whose presence gave her
such comfort such great joy, the only consolation that remained for her. «I
told Her yes.» Sister Lucy continues:
«After
this, she was thoughtful for a while and then added: “If only you could be with
me! The hardest part is to go without you. Maybe the hospital is a big,
dark house, where you can’t see, and I’ll be there suffering all alone!
But never mind! I’ll suffer for love of Our Lord, to make reparation to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the conversion of sinners and for the Holy
Father.”»28
It
is always the same intentions, the same great themes of the Secret, which
habituate and incite her to heroic sacrifice. The same transports of love
always come back to her lips: often she would repeat, «Sweet Heart of Mary, be
my salvation! I love the Immaculate Heart of Mary so much!»29
«Sometimes, as she would kiss a crucifix, she would press it in her hands,
saying: “O my Jesus, I love You, and I wish to suffer much for Your love!” How
often did she say: “O Jesus! Now You can convert many sinners, because this
is really a big sacrifice!”»30
III.
THE SORROWFUL PASSION: «I WILL SUFFER EVERYTHING SHE WANTS!»
AT
ALJUSTREL: OCTOBER 1918 - JUNE 30, 1919
«The
sick little girl suffered a great deal. Except for a few days when she was
feeling better, Jacinta never left her bed since the final days of October,
1918. After the bronchial pneumonia, pleurisy caused her great suffering. She
bore it, however, with a resignation and even a joy which were surprising.»31
Jacinta
made it her business never to complain. This was both out of a delicate
consideration for her mother, to keep her from getting worried, and to offer
this additional sacrifice, so costly when one is suffering a great deal. From
Lucy alone she felt drawn to hide nothing, to tell her about all the graces she
had received, and to admit her true sufferings: «My chest hurts so much, but
I’m not saying anything to my mother. (Jacinta confided.) I want to suffer
for Our Lord, in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, for the Holy Father and for the conversion of sinners.»32
“I
DO NOT WANT TO UPSET HER.” .One day, when my aunt had been asking me many
questions, Jacinta called me to her and said: “I don’t want you to tell anybody
that I’m suffering, not even my mother; I do not want to upset her.”
«When
her mother looked sad at seeing the child so ill, Jacinta used to say: “Don’t
worry, mother. I’m going to Heaven, and there I’ll be praying so much for you.”
«Or
again: “Don’t cry. I’m all right.” If they asked her if she needed anything,
she answered: “No, I don’t, thank you.” Then when she had left the room, she
said: “I’m so thirsty, but I don’t want to take a drink. I’m offering it to
Jesus for sinners.”33
«One
morning, when I went to see her, she asked me: “How many sacrifices did you
offer to Our Lord last night?” “Three. I got up three times to recite the
Angel’s prayers.” “Well, I offered Him many, many sacrifices. I don’t know how
many there were, but I had a lot of pain, and I made no complaint.”»34
“THIS
CORD HAD THREE KNOTS AND WAS SOMEWHAT STAINED WITH BLOOD.” «A few days after
falling ill, she gave me the rope she had been wearing, and said: “Keep it for
me; I’m afraid my mother may see it. If I get better, I want it back again!”
This cord had three knots and was somewhat stained with blood. I kept it hidden
until I finally left my mother’s home. Then, not knowing what to do with it, I
burned it, and Francisco’s as well.»35
THE
GLASS OF MILK. We must be careful not to imagine that for the saints, acts of
virtue or sacrifices are always easy, or that they are accomplished without
effort or pain. No, sacrifice is never natural! Jacinta experienced this to a
certain extent – she who had been so lively, even capricious. She was also,
occasionally, taken by surprise. In this regard, Lucy preserves for us a
precious recollection:
«On
another occasion, her mother brought her a cup of milk and told her to take it.
“I don’t want it, mother”, she answered, pushing the cup away with her little
hand. My aunt insisted a little, and then left the room, saying: “I don’t know
how to make her take anything; she has no appetite.”
«As
soon as we were alone, I asked her: “How can you disobey your mother like that,
and not offer this sacrifice to Our Lord?” When she heard this, she shed a few
tears which I had the happiness of drying, and said: “I forgot this time.”
«She
called her mother, asked her forgiveness, and said she’d take whatever she
wanted. Her mother brought back the cup of milk, and Jacinta drank it down
without the slightest sign of reluctance. Later, she told me: “If you only knew
how hard it was to drink that!”»36
From
then on, there was no lack of opportunities to renew this sacrifice which cost
her so much. Lucy records this anecdote as well:
«Her
mother knew how hard it was for her to take milk. So, one day, she brought her
a fine bunch of grapes with her cup of milk, saying: “Jacinta, take this. If
you can’t take the milk, leave it there, and eat the grapes.” “No, mother, I
don’t want the grapes; take them away, and give me the milk instead. I’ll take
that.” Then, without showing the least sign of repugnance, she took it. My aunt
went happily away, thinking her little girl’s appetite was returning.
«She
had no sooner gone than Jacinta turned to me and said: “I had such a longing
for those grapes and it was so hard to drink the milk! But I wanted to offer
this sacrifice to Our Lord.”»37
How
can we not be stupefied, moved with wonder by the untiring generosity of this
poor child, so sorely tried by sickness, and who taxed her imagination to
devise new, voluntary sacrifices in addition to the torments she was already
suffering! Lucy writes:
«One
morning, I found her looking dreadful, and I asked her if she felt worse. “Last
night”, she answered, “I had so much pain, and I wanted to offer Our Lord the
sacrifice of not turning over in bed, therefore I didn’t sleep at all.”»38
THE
HARDEST SACRIFICE: LONELINESS. According to the testimony of everyone who knew
her, Jacinta had a loving, sensitive and affectionate heart. She also felt a
strong attachment for Lucy and her brother, an attachment which only increased
during the happy days of the spring of 1916, when the Angel appeared to them at
the Cabeço. The following year, the great Secret, of which they alone were the
recipients, was to seal their friendship: «Tell the Secret to no one», Our Lady
had concluded. «Francisco, yes, you may tell him.» Since that time, this bond
forged by the Blessed Virgin Herself, by making them Her three confidants, and
the subsequent supernatural friendship, had been their comfort and help in all
their trials.
For
Jacinta, in the sufferings of her illness, the presence and companionship of
her two close friends had become her sweetest consolation. Her loving heart
realized this, and already she would at times make an effort to give up this
last source of happiness, so as to offer the sacrifice. Here is Sister Lucy’s
account:
«Apart
from school or the small tasks I was given to do, I spent every free moment
with my little companions...
«Whenever
I visited Jacinta’s room first, she used to say: “Now go and see Francisco. I’ll
make the sacrifice of staying here alone.”
«One
day when I arrived, she asked: “Did you make any sacrifices today? I’ve made a
lot. My mother went out, and I wanted to go and visit Francisco many times,
and I didn’t go.”»39
“I’LL
SUFFER AS MUCH AS THEY WANT.” In the first few days of April, 1919, when
Francisco felt more and more seriously ill, and felt his end approaching, his
little sister left him some recommendations for Heaven. Lucy was there, and she
recalls and relates to us the words of her companion: «Give all my love to Our
Lord and Our Lady, and tell Them that I’ll suffer as much as They want
for the conversion of sinners and in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary.»40 While she recalled the last apparition of Our Lady, Jacinta
renewed her own courageous “fiat”: yes, she wished to stay on earth longer, to
suffer more and thus save a greater number of sinners.
On
April 4, 1919, Francisco left this world. As for Jacinta, she was riveted to
her bed by illness, and could not even attend the ceremony of burial. This
separation was extremely hard for her, Lucy wrote: «She suffered keenly when
her brother died. She remained a long time buried in thought, and if anyone
asked her what she was thinking about, she answered: “About Francisco. I’d
give anything to see him again!” Then her eyes brimmed over with tears.»41
“IT
IS THE HIDDEN JESUS! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!” Jacinta suffered from another
separation as well. Before her illness, while she was going to school, «at
playtime she loved to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament». She liked «to be
alone for a long time with the Hidden Jesus and talk to Him»; and how it
bothered her to be interrupted by strangers who followed her even there, to ask
her questions!42
Now
Lucy alone was able to pay a visit to Jesus in the Tabernacle: «One day, when I
stopped by on my way to school, Jacinta said to me: “Listen! Tell the Hidden
Jesus that I love Him very much, that I really love Him very much indeed.” At
other times, she said: “Tell Jesus that I send Him my love, and long to see
Him.”»43
Sister
Lucy also mentions this charming trait which manifests better than anything
else what limpid faith she had in the real, concrete Presence of Jesus in the
Holy Eucharist, and what ardent love she bore Him: «Sometimes, on returning
from church, I went in to see her, and she asked me: “Did you receive Holy
Communion?” And if I answered in the affirmative, she said: “Come over here
close to me, for you have the Hidden Jesus in your heart.”»44
Her
great worry, in going to the hospital which Our Lady had foretold to her, was
that she could not receive Communion there:
«On
another occasion, I brought her a picture of a chalice with a host. She took
it, kissed it, and radiant with joy she exclaimed: “It is the Hidden Jesus! I
love Him so much! If only I could receive Him in church! Don’t they receive
Holy Communion in Heaven? If they do, then I will go to Holy Communion every
day. If only the Angel would go to the hospital to bring me Holy Communion
again, how happy I would be!”»45
Indeed,
although she was now over eight years old, Father Ferreira, not listening to
the recent specifications of Saint Pius X, continued to be inflexible: in the summer
of 1918, he still had not granted the little seer the favour of approaching the
Holy Table.46
The
Lord, however, is free with His gifts, and to respond to the love of a soul
which desired Him with such ardour, He gave Himself to her spiritually, and gave
her the grace to feel His Divine Presence:
«I
don’t know how it is! But I feel Our Lord within me. I understand what He says
to me, although I neither see Him nor hear Him, but it is so good to be with
Him!»47
Another
time she said: «I so like to tell Jesus that I love Him! Many times, when I say
it to Him, I seem to have a fire in my heart, but it doesn’t burn me.»48
Again,
moved by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the same ardent affections of love
continually returned to her lips: «I love Our Lord and Our Lady so much, that I
never get tired of telling Them that I love Them.»49
AT
THE HOSPITAL OF OUREM: JULY 1 - AUGUST 31, 1919
During
the month of June, the doctor noticed that the disease was getting the upper
hand, and it was difficult to give Jacinta all the attention she needed at the
house. He advised the Marto parents to send her to St. Augustine’s hospital, at
Vila Nova de Ourem. The prophecy of Our Lady was about to be fulfilled... and
so Jacinta departed, «knowing that she was going not to be cured, but to
suffer».50
«In
the first few days of July, Mr. Marto took in his arms the emaciated body of
his daughter, placed her as best he could upon his donkey, and conducted
Jacinta to Vila Nova de Ourem. There the sick child was given intensive treatment,
but with no result.»51
During
her two month stay at the hospital, Jacinta suffered much, and more than
anything else she suffered from the cruel loneliness. According to Sister Lucy:
«When
her mother went to see her, she asked if she wanted anything. She told her that
she wanted to see me. This was no easy matter for my aunt, but she took me with
her at the first opportunity.
«As
soon as Jacinta saw me, she joyfully threw her arms around me, and asked her
mother to leave me with her while she went to do her shopping. Then I asked her
if she was suffering a lot. “Yes, I am. But I offer everything for sinners, and
in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Then, filled with enthusiasm,
she spoke of Our Lord and Our Lady: “Oh, how much I love to suffer for love of
Them, just to give Them pleasure! They greatly love those who suffer for the
conversion of sinners.”
«The
time allotted for the visit passed rapidly, and my aunt arrived to take me
home. She asked Jacinta if she wanted anything. The child begged her mother to
bring me with her next time she came to see her.»52
Vila
Nova de Ourem is about nine miles away from Aljustrel and it was not an easy
trip. Nevertheless, Sister Lucy informs us, «my good aunt, who loved to make
her little daughter happy, took me with her a second time. I found Jacinta
as joyful as ever, glad to suffer for the love of Our Good God and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, for sinners and the Holy Father. That was her
ideal, and she could speak of nothing else.»53
LAST
MONTHS AT ALJUSTREL: AUGUST 31, 1919 - JANUARY 21, 1920
At
the end of the month of August, since the treatment showed no result, and since
the Marto family could not afford the cost of hospital treatment, it was
decided that the child would come back to the house.
«Her
side had an open wound, which had to be dressed every day. But in the rustic
hamlet of Aljustrel, they lacked the necessary equipment for such delicate
treatment. The wound became infected, and the pus flowed over the poor child’s
chest, as she grew weaker each day.»54
“...
SHE ALWAYS HAD A FEVER, HER FACE INSPIRED PITY.” Regarding the pitiful state of
the seer, shortly after her return from the hospital, we have the moving
testimony of Mrs. Maria da Cruz Lopes, who visited Aljustrel in September. She
wrote:
«The
illness was wasting away her poor body and as she was wrapped in a white
woollen robe, this fragile, emaciated little figure reminded us of birds who
ruffle their wings to fly to milder climates. She was alone, with a modest and
recollected air. I gave her two tenths of a peseta, which she accepted.»55
As
for Canon Formigao, who saw her on October 13, 1919, his account is even
sadder:
«Will
Jacinta die? Accompanied by her mother, she arrives here. Both of them are in
intense mourning over the death of Francisco... The child is like a skeleton.
Her arms are frighteningly thin. Since she left the hospital of Vila Nova de
Ourem, where she was treated for two months, without any results, she always
has a fever. Looking at her moves one to pity.
«Poor
child! Only last year full of life and health, and now already like a wilted
flower, with one foot in the grave! After an attack of tuberculosis and
broncho-pneumonia, pleurisy wastes away her weakened body. Only appropriate
treatment in a good sanatorium might perhaps save her. But her parents,
although they are not completely indigent, nevertheless cannot afford such
expenses.»56
“AND
WILL OUR LORD BE PLEASED?” Not content with the cruel sufferings caused by her
illness, Jacinta did not wish to relax one bit her usual practices of heroic
prayer and penance. Had she dispensed with them, she would have feared
displeasing Jesus...
Like
Lucy, Jacinta was in the habit of reciting often the prayers of the Angel, even
during the night. Like the Angel, the girls would prostrate themselves on the
ground, in the spirit of humility and adoration. In spite of her state of
extreme weakness, Jacinta strived to remain faithful to this practice. She
confided to Lucy:
«“When
I’m alone, I get out of bed to recite the Angel’s prayer. But now I’m not
able to touch the ground any more with my head, because I fall over; so I
only pray on my knees.”
«One
day, I had the opportunity of speaking to the Vicar (Father Faustino Jacinto
Ferreira, dean of Olival). His Reverence asked me about Jacinta and how she
was. I told him what I thought about her condition, and afterwards related what
she had said to me about being unable to touch the ground when she prayed. His
Reverence sent me to tell her that she was not to get out of bed in order to
pray, but that she was to pray lying down, and then only as long as she could
do so without getting tired. I delivered the message at the very first
opportunity. “And will Our Lord be pleased?” she asked. “He is pleased”, I
replied. “Our Lord wants us to do whatever the Reverend Vicar says.” “That’s
all right, then. I won’t get up any more.”»57
THE
TRIAL OF INTERROGATIONS. «What distressed her most (Lucy assures us) were the
frequent visits and questioning on the part of many people who wanted to see
her, and whom she could no longer avoid by running off to hide.»58
«Jacinta
had to undergo detailed and exhausting interrogations. She never showed the
slightest impatience or repugnance, but simply told me later: “My head
aches so much after listening to all those people! Now that I cannot run away
and hide, I offer more of these sacrifices to Our Lord.”»
Most
of her visitors left profoundly edified by her behaviour, which was always
«calm and patient, without the least complaint or importuning». Many people
remarked that they felt «something supernatural»59 about her. And
the pious pilgrims were not the only ones to experience the inexplicable
sweetness of this presence...
THE
RADIANCE OF A SOUL LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. Lucy also tells us that sometimes
the neighbours would come to do some sewing in her room. They would sit down,
and at times remain for long hours. «They seemed happy to be there.»
«“I’ll
work a little beside Jacinta,” they would say; “I don’t know what it is about
her, but it is good to be with her”…
«When
people asked her questions, she answered in a friendly manner, but briefly. If
they said anything which she thought improper, she promptly replied: “Don’t say
that; it offends the Lord Our God.”
«If
they related something unbecoming about their families, she answered: “Don’t
let your children commit sin, or they could go to hell.” If it concerned
grown-ups, “Tell them not to do that, it is a sin, they are offending Our Lord
God, and then they could be damned.”»59a
As
we can see, the thought of hell never left her, and her obsession with the
salvation of souls always remained alive.
“SHE
TAUGHT THEM THE OUR FATHER AND THE HAIL MARY.” One day Jacinta confided to
Lucy: «If only I could put into everybody’s heart the fire I have in my breast,
which makes me burn with such love for the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of
Mary!» In her simplicity, and to the extent she could, Jacinta did strive to
make these Hearts known and loved. In a charming passage, Lucy relates how
Jacinta extemporaneously taught catechism to her little companions who felt
such a mysterious attraction towards her, combining with their affection for
her a reserve and respect which «kept them somewhat at a distance» from her:
«When
I went to visit her during her illness, I often found a large group waiting at
the door, hoping to be able to come in with me and see her. They seemed to be
held back by a certain sense of respect. Sometimes, before I left, I asked her:
“Jacinta, do you want me to tell some of them to stay here with you and keep
you company?’’ “Oh, yes! But just the ones who are smaller than myself.” Then
they all vied with each other, saying: “I’ll stay! I’ll stay!”
«After
that, she entertained them by teaching them the Our Father, the Hail Mary, how
to bless themselves, and to sing. Sitting on her bed or, if she was up, on
the floor of the living room, they played “pebbles”, using crab apples,
chestnuts, sweet acorns, dried figs and so on, all of which my aunt was only
too happy to supply, so that her little girl might enjoy the children’s
company.
«She
prayed the Rosary with them, and counselled them not to commit sin, and so
avoid offending the Lord Our God and going to hell. Some of them spent
whole mornings and afternoons with her, and seemed very happy in her company.
«But
once they had left her presence, they did not dare to go back in the trusting
way so natural to children. Sometimes they came in search of me, begging me to
go in with them, or they waited for me outside the house, or else they waited
outside the door until my aunt or Jacinta herself invited them in to see her.
They seemed to like her and enjoy her company, but they felt themselves held
back by a certain shyness or respect that kept them somewhat at a distance.»60
A
TERRIBLE SECRET. Jacinta continued to live by the thought of the terrible
chastisements predicted in the great Secret, prophetically revealed to her.
This was undoubtedly the wish of the Most Holy Virgin, who had willed to make
such a pure, sensitive and ardent soul Her own confidante. Lucy reports:
«One
day, I went to Jacinta’s house to spend a little time with her. I found her
sitting on her bed, deep in thought. “Jacinta, what are you thinking about?”
“About the war that is coming. So many people are going to die, and almost all of
them are going to hell! Many homes will be destroyed, and many priests will be
killed.”
«“Look,
I am going to Heaven, and as for you, when you see the light which the Lady
told us would come one night before the war, you run up there too.” “Don’t you
see that nobody can just run off to Heaven!” “That’s true, you cannot! But
don’t be afraid! In Heaven I’ll be praying hard for you, for the Holy Father,
for Portugal, so that the war will not come here, and for all priests.”»61
Hell,
the war, the coming persecutions against priests and the Holy Father, the
sacrifices which she offered to Jesus to convert sinners and make reparation
for their faults – these were so many secrets which Jacinta could open up only
to Lucy, whose presence therefore became more and more precious to Jacinta, and
even indispensable. With her alone, she could speak about what was closest to
her heart. According to Lucy:
«One
day my aunt made this request: “Ask Jacinta what she is thinking, when she
covers her face with her hands and remains motionless for such a long while.
I’ve already asked her, but she just smiles and does not answer.”
«I
put the question to Jacinta. “I think of Our Lord”, she replied, “Of Our Lady,
of sinners, and of... (and she mentioned certain parts of the Secret). I love
to think.”
«My
aunt asked me how she answered. I just smiled. This led my aunt to tell my
mother what had happened. “The life of these children is an enigma to me”, she
exclaimed, “I can’t understand it!” And my mother added: “Yes, and when they are
alone, they talk nineteen to the dozen. Yet however hard you listen, you can
never catch a single word! I just can’t understand all this mystery.”»62
THE
FLOWERS OF THE CABEÇO. In addition to the advice and exhortations she received
from Lucy, and the grave and confidential matters they discussed concerning
their secrets in these last days spent at Aljustrel, Jacinta drew comfort and
consolation as well from the presence of her older cousin. As good Olimpia
observed, «When Lucy came in, joy and sunshine entered my house.»63
In
a life so hard, so full of trials as our seers experienced, it is a pleasure to
find charming incidents like the following one. In a wonderful fashion, it
demonstrates their freshness of soul, their spontaneity, and also their hearts
of gold. Lucy tells us:
«Whenever
I could, I loved to go to the Cabeço to pray in our favourite cave. Jacinta was
very fond of flowers, and coming down the hillside on the way home, I used to
pick a bunch of irises and peonies, when there were any to be found, and take
them to her, saying: “Look! These are from the Cabeço!”»64
As
Jacinta took the flowers with joy, would she recall the happy days of 1917,
when in the evening she used to walk down the road to meet Lucy, who would be
on her way home with the sheep? With what joy she used to greet her friend
then! Beaming with happiness, she would walk before Lucy, strewing flower
petals she herself had gathered.65
But
now, Jacinta was never ever again to see the blessed hollow of the Cabeço or
the many varieties of lilies and other flowers which grew on the side of the
hill!
«Sometimes,
her face bathed with tears, she would say: “I will never return there again!
Neither to Valinhos nor to the Cova da Iria’ That makes me so sad!” “But what
does it matter, if you go to Heaven to see Our Lord and Our Lady?’’ “That’s
true”, she answered. Then she would be content in her thoughts, as she would
pick the flowers from her bouquet, and count the petals of each one.»66
For
them also, their days were numbered, and the hour of the final and most painful
sacrifice approached...
IV.
THE SUPREME SACRIFICE: «I WILL DIE ALL ALONE!»
A
NEW APPARITION OF OUR LADY
As
a compassionate mother, Our Lady Herself wished to prepare Her child for the
final act of self-renunciation. In December, 1919, She came to announce to her
that the hour had come… Lucy writes:
«Once
again, the Blessed Virgin deigned to visit Jacinta, to tell her of new crosses
and sacrifices awaiting her.
«She
gave me the news saying: “She told me that I am going to Lisbon to
another hospital; that I will not see you again, nor my parents either, and
after suffering a great deal, I shall die alone. But She said I must not be
afraid, since She Herself is coming to take me to Heaven.”
«She
hugged me and wept: “I will never see you again! You won’t be coming to visit
me there. Oh please, pray hard for me, because I am going to die alone!”»67
“I
WILL DIE ALL ALONE!” Poor child! From then on, this terrible prophecy was to
obsess her, to the point of making her feel a veritable agony. Sister Lucy
gives us a poignant account of the anguish which then came over her:
«Jacinta
suffered terribly right up to the day of her departure for Lisbon. She kept
clinging to me and sobbing: “I’ll never see you again! Nor my mother, nor my
brothers, nor my father! I’ll never see anybody ever again! And then, I’ll die
all alone!”»68
If
at least she could be sure that she would be able to receive Holy Communion!
But no, not yet being admitted to the Holy Table, Jacinta feared being deprived
of It. «Will I die alone without receiving the Hidden Jesus? Oh, if only Our
Lady would bring Him to me when She comes to take me!» she exclaimed. «To die
alone» – nothing frightened her more. She reminds us of Saint Joan of Arc, who
more than anything else feared dying by fire! But like Saint Joan, Jacinta was
ready to suffer everything. One day, Lucy tried to distract her: “Don’t think
about it”, I advised her one day. “Let me think about it”, she replied, “for
the more I think, the more I suffer, and I want to suffer for love of Our Lord
and for sinners.”»69 Then, to regain her courage, she would recall
the promise of Our Lady: soon, she would be in Heaven!
“OUR
LADY WILL COME TO FIND ME, TO TAKE ME TO HEAVEN.” Lucy, who was well acquainted
with the secrets of her heart, was able to find the words which consoled her
the most:
«Shortly
before she went to Lisbon, at one of those times when she felt sad at the
thought of our coming separation, I said to her: “Don’t be upset because I
can’t go with you. You can then spend all your time thinking of Our Lady and
Our Lord, and saying many times over those words you love so much: My God, I
love You! Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sweet Heart of Mary, etc.” “Yes,
indeed”, she eagerly replied, “I’ll never get tired of saying those until I
die! And then, I can sing them many times over in Heaven!”»70
To
keep from getting too frightened over the approaching separation, Jacinta kept
repeating: «But it doesn’t matter; Our Lady will come to find me to take me to
Heaven.»
«One
day (Lucy reports) I asked her: “What are you going to do in Heaven?” “I’m
going to love Jesus very much, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, too. I’m going
to pray a lot for you, for sinners, for the Holy Father, for my parents and my
brothers and sisters, and for all the people who have asked me to pray for them
...”
«When
her mother looked sad at seeing the child so ill, Jacinta used to say; “Don’t
worry mother. I’m going to Heaven, and there I’ll be praying so much for you!”»71
Like
Saint Therese, Jacinta had resolved to «spend her Heaven doing good on earth.»
TOWARDS
HEAVEN... BUT IN FAITH. «I’m going to Heaven», she would say resolutely to
console her mother or comfort herself. Yet we know that it was much more an act
of faith than the expression of a sweet hope, felt from within. No, for the
time being, just as Jesus was in His agony, she found herself plunged into
darkness. Lucy relates:
«On
one occasion, I found her clasping a picture of Our Lady to her heart, and
saying, “O my dearest Heavenly Mother, do I have to die all alone?” The
poor child seemed so frightened at the thought of dying alone!
«I
tried to comfort her, saying: “What does it matter if you die alone, so long as
Our Lady is coming to fetch you?” “It’s true, it doesn’t matter, really. I
don’t know why it is, but I sometimes forget Our Lady is coming to take me.
I only remember that I’ll die without having you near me.”»72
As
young as Jacinta was, Our Lady wanted her also to pass through this terrible
night which the Saints went through, to follow more closely their Spouse in
agony. It was when her soul was deprived of all consolation, frightened at the
thought of the sufferings at hand, that there sprung from her soul the purest,
the most heroic, and the most meritorious affections of love. Lucy recalls:
«At
times, she kissed and embraced a crucifix, exclaiming: “O my Jesus! I love
You, and I want to suffer very much for love of You!”
«How
often did she say: “O Jesus! Now you can convert many sinners, because this
is really a big sacrifice!”»73
THE
UNEXPECTED INTERVENTION OF DOCTOR LISBOA
The
Marto parents, having seen that the treatment at the hospital of Vila Nova de
Ourem was in vain, judged that it was useless to send their daughter to another
hospital.
And
yet, suddenly, in a completely unexpected manner, the prophecy of Our Lady was
fulfilled to the letter. In mid-January of the year 1920, a renowned doctor of
Lisbon, Dr. Lisboa,74 decided to visit Fatima with his spouse. As he
passed through, he desired to pay a visit to Father Formigao, then a professor
at the seminary of Santarem. The latter decided to accompany them to Aljustrel.75
The
doctor himself described this visit:
«After
a visit to the Cova with Lucy, in whose company we prayed the Rosary with
unforgettable faith and devotion, we returned to Fatima, where we spoke to
Jacinta and the mothers of the two seers…
«Little
Jacinta was very pale and thin, and walked with great difficulty... When I
censured them for their lack of effort to save their daughter, they told me
that it was not worth while, because Our Lady wished to take her, and that she
had been interned for two months in the local hospital without any improvement
in her condition. I replied that Our Lady’s will was certainly more powerful
than any human efforts and that in order to be certain that She really wished
to take Jacinta, they must not neglect any of the normal aids of science to
save her life.
«Impressed
by my words, they went to ask the advice of Father Formigao, who supported my
opinion in every respect. It was therefore arranged on the spot that Jacinta
should be sent to Lisbon and treated by the best doctors in one of the
hospitals of the capital.»76
HER
LAST VISIT TO THE COVA DA IRIA
Certain
that she was leaving Fatima forever, Jacinta asked her mother to take her one
last time to the Cova da Iria. Like her poor child, the mother was extremely
weakened, a real “abyss of misery’’, as Ti Marto said. She did not have the
strength to take Jacinta on foot, so Jacinta went on a donkey. Olimpia herself
recalled to Father de Marchi this last pilgrimage of the little seer to the
place of the apparitions:
«When
we arrived at the Carreira pool, Jacinta got off the donkey and began to say
the Rosary alone. She picked a few flowers for the chapel.
«When
we arrived we knelt down and prayed a little in her own way. “Mother”, she said
when she got up, “when Our Lady went away She passed over those trees, and
afterwards She went into Heaven so quickly that I thought She would get Her
feet caught!”»77
A
HEARTRENDING GOODBYE: JANUARY 21, 1920
«The
day came at last when she was to leave for Lisbon. It was a heartrending
farewell. For a long time, she clung to me with her arms around my neck, and
sobbed: “We shall never see each other again! Pray a lot for me, until I go to
Heaven. Then I will pray a lot for you...”
«“Never
tell the Secret to anyone, even if they kill you. Love Jesus and the Immaculate
Heart of Mary very much, and make many sacrifices for sinners!”…»78
Then
it was time to leave. Antonio, the eldest of the family, accompanied them.
Olimpia had this to recall:
«During
the journey (by train) Jacinta stood nearly all the time by the window looking
through the glass. In Santarem, a woman came to the train and gave her some
candy, but Jacinta wouldn’t eat anything.
«We
knew nobody in Lisbon and it was for this reason that Baron Alvaiazere and my
husband had arranged for some ladies to meet us. They were to recognize us by
the white handkerchiefs tied to our arms. Jacinta, whom I was carrying in my
arms, had a handkerchief in her left hand.»79
What
an adventure! Good Olimpia had never taken a train before, and of course she
knew nothing of Lisbon. On their arrival, they saw the three ladies who had
come to meet them, just as arranged. But now came the first disappointment: the
person who had promised to let the seer stay with her before going to the
hospital, no doubt because of Jacinta’s miserable state, finally refused. The
little girl was exhausted, pus was flowing from the wound in her side, and it
gave a nauseous odour. To agree to take care of her was a rough task and a
grave responsibility.
Off
they went, therefore, in search of other lodgings:
«We
went to various houses but nobody would take us in. When we were nearly tired
out from walking, we came to the house of a good woman who opened her doors to
us and could not have given us a better welcome. I stayed there with Jacinta
for over a week and then went back to Fatima.»80
JACINTA
STAYS WITH MOTHER GODINHO: JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 2, 1920
Jacinta
was finally accepted in an orphanage called “Our Lady of Miracles”, located at
17 Rua de Estrela. It was named after a chapel next door, consecrated under
this title. The foundress and directress, Maria of the Purification Godinho,
was a former Claretian postulant of Lisbon.81 Gathered around her
were some young women who were living as religious since 1913, although without
the habit and official recognition.
Mother
Godinho was a good, pious woman, without learning. Later on she said: «I saw
what an angelic creature the Blessed Virgin had sent me. For a long time I had
desired to see the privileged children to whom Our Lady had appeared. I was far
from imagining that one day my poor abode would house Jacinta, the youngest of
the three.»82 Thus, Mother Godinho was full of esteem for her little
visionary, and also very proud of the honour which had been granted her.
FINALLY,
TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE COMMUNION AND CONFESS! In the religious atmosphere of the
house, Jacinta quickly found herself at ease, notwithstanding her great
timidity. And then – an unexpected favour – finally she could attend Mass and
receive communion almost every day! Indeed Mother Godinho herself had to take
the happy initiative of seeing to the communion of the little seer, who had
been preparing for it for so long, and with such ardour! Olimpia recalled that:
«She
was carried in my arms, or in the arms of the Superior, when she went to the
altar of the chapel and the Communion Table.
«I
remember how one day, before returning to the orphanage, she said to me:
“Mother, I want to go to confession.” And so we went, although dawn had not yet
broken, to the church at Estrela... My Jesus! What a great church!... When we
came out, the child was very consoled and kept repeating: “Oh, mother! What a
good Father! What a good Father!... He asked me so many things!”... I would
sure like to know what the priest asked her! But the things of confession are
not to be spoken about.”83
THE
TESTIMONY OF MOTHER GODINHO. At this stage in our account, we must open a brief
critical parenthesis. On many, many occasions Mother Godinho spoke of the
actions and gestures of little Jacinta. Very often, unfortunately, she was the
only witness of these things. The prolixity and bewildering character of
several of the statements she attributes to the seer have justly evoked some
scepticism on the part of well informed critics. Father Alonso declared in
1971: «Mother Godinho attributed so many things to Jacinta that it is
impossible that the child could really have said all that!»84
However,
while he does point out that the declarations of Mother Godinho are not always
perfectly credible, the Fatima expert remarks that it would be unjustified to
reject indiscriminately her testimony as a whole. Many actions and gestures
which she attributes to Jacinta seem taken from real life and correspond quite
well to her character, such as Lucy has described it for us.85
That
being said, let us resume our account.
“SHE
SPOKE WITH SUCH AUTHORITY!”... In the orphanage, Mother Godinho recalled, there
were twenty or twenty-five children:
«Jacinta
was friendly with them all but she preferred the company of a little girl about
her own age to whom she would give little sermons. It was delightful to hear
them, and, hidden behind the half-open door, I witnessed many of these conversations.
“You mustn’t lie or be lazy or disobedient, and you must bear everything with
patience for love of Our Lord if you want to go to Heaven.” She spoke with such
authority! It wasn’t at all like a child!...»86
“OUR
LADY DOES NOT WANT PEOPLE TO TALK IN CHURCH!” «In the house (Mother Godinho
reports) there was a room which overlooked the chapel. She would go there, and
from that spot she could see the Tabernacle, without anybody noticing her
prayer. Her attitude of recollection and fervour, especially her eyes, fixed
with love upon the Tabernacle, were very impressive.»87
From
that location, however, Jacinta could see what was going on in the nave of the
chapel. «She remarked that several people did not have the necessary attitude
of recollection, and she said to me: “Godmother – (this was how the children
addressed the directress) – these people should not be allowed to behave this
way before the Blessed Sacrament. In church, we must be tranquil and not
talk... Our Lady does not want people to talk in church!”»88
NEW
VISITS OF OUR LADY. Let Mother Godinho be heard once more: «During the time she
was in my house she must have received a visit from Our Lady more than once. I
remember on one occasion she said: “Please move, dear godmother, I am
waiting for Our Lady!”, and her face took on a radiant expression.»89
What
words were exchanged then between the Blessed Virgin and her confidante? We are
almost completely ignorant. Let us however note the only indication Lucy gives
us in the Memoirs: «From Lisbon, she sent word that Our Lady had come to see
her there; She had told her the day and hour of her death. Finally Jacinta
reminded me to be very good.»90
TRANSFER
TO THE HOSPITAL: FEBRUARY 2, 1920
During
this time, Doctor Lisboa looked into getting the child into a hospital.
However, he encountered an unforeseen obstacle: good Olimpia, no doubt moved to
pity by the lamentable state of her daughter, was obstinately opposed to an
operation. Here is Ti Marto’s account:
«I
was not at Lisbon to take care of Jacinta with her illness. I was not needed
there, but I was needed here. Everything I did for the child, I did by means of
the Baron, who was so good to me.91
«In
the beginning of one week, he asked me to come and see him: Canon Formigao, he
said, has received a letter from Lisbon. There are difficulties over there.
Olimpia wants to know nothing about it. They wrote to see if there was not some
way to stop her opposing what they wanted to do. The letter said these country
people are so stupid that they don’t even want a good deed done for them.
«We
both started laughing, and I told him: “Oh, Baron, that really is true! As for
myself, Baron, I am of the opinion that we must do everything these good people
wish for my little Jacinta.”
«So
I wrote to my wife: “I believe it’s not necessary that you remain there. You
can do so, on the condition that you neither embarrass nor torment these good
people who wish to do us some good.”»92
Olimpia,
therefore, had to silence her maternal apprehensions and give in. On February
2, 1920, Feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus, Jacinta left “Our Lady
of Miracles” for the hospital of Dona Estefania, where she occupied bed no. 38
in the children’s ward. For Jacinta it was a new and sorrowful separation.
Besides, didn’t she know that the operation would do no good? «It’s all useless
(she kept repeating); Our Lady came to tell me I would die soon.»93
No matter, she had to consent to this new sacrifice: at the hospital, she would
no longer have the presence of the Hidden Jesus, and the comfort of receiving
Him every day into her soul.
And
then her loneliness increased, because at this time at Aljustrel, other
children of the family were sick, and they needed the attention of their
mother. Called back by her husband and seeing that the surgery was delayed, Ti
Olimpia decided to return to Fatima. On February 5, she left her poor child for
good.94
Granted,
every day Mother Godinho and some women friends came to visit her, but for a
child barely ten years old, nothing could replace her mother’s presence. And
thus the prophecy of Our Lady was fulfilled: Jacinta found herself all alone in
a great hospital, to die there.
“PATIENCE!
WE MUST SUFFER IF WE WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN!” «Purulent pleurisy, and osteitis of
the seventh and eighth left ribs.» Such was the diagnosis of Jacinta by Doctor
Castro Freire, who welcomed her to the hospital.
«On
February 10th, Jacinta’s operation took place at his hands. She suffered
greatly, for they could not give her chloroform because of her extreme
weakness, and they had to make do with a local anaesthetic, which was applied
very imperfectly in those times. Nevertheless, she suffered even more from the
humiliation of seeing all her clothes removed. Mother Godinho, who remained
with her until the time of the operation, tells us that the little one cried a
great deal at seeing herself in the hands of the doctors like this.
«The
result of the operation, carried out by Dr. Castro Freire, assisted by Dr.
Elvas, at first appeared encouraging. Two ribs were extracted from her left
side, leaving a wound as wide as a hand. This caused her great suffering, and
the pain was revived every time the wound had to be dressed. However, her only
cry was: “Aie! Aie!... Oh! Our Lady!” She would add: “Patience! We must all
suffer to get to Heaven!”»95
At
some date we do not know, Mr Marto came to visit his “Jacintinha”. But he could
not, alas, remain very long with her. At Aljustrel, his family needed him and
he too had to resign himself to leaving her to her solitude and sufferings.
However, as a good mother, the Blessed Virgin took pity on Her child and came
soon to lighten her trial...
“SHE
HAS TAKEN ALL MY SUFFERINGS AWAY.” Three days before dying, Jacinta declared to
Mother Godinho: «Listen, godmother, I’m no longer in pain! (The night before
she had confided that she was suffering great pains.) Our Lady appeared to me
again. She told me that She would come to take me soon and that I wouldn’t
suffer any more.»96 And in fact, from that day she did not show any
more signs of suffering. Dr. Lisboa wrote in his report:
«As
a matter of fact, right after this apparition in the middle of the hospital
room, all her sufferings disappeared, and she was able to distract herself by
looking at pious images, one of which was Our Lady of Sameiro, which was later
offered to me as a souvenir of Jacinta. The child said that this image reminded
her the most of the Virgin such as She appeared to her.»97
From
now on, the place where Our Lady appeared again, at the foot of her bed, became
a sacred spot for her. When Mother Godinho sat there, the seer would exclaim:
«Not there, godmother, that’s where Our Lady was!»98 One of the
nurses purposely stood there, just to see her reaction. Jacinta didn’t dare to
say anything, “but her face took on such an expression of pain that I felt I
could not remain there”, the nurse told Father de Marchi.99
FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 20: SHE DIES ALL ALONE
A
few days after the operation, Dr. Lisboa, full of hope for his patient’s
chances, wrote to Mr. Marto and the Baron of Alvaiazère, telling them that
everything had gone well.
Jacinta,
however, knew the day and hour of her death.100 Here is Dr. Lisboa’s
report:
«On
the evening of that 20th of February, at about six o’clock, Jacinta said that
she felt worse and wished to receive the sacraments.
«The
parish priest, Dr. Pereira dos Reis, was called and he heard her confession
about eight o’clock that night. I was told that Jacinta had insisted that the
Blessed Sacrament be brought to her as Viaticum but that Father Reis had not
concurred because she seemed fairly well. He promised to bring her Holy
Communion in the morning. Jacinta again asked for Viaticum, saying that she
would die shortly.
«And
indeed, around half past ten that night, she died peacefully, but without
having received Holy Communion.»101
Everything
was accomplished. The prophecy of Our Lady had been fulfilled: Jacinta died
alone, without parents or friends, and without anyone to attend her in her last
moments.102 She was even deprived of the supreme comfort: the sweet Presence
of Jesus in the Host, which she had so long desired for that supreme moment –
and it had been refused her. What a sacrifice! Once again she could repeat: «O
Jesus, now You can convert many sinners, because I suffer a great deal!»
The
two long and lonely hours which elapsed between her confession and her death –
what were they like? This is a secret of her soul, a soul thirsting for the
salvation of sinners, and of her heart, a heart burning with love for Jesus and
Mary... But we can be certain of one thing: Our Lady surely kept Her promise;
She Herself came to fetch Her child, to introduce her, finally, into the
infinite beatitude of Heaven!
«I
WILL RETURN TO FATIMA... BUT AFTER MY DEATH»
Here
is Dr. Eurico Lisboa’s account of the events which followed the death of the
little seer:
«When
I was told what had occurred during the night I spoke to Dona Amelia Castro,
who came every day to my consulting room for treatment to her eyes, and she
obtained from certain members of her family a white First Communion dress used
by poor children, and money to buy a blue silk sash. Jacinta was thus laid out
in Our Lady’s colours according to her wish.
«As
soon as her death became known, various people sent money for the expenses of
the funeral which was fixed for the following day, Sunday, at noon, the body to
be taken to one of the cemeteries of Lisbon.
«When
the coffin left the hospital mortuary, it occurred to me that it might be wiser
to have the body deposited in some special place, in case the apparitions should
later be confirmed by the ecclesiastical Authorities or the general incredulity
on the subject be overcome. I therefore proposed that the coffin containing
Jacinta’s body be deposited in the church of the Holy Angels until its removal
to some vault could be arranged.
«I
then went to see my good friend, Father Reis, the parish priest who, however,
balked at the idea of the body remaining in his church owing to certain
difficulties. However, with the help of the Confraternity of the Blessed
Sacrament, some of whose members happened to be in the sacristy at the time,
Father Reis was persuaded to give his permission to let the body remain there.
Soon afterwards it arrived and was placed humbly on two stools in a corner of
the sacristy.
«The
news spread rapidly and soon a sort of pilgrimage of believers in Fatima began,
the faithful bringing their Rosaries and statues to touch Jacinta’s dress and
pray by her side. All this profoundly disturbed Father Reis who was averse to
his church being used for what might well be a false devotion, and he protested
energetically by both word and action, thereby surprising those who knew him as
a most kind and courteous priest.
«It
had finally been decided that the body should be taken to a vault in Vila Nova
de Ourem, and matters were accordingly arranged. This however involved a delay
of two days, the funeral being fixed for Tuesday at four o’clock from the Holy
Angels Church to the Rossio station, and from thence by train to Vila Nova de
Ourem.
«Meanwhile
the body remained in the open coffin, which again caused serious anxiety to
Father Reis, who feared an intervention on the part of the sanitary
authorities, and he continued to be worried by the stream of visitors, which he
only avoided by locking the coffin in an office.
«At
last Father Reis, in order to avoid the responsibility of the open coffin and
the pilgrims, deposited the body in the confraternity room above the sacristy
and handed the key to the firm of undertakers, Antonio Almeida and Co., who had
been hired for the funeral. Mr. Almeida remembers to this day, and in great
detail, what took place on that occasion.
«In
order to satisfy the innumerable requests to visit the body, he remained in the
church all day on February 23, accompanying each group of pilgrims – whose
numbers were strictly limited – to the room above, in order to avoid any
unseemliness which might occur.
«He
was deeply impressed by the respect and devotion with which the people
approached and kissed the little corpse on the face and the hands.»103
“A
PLEASANT PERFUME.” Here let the witness himself, Mr. Almeida speak. He writes:
«I
feel as though I can still see this little angel. Lying in her casket, she
seemed to be alive, with her lips and cheeks a beautiful rosy colour. I have
seen many dead people, young and old, but I have never seen anything like
her... The most obstinate unbeliever would not have been able to doubt. Think
of the odour corpses often give off, which cannot be borne without repugnance!
Yet the little girl was dead for three and a half days, and the odour she
exhaled was like a bouquet of various flowers...»104
Doctor
Lisboa continues:
«On
Tuesday, February 24, at eleven o’clock in the morning, the body was placed in
a leaden coffin, which was soldered. Apart from the solderer, present were Mr.
Almeida, the parish authorities and some ladies including Dona Maria de Jesus
de Oriol Pena, who declared to several persons who can still witness to it
today, that the perfume exhaled by the body at the moment the coffin was closed
was very pleasant, like that of sweet-smelling flowers, a very singular fact
given the purulent character of the illness and the prolonged time the body had
remained in the open air. The funeral service took place the afternoon of the
same day. The body was accompanied by a large crowd on foot (up to the train
station), in the rain. The casket was deposited in the family vault of the
Baron of Alvaiazere, at Vila Nova de Ourem.»105
Two
weeks later, on September 12, 1935, Bishop da Silva ordered the transfer of
Jacinta’s body to the cemetery of Fatima. When the coffin was opened, all the
assistants were astonished to observe that the face of the seer had remained
perfectly intact. Again, on May 1, 1951, on the occasion of the final
inhumation in the basilica, it could be observed that Jacinta’s face was still
perfectly recognizable.
In
expressing our wish that the Church soon grant her the glory of canonization,106
we can already make our own the beautiful prayer which Sister Lucy addresses to
her at the beginning of her Memoirs:
«Swift
through the worldYou went a-flying,Dearest Jacinta,In deepest sufferingJesus
loving.Forget not my pleaAnd prayer to you:Be ever my friendBefore the throneOf
the Virgin Mary!O lily of candour,Shining pearl,Up there in HeavenYou live in
glory,O seraphim of love,With your little brother,At the Master’s FeetPray for
me.»107
APPENDIX
I
TESTIMONY
ON THE SANCTITY OF JACINTA
THE
TESTIMONY OF SISTER LUCY
«What
did people feel when they were around Jacinta?» Canon Galamba asked Sister
Lucy. In her Fourth Memoir, Sister Lucy answers this at length, and with great
psychological finesse.
“A
HOLY PERSON WHO SEEMS TO BE IN CONTINUAL COMMUNICATION WITH GOD.” «What I
myself usually felt was much the same as anyone feels in the presence of a holy
person who seems to be in continual communication with God. Jacinta’s demeanour
was always serious and reserved, but friendly. All her actions seemed to
reflect the presence of God in a way proper to people of mature age and great
virtue. I never noticed in her that excessive frivolity of childish enthusiasm
for games and pretty things, so typical of small children. This, of course, was
after the apparitions; before then, she was the personification of enthusiasm
and caprice! I cannot say that the other children gathered around her as they
did around me. This was probably due to the fact that she did not know as many
songs or stories with which to teach and amuse them, or perhaps that there was
in her a seriousness far beyond her years.
«If
in her presence a child, or even a grown-up, were to say or do anything
unseemly, she would reprimand them, saying: “Don’t do that, for you are
offending the Lord Our God, and He is already so much offended!”
«If,
as sometimes happened, the child or adult answered back, and called her a
“pious Mary” or a plaster saint, or some other such thing, she would look at
them very seriously and walk away without a single word. Perhaps this was one
of the reasons why she did not enjoy more popularity.»1
«THIS
MUST BE AN ANGEL!»
«One
Sunday, my friends from Moita – Maria, Rosa, and Ana Caetano, and Maria and Ana
Brogueira – came after Mass to ask my mother to let me go and spend the day
with them. Once I received permission, they asked me to bring Jacinta and
Francisco along too. I asked my aunt and she agreed, and so all three of us
went to Moita. After dinner, Jacinta was so sleepy that her little head began
to nod. Mr. José Alves sent one of his nieces to go and put her to bed. In just
a short while, she fell fast asleep.
«The
people of the little hamlet began to gather in order to spend the afternoon
with us. They were so anxious to see Jacinta that they peeped in to see if she
were awake. They were filled with wonder when they saw that, although in a deep
sleep, she had a smile on her lips, the look of an angel, and her little
hands joined and raised towards Heaven.
«The
room was soon filled with curious people. Everyone wanted to see her, but those
inside were in no hurry to come out and make room for the others. Mr. Alves,
his wife and his nieces all said: “This must be an angel.” Overcome, as
it were, with awe, they remained kneeling beside the bed until, about half-past
four, I went to call her, so that we could pray the Rosary in the Cova da Iria
and then return home.»2
THE
PRAYERS OF A SAINT
AT
THE CHURCH OF FATIMA. When Jacinta was going to school, after October 1917, «at
playtime she loved to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. “They seem to
guess”, she complained. “We are no sooner inside the church than a crowd of
people come asking us questions! I wanted so much to be alone for a long
time with the Hidden Jesus and talk to Him, but they would never let us!”
«It
was true, the simple country folk never left us alone. With the utmost
simplicity, they told us about all their needs and their troubles. Jacinta
showed the greatest compassion, especially when it concerned some sinner,
saying: “We must pray and offer sacrifices to Our Lord, so that he will be
converted and not go to hell, poor man!”»3
THREE
HAIL MARYS TO OBTAIN A HEALING. «Again, a poor woman afflicted with a terrible
disease met us one day. Weeping, she knelt before Jacinta and begged her to ask
Our Lady to cure her. Jacinta was distressed to see a woman kneeling before
her, and caught hold of her with trembling hands to lift her up. But seeing
this was beyond her strength, she too knelt down and said three Hail Marys with
the woman. She then asked her to get up, and then assured her that Our Lady
would cure her. After that, she continued to pray daily for that woman, until
she returned some time later, to thank Our Lady for her cure.»4
“SHE
NEVER FORGOT HER SOLDIER.” «On another occasion, there was a soldier who wept
like a child. He had been ordered to leave for the front, although his wife was
sick in bed and he had three small children. He pleaded that either his wife
would be cured or that the order would be revoked. Jacinta invited him to say
the Rosary with her, and then said to him: “Don’t cry. Our Lady is so good!...
She will certainly grant you the grace you are asking.”
«From
then on, she never forgot her soldier. At the end of the Rosary, she always
said one Hail Mary for him. Some months later, he appeared with his wife and
his three small children, to thank Our Lady for the two graces he had received.
Having come down with fever on the eve of his departure, he had been released
from military service, and as for his wife, he said she had been miraculously
cured by Our Lady.»5
A
CASE OF BILOCATION? On another occasion Sister Lucy records this astounding
episode: «An aunt of mine called Victoria was married and lived in Fatima. She
had a son who was a real prodigal. I do not know the reason, but he left his
father’s house, and no one knew what had become of him. In her distress, my
aunt came to Aljustrel one day, to ask me to pray to Our Lady for this son of
hers. Not finding me, she asked Jacinta instead, who promised to pray for him.
A few days later, he suddenly returned home, asked his parents’ forgiveness,
and then went to Aljustrel to relate his sorry story.
«He
told us that, after having spent all that he had stolen from his parents, he
wandered about for quite a while like a tramp until, for some reason I have now
forgotten, he was put in jail at Torres Novas. After he had been there for some
time, he succeeded in escaping one night and fled to the remote hills and
unfamiliar pine groves. Realizing he had completely lost his way, and torn
between the fear of being captured and the darkness of a stormy night, he found
that his only recourse was prayer. Falling on his knees, he began to pray. Some
minutes had passed, he affirmed, when Jacinta appeared to him, took him by the
hand and led him to the main road which runs from Alqueidao to Reguengo, making
a sign for him to continue in that direction. When morning dawned, he found
himself on the road to Boleiros. Recognizing the place where he was, he was
overcome with emotion and directed his steps straight home to his parents.
«Now
what he declared, was that Jacinta had appeared to him, and that he had
recognized her perfectly. I asked Jacinta if it was true that she had gone
there to guide him. She answered that she had not, that she had no idea at all
of the location of the pine woods and hills where he had been lost. “I only
prayed and pleaded very much with Our Lady for him, because I felt so sorry for
Aunt Victoria.” That was how she answered me. How, then, did it happen? I don’t
know. Only God knows.»6
THE
TESTIMONY OF THE SURGEON: «A VERY COURAGEOUS CHILD.»
Here
is the testimony of Dr. Castro Freire, who operated on Jacinta at the hospital
of Dona Estefania at Lisbon:
«“I
was already a specialist in paediatrics and professor when I met Jacinta at the
hospital of Dona Estefania, where I was practicing. She arrived at the hospital
in very serious condition, with a face very marked by suffering; her purulent
pleurisy was followed by pneumonia. She had two decayed ribs, at least the left
one, I believe. It seems to me that she also had a problem with one of the
bones of her forearm, but I am not very sure... The operation consists in
opening a fissure large enough for the drainage of pus and to dry the rib
areas.”
«When
asked the question: “In your opinion, Doctor, under those circumstances would
such an operation be painful?” he answered: “Very painful, for several reasons.
Jacinta had already suffered a great deal from the illness itself before coming
to the hospital, and even at the hospital when she was waiting to be operated
on; there was no general anaesthesia; and a local anaesthetic is much more
painful when there is inflammation of the tissues. There is also the fact that
it was a long operation... Jacinta impressed me as a very courageous child,
because when a cavity is opened, a local anaesthetic is far from suppressing
all pain... The only words I heard her pronounce during the operation were
these: Aie! Jesus! Aie! My God! After the operation I continued to
follow her progress for a certain time; I checked the state of her dressings;
it was very painful to change them... At a given moment, shortly before her
death, she was transferred to another service.”
«When
asked: “Can Jacinta’s patience be considered heroic?” the doctor answered:
“Certainly, especially if we consider everything she suffered, the manner in
which she suffered, and the fact that she was only a child, for as we know, an
adult has more capacity for suffering than a child.”
«To
the question, “Would you be happy, doctor, if Jacinta were declared Blessed and
a Saint of the Church?” he answered: “That would be a great joy for me, considering
the heroism demonstrated by this child.”»7
APPENDIX
II
A
MESSAGE OF OUR LADY FOR CANON FORMIGAO
Among
all the statements, prophecies and secrets attributed by Mother Godinho to our
little seer during her brief stay at Lisbon, the message addressed to Canon
Formigao merits special consideration, because of its solid guarantees of
authenticity.
We
know that during her last days, Jacinta insistently requested several times
that the Reverend Doctor Manuel Formigao be called to her side, affirming that
Our Lady had appeared to her and had given her a message to transmit to him. A
letter of Mother Godinho written February 19, 1920, the day before Jacinta’s
death, gives clear testimony regarding this insistent request of the little
seer. Unfortunately, the revered priest, to whom Jacinta had also desired to go
to confession, could not be freed from his occupations in time, and when he
arrived at Lisbon, the seer had already been dead for several days. Shortly
before dying, however, she had communicated to Mother Godinho the message of
Our Lady, so that Canon Formigao could be informed anyway.
Mother
Godinho spoke with the priest face to face, and told him what Jacinta had said.
Just as during the interrogations, Canon Formigao took notes on the spot, and
reviewed them a few days later. Here is the essence of the text, written at the
end of February, 1920:
«The
revelation which, according to Jacinta de Jesus Marto, the Most Holy Virgin
made to her when she was at Lisbon, shortly before her death and which, since I
could not receive personally, as she so strongly desired, her “godmother”,
Maria of the Purification Godinho – a lady whom I am assured is worthy of
belief – transmitted to me for her part and by order of Our Lady (...). What is
written below is so to speak the free translation, but still the most exact
rendering, of the communication of the seer:
«Our
Lord is very angry over the sins and crimes which are committed in Portugal.
For this reason a terrible cataclysm of the social order menaces our country,
especially the city of Lisbon. It seems that a civil war of an anarchist or
communist character will break out, accompanied by plundering, killing, arson,
and all sorts of devastation. The capital will become a real image of hell. At
the moment when the Divine Justice, so offended, inflicts such a frightful
chastisement, let all those who can flee from this city. This chastisement here
predicted, must be made known little by little, with proper discretion.»1
It
is a terrible prophecy. Everything in it however is clear and easily
understood. The danger evoked here was fulfilled to the letter in Madrid, in
19362. We ourselves have every reason to believe, as later
revelations of Sister Lucy imply, that Portugal also might have undergone a
civil war, along with the Bolshevik terror. But the prophecy was conditional,
and, in perfect harmony with the rest of the message, the Blessed Virgin at the
same time offers us the means to prevent the chastisement: as we will see later
on, it turns out to be the consecration of Portugal to Her Immaculate Heart,
but also – indeed first of all – reparation, for these two requests always go
together at Fatima.
As
Jacinta indeed explained the words of the Blessed Virgin, «if there were souls
who would do penance and make reparation for the offences done to God, and
works of reparation were instituted to make satisfaction for crimes, the
chastisement would be prevented...»3
AN
EFFICACIOUS WARNING. These words, which harmonize so well with the revelations
received by Sister Lucy, were to have a great effect with an elite group of
chosen souls: from these words they drew the inspiration for a life completely
devoted to reparation, to satisfy the requests of Our Lady. At Fatima, and
nowhere else, we have five congregations of women whose spirituality is
directly oriented in this sense: among others, the “Missionary Sisters of
Reparation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”, the “Servants of Mary of Reparation”,
the “Claretian Sisters of Reparation”, and the “Missionaries of Reparation of
the Holy Face”.4
But
the message of Our Lady was addressed by name to Canon Formigao, and he was the
first to recognize a call from Heaven to found a work corresponding to this
request. In 1934, he wrote that this thought of the need for reparation seemed
to him the most profound reason for the marvellous events which took place at
the Cova da Iria: «Individual faults and collective iniquities cried to Heaven
for vengeance, and the Most Holy Virgin had difficulty holding back the arms of
Her Blessed Son, ready to unloose the blows of Divine Justice on those who
openly and fearlessly defied the wrath of the Most High...
«It
was then that a handful of chosen souls offered themselves generously to the
Lord... May it please God not to let the barbarian hordes of Muscovite
communism subvert Christian institutions, annihilating lives, defiling souls,
and transforming all of Portugal into an immense sea of blood and carnage, and
a vast and horrible field of debris and smoking ruins!»5 These words
are especially remarkable as they were written before the Spanish Civil War
broke out.
After
having intimately collaborated in the work of Dona Luisa Andaluz in 1934, Canon
Formigao founded a special institute, “Congregation of Sisters of Reparation of
Our Lady of Sorrows of Fatima”, with the goal of fulfilling the ideal of
reparation according to the Message of Fatima. Canonically approved on August
15, 1949, the new congregation developed rapidly. As of 1986, it numbered eight
houses in Portugal and one in Germany. At the Cova da Iria, the nuns ensure
that there is perpetual adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament exposed in the
chapel of the hospital, located behind the Capelinha.
What
admirable fecundity in the message of Our Lady, which the little seer on her
deathbed passed on to the priest destined to put it in practice.
«IF
THEY ONLY KNEW WHAT ETERNITY WAS!»
Among
the innumerable “logia’’ or sayings which Mother Godinho attributed to Jacinta,
a few others came to be added in passing years, with reasonable probability of
authenticity; Canon Formigao records them in his book of 1927, “The Great
Miracles of Fatima”. Canon Formigao collected these sayings shortly after the
death of Jacinta, and they undoubtedly correspond (if not word for word) to
things the little seer really said. As a matter of fact, we know through Sister
Lucy how frightened Jacinta was by the thought of so many souls falling into
hell.6
«Among
the visitors and nurses were many who offended Jacinta by their over-decorative
dress, often immodest as well. Pointing out certain necklaces and other forms
of jewellery, Jacinta would say: “What is it all for? If they only knew what
eternity was!” And of some doctors who appeared to be unbelievers: “Poor
things! If they knew what awaited them!”
«The
seer affirmed that Our Lady had revealed to her that “the sins which lead the
most people to hell are sins of the flesh; that people must give up luxury and
impurity, that they must not remain obstinate in sin, and that they must do
penance. It seems that as she said this, Our Lady looked very sad, for the
child added: “Oh, I feel so bad for Our Lady! I feel so bad for Her!”»7
APPENDIX
III
AN
APOCRYPHAL MESSAGE«THE SECRET OF MOTHER GODINHO» (APRIL 25, 1954)
We
have seen how “the secret” reserved for Canon Formigao concerns a very precise
object, and was passed on to the intended recipient immediately. If we consider
the way it was transmitted, the content, as well as the undeniable fruits of
grace it engendered, it comes to us with solid guarantees of credibility.1
The same is not the case for the two other secrets which Mother Godinho claims
she received from Jacinta, on the part of the Most Holy Virgin.
A
NONEXISTENT SECRET. Regarding the secret supposedly destined for Dr. Lisboa,
which Mother Godinho herself said she was unaware of, Father Alonso puts
forward a very plausible hypothesis: Jacinta, who was sick at the hospital of
Lisbon, asked insistently for a visit from “Senhor Doutor”... but this
expression was frequently used by the little seers to designate... Dr.
Formigao! Thus it may have been a simple mistake in the names, Jacinta in
reality having no secret for Dr. Lisboa.2
“THE
SECRET OF MOTHER GODINHO.” That leaves only the famous secret supposedly
destined for Mother Godinho herself, known to us only by the letter she wrote
to Pope Pius XII, on April 25, 1954. When it began to be partially divulged,
around the year 1970, this secret caused quite a stir: did it not predict
frightful cataclysms for the year 1972? An announcement of future events
predicted for a precise date always makes a great impression. Moreover, several
Portuguese authors took this text very seriously. In 1971, Father Messias Dias
Coelho published the integral text of it once again, with a commentary which
tended to favour its authenticity.3
Let
us point out that at the same time, Father Alonso did not have any qualms about
giving a decidedly opposing opinion. During the Third International Seminar on
Fatima, from August 17 to 22, 1971, he was asked several times about this
subject:
«“There
is talk concerning a text of Jacinta for the year 1972. What should we think of
it?” Response: “This text exists. It has been published twice by the revue
Mensagem de Fatima, but it does not merit critical confidence.”
Question: “Where is the original of Mother Godinho’s letter to the Pope? What
is its content?” Response: “The letter is at Lisbon. As for its content, it is
hard to say because the letter is long, but in general it deals with
eschatological things. Finally, it is said that there will be a great calamity
in the world in 1972.” Question: “Is it true that the year 1972 will be a year
of great disasters? The texts speak of this date and no other.” Response: “This
comes from Mother Godinho, but she attributes so many things to the seer
that it is impossible that she really said all that.”»4
Events
have proven the Fatima expert right. The fateful year 1972 went by without
anything to verify the prophecy objectively. That might have settled the
matter, and we could let this document fall back into the oblivion it merits,
as Father Alonso seems to have wished. However, since we propose to give “the
whole truth about Fatima”, it seems necessary, to get to the bottom of the
matter, to quote the entire text and present a point by point critical
commentary.5
«Prostrate
at the feet of Your Holiness, the humble and obscure Mother Mary of the
Purification Godinho, who for forty years has worked at the foundation of an
order of Franciscan Sisters, Claretians of expiation, beseeches Your Holiness
to deign to give her and her sisters, who have been present at the foundation
of this order, the necessary authorization to realize their ideal, cherished
for so many years and anxiously hoped for.
«For
many years, I have been director of the orphanage of Our Lady of Miracles, at
17 Rua de Estrela, Lisbon, Portugal, and I am ever hopeful of the realization
of this ideal. I have lived in community with some women who have a decided
vocation for the religious life, regulating their entire life and actions
according to the rule of Saint Claire and Mother “Mary da Costa”, a rule we
have all observed since 1916 without interruption; we have combined the active
life with the contemplative life, and consequently we are not cloistered,
although we very much wish we could be. And all the women who feel a true
calling and wish to embrace the religious state in this community must be
daughters of a legitimate marriage, they must be Catholics, they must give up
everything they have in the world, they must be chaste and virgins both in soul
and body, they must be humble and obedient, and practice all forms of charity,
they are bound to observe silence, and they must always, day and night, apply
themselves to perpetual adoration.»
In
this introduction we have the essence of the letter. It is perfectly clear,
while the rest of the letter is confused, incoherent and disorderly. In 1954,
Mother Godinho desired to obtain directly from the Holy Father what her bishop,
Cardinal Cerejeira, had always refused her, in spite of her repeated fervent requests:
canonical recognition of the nascent religious community gathered around her.
But does not this text alone suffice to justify the refusal of the Patriarch of
Lisbon? Clearly, whatever her good intentions might have been, Mother Godinho
possessed neither the clear-sightedness, or instruction, or any other qualities
necessary to claim the role of Foundress of a great religious order.
Here
there would have been nothing more than the banal and rather frequent case of a
new foundation not approved by the Church, if Mother Godinho had not had, in
1920, the merit of sheltering the little seer of Fatima. And due to the
fortuitous absence of Canon Formigao, she had the additional honour of passing
on to him the message the Blessed Virgin gave him through Jacinta. Such had
been the role of Mother Godinho, and this admittedly entitles her to a certain
amount of respect. But to go from that to attributing to herself the heavenly
mission, comparable to the mission of Canon Formigao, of founding a
congregation of Sisters of reparation – this is quite a jump... Indeed we see
how in her ideal of religious life, Mother Godinho in the final analysis
attributes the idea to the Blessed Virgin Herself, through the mediation of
Jacinta. Now, very curiously, she goes on to mingle with the idea of this
congregation prophetic considerations of worldwide significance:
«I
am the godmother of Jacinta Marto, the seer of Fatima, who made me privy to the
following secret, which I have kept religiously for many years, but now as I feel
death approaching, I wish to communicate it to Your Holiness. Under oath I
guarantee that what I say expresses purely and simply what I heard from her,
and which forms my secret. Here is the essential part. “Mother, tell
the Holy Father that the world is troubled and Our Lady can no longer hold
back the arm of Her beloved Son, Who is very offended by the sins committed in
the world. If, however, the world decides to do penance, She would come to its
aid again, but if not, chastisement would infallibly fall upon it, for its
lack of obedience to the Holy Father.»
Is
this last phrase the echo of an authentic revelation of Jacinta? If this were
the case, it would be the only time Our Lady of Fatima developed this thought.
For in none of the revelations which Sister Lucy received later on do we find a
similar diagnosis for the cause of the chastisements threatening us. Heaven
insists only on the offences against the Most Holy Virgin, and especially, as
we will see, on the disobedience of the Pastors of the Church to the great
designs of God in favour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.6
This
mention of disobedience towards the Holy Father, on the other hand, appears
closely related to what seems to be the dream, the idée fixe of Mother Godinho:
a most intimate union of her community – which by the very fact would assume an
exorbitant importance – with the Holy Father, or with the Vatican, directly,
so as to compensate for the coldness and lack of understanding by the Cardinal
Patriarch.
«Jacinta
then asked me to tell the Holy Father and His Excellency, the Bishop of
Leiria, that the house I occupy at Fatima ought to be called “the House of
Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima”, and that the sisters of this order, after
their approval, were to take the name of “Claretian Sisters of Mother Mary
da Costa”, and that they would keep united to the Vatican to prepare for the
year 1972, because the sins of impurity, vanity, and excessive luxury would
bring great chastisements to the world, which would cause great suffering to
the Holy Father. “Poor Holy Father!” she would say.»
What
a deluge of prophecies! At the moment these words were supposed to have been
uttered by Jacinta, there was no building at the Cova da Iria except the tiny
“Capelinha”. Mother Godinho had no house. There was no Bishop of Leiria yet,
for the diocese still did not have a titular named for it. Nor do we grasp the
necessity of informing the Holy Father of such tiny details. Let us pass over
the great cataclysm predicted for 1972. Let us likewise pass over the causes of
the chastisement invoked here, concerning which Sister Lucy has never mentioned
a word. As for the union of the Claretian Sisters of Mother Godinho with the
Vatican for 1972, it was impossible, and for good reason. Indeed in 1960, when
Mother Godinho died, the Cardinal Patriarch ordered the few religious living
with her (all of whom, by the way, wanted to be in charge), to request
admission into another community, or resume civil life. Thus the prophecy was
not fulfilled at all.
«I
could hardly believe these things; but Jacinta insisted, saying: “Godmother, tell
the Holy Father that Our Lady wishes this work to be the apple of the Holy
Father’s eye, try therefore to talk to him about it”; and among other
things she said: “Our Lady wants there to be at the Cova da Iria a house for
Her, the Mother of God, and that the Sisters who go there imitate Her virtues,
and expiate for the sins committed in other religious houses (sic).”
Among other things Our Lady told the seer: “In this house there will be rigorous
silence, only what is absolutely necessary will be said, and nothing more; nothing
will be done without permission of His Holiness, and the religious who live
there under Our Lady’s roof will imitate the virtues of the Heavenly Mother;
they will have no contact with the world and they will live a very retired
life, and it will behove them to pray particularly for the Holy Father,
uniting all their penitential practices to the Vatican, for the intention
of...”7
«I,
a Sister of Saint Francis, Maria of the Purification, to whom the seer Jacinta
revealed these things, understood nothing of these things, but it seems to me
that she meant that wars would stop in the world only when men also finished
(sic).
«At
this moment I said to Jacinta that the Holy Father knew very well what he had
to do and that Our Lord and Our Lady would inspire him so that it would be
superfluous for me to tell him what the seer related to me. But she went on
talking, and she said that the triumph of Our Lord still had to come, but
beforehand there would be many tears, because in the world His Holy Will is not
being accomplished. And she told me that she was distraught at not knowing how
to express it better, but she wanted to try anyway: “There is a secret of
Heaven and another of the earth, and the latter is frightening, it already
seems like the end of the world and in this cataclysm everything will be
isolated from Heaven, which will become as white as snow.”»
Let
us say unequivocally: it would be a waste of time to make heads or tails of
these words. Mother Godinho goes on, continuing to jumble everything together:
«Our
Lady said that we must pray much and perform many “mortifications of the
senses” (give up many things) because this is very pleasing to Our Lord, that
we must love Our Lord with all our heart and respect priests because they are
the salt of the earth, and their duty is to show souls the way to Heaven. She
also recommended often to the seer that I do nothing without the permission of
the Holy Father and the Most Reverend Bishop of Leiria, and that she (Jacinta)
ask me to tell Your Holiness, among other things, that Our Lady appeared to me
here at the orphanage several times, and that she also appeared to the
seer, before the latter went to the hospital of D. Estefania, and at this
moment Jacinta felt such harmony that it seemed to her that she was already in
the presence of God, and already enjoyed eternal glory for all eternity.»
This
last paragraph is decisive: Mother Godinho herself also supposedly saw the
Blessed Virgin! Whoever wishes to believe this may do so. But in any case, what
a curious way of letting us know. Instead of simply saying: “I saw the Blessed
Virgin, who gave me such or such a mission,” Mother Godinho wraps herself once
more in the cloak of Jacinta: the Most Holy Virgin asked Jacinta to ask Mother
Godinho to tell the Holy Father that Mother Godinho had herself seen the Holy
Virgin several times in her house on Rua de Estrela, just as Jacinta had
several times seen Her! What a mess!
«This
long but loyal exposition which I have made, being concluded, the humblest of
your servants casts herself at the feet of Your Holiness as she kisses your
ring, full of respect.
Mother
Maria of the Purification GodinhoApril 25, 1954»
THE
AUTHENTIC DOCUMENT... For clarity’s sake let us point out that this document is
not a fake, as certain authors affirmed. We know in fact that Mother Godinho
had made a copy of her letter to Pope Pius XII. In July, 1983, we received
firsthand the testimony of a priest who shortly before the death of Mother
Godinho had this copy in his hand and recopied it exactly. He confirmed to us
that the published version is perfectly identical with the original.8
...
OF AN APOCRYPHAL “SECRET”. That being said, following Father Alonso, and as
another Fatima expert who knew Mother Godinho well advised us, «we have reason
to be critical». Fatima rests upon unquestionable facts and testimony. The
declarations of Mother Godinho, on the contrary, upon examination appear
groundless.
1)
The visions. There is no solid reason to take seriously the claim of
Mother Godinho that she herself saw the Most Holy Virgin in 1920. An apparition
which took place precisely when Jacinta was in her house. An apparition
concerning which she tells us not a thing. The only guarantee put forward for
this apparition is that Our Lady supposedly expressly willed that the Pope be
informed. Let us be permitted to ask: Why? When Mother Godinho reports this
event to the Holy Father, in such a rambling formula, at the age of seventy-six
and thirty-four years after the event, we have every reason to believe she is
making it up. No doubt this is unconscious. For a simple internal criticism of
the letter shows that at the time Mother Godinho wrote it, she did not enjoy
perfect psychic equilibrium. It is useless to explain this away, as does Father
Messias Dias Coelho, by her total lack of culture. She knew how to read and
write, and we find under her pen a good number of themes borrowed from what she
had read, whether from Fatima or from other subjects. Saint Bernadette knew
even less than Mother Godinho, and Saint Joan of Arc even less. Their testimony
sparkles with good sense, intelligence, and the clear thinking of peasant folk.
The same can be said of Sister Lucy in her Memoirs, which trace an
extraordinarily lively, coherent and down-to-earth portrait of Jacinta.
2)
«My secret» for the Holy Father. The confusion and imprecision of
the secret Mother Godinho supposedly was given to transmit to the Holy Father –
the total absence of clarity which she attributes, in passing, to Jacinta
herself – is a clear sign that it is a subjective elaboration. Moreover, here
is another telltale sign: if we reread the letter, we see that she has nothing
to reveal to the Pope which really concerns him, still less anything to ask of
him. Except one thing: recognition of the institute of Mother Godinho, because
«the Blessed Virgin wishes this work to be the apple of the Holy Father’s eye.»
3)
The apocalyptic prophecies. This, of course, is what drew attention to
this letter before 1972. Since this date passed without them being verified,
there is no longer any motive to give them the least credit. It is regrettable
that this or that Portuguese author continues to present these texts as an
integral part of the message of Fatima.9
4)
The mission to become a foundress. As for the mission of founding a new
religious congregation, which Mother Godinho claims to have received from Our
Lady through Jacinta, this also is surely an illusion. Subsequent events
themselves have demonstrated that. Charged with making known to another the
mission she believed she had, did not Mother Godinho come to believe, little by
little, that this mission came to her from Heaven as well? This supposed
“secret” and this “mission” she claims in her letter, are they not a simple
copy of those of Canon Formigao? In any case it seems that, by a process well
known to psychologists, in this letter Mother Godinho came to transpose her own
ideal of religious life, her own thoughts and imaginings, her own resolute
desire to have a religious house at the Cova da Iria like the others – that is,
she transposed her own thoughts onto the will of the Blessed Virgin as passed
on by Jacinta.
Conclusion:
On her deathbed at the hospital in Lisbon, Jacinta received from the Most Holy
Virgin one and only one “secret”: the one destined for Canon Formigao. “The
secret of Mother Godinho” appears to us an apocryphal text, a subjective
construction elaborated from this authentic message which did not concern her.
Under her pen, and in her imagination, diverse recollections are mingled in
inextricable fashion: the plausible together with the incredible.10
Of
course, it is quite deplorable that the message of Fatima, so clear and limpid,
of which Sister Lucy is the faithful and sure depositary, be saddled with this
pseudo-message. Like a parasite, there is always the risk that it harm the
living organism from which it lives. But did not Saint Francis have his
Fioretti, more or less fantasy-ridden, and did not Our Lord Himself have the
apocryphal Gospels? It is sufficient to be aware of these things and use a
prudent criticism. In the final analysis, these regrettable adjuncts bring out
more clearly by way of contrast, the supernatural character of the authentic
Message of Fatima. The authentic message is proven by striking miracles and
clear prophecies which were all fulfilled. We need only recall, for example,
the way the great miracle of October 13 was predicted three months in advance,
the prophecy of Russia’s role in spreading its errors and stirring up wars, the
prediction of the Second World War, or the special protection enjoyed by
Portugal. Among others, these are all so many sure guarantees which permit us
to distinguish the perfectly credible statements from those which are not.
Endnotes
(1)
IV, p. 144.(2) Cf. supra, p. 40-48.(3) III, p. 109; cf. p. 114.(4) IV, p. 109.(5)
I, p. 30.(6) Cf. our Vol. I, p. 244-247.(7) I, p. 40-41.(8) I, p. 36-37.(9) I,
p. 31.(10) I, p. 31.(11) III, p. 111.(12) I, p. 41.(13) I, p. 33.(14) Témoignages
sur les Apparitions, p. 243. Written in response to a request of Msgr.
Vidal of November 3, 1917, completed on August 6, 1918, the Ferreira report was
not passed on to the patriarchate of Lisbon until April 18, 1919.(15) III, p.
112-113.(16) III, p. 113. Cf. I, p. 34; II, p. 83.(17) III, p. 113. In a copy
of this text intended for Father Gonçalves, Lucy gives this other version: «...
so many roads, so many paths full of dead people, losing their blood?» (FCM, p.
77.)(18) III, p. 113.(19) III, p. 109.(20) III, p. 114.(21) I, p. 34. In her
Second Memoir, Sister Lucy reports this other memory: «I have already told Your
Excellency in the account I have written about my cousin, how two holy priests
came and spoke to us about His Holiness, and told us of his great need of
prayers. From that time on, there was not a prayer or sacrifice that we
offered to God which did not include an invocation for His Holiness. We
grew to love the Holy Father so deeply, that when the parish priest told my
mother that I would probably have to go to Rome to be interrogated by His
Holiness, I clapped my hands with joy and said to my cousins: “Won’t it be
wonderful if I can go and see the Holy Father!” They burst into tears and said:
“We can’t go, but we can offer this sacrifice for him.”» II, p. 83.
This text should not fool us: if Sister Lucy insists on the visit of the two
priests who explained to them who the Pope was, it is because she had not yet
revealed the great Secret. On the contrary, in her Third Memoir, she clearly
shows that it was the Secret, and Jacinta’s visions, that made them understand
how the Pope needed their prayers. «Poor Holy Father, Jacinta exclaimed
immediately after her vision, we must pray very much for him!» (III, p. 113.) (22)
In 1936, Our Lord spoke to his confidante, concerning the Pope and the
consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, this sentence heavy
with meaning: «The Holy Father! Pray a great deal for the Holy Father! He will
do it, but it will be late.» (Letter to Father Gonçalves, May 18, 1936, Documentos,
p. 413.) In a letter to Father Aparicio on March 2,
1945, Sister Lucy clearly implies that the Holy Father’s great sufferings
announced by the Secret, and no doubt by Jacinta’s vision also, still concerned
the future: she writes, «Over there (in Brazil) do they pray for the Holy
Father? It is necessary to pray unceasingly for His Holiness. Days of great
torment and affliction still await him.» (Doc., p. 449.)(23) I, p.
37.(24) I, p. 23; cf. our Vol. I, p. 74-77.(25) I, p. 42.(26) II, p. 101.(26a)
Ibid.(27) Cf. our Vol. I, p. 81.(28) I, p. 42.(29) II, p. 112; I, p. 39.(30) I,
p. 45.(31) De Marchi, p. 262.(32) II, p. 94; cf. I, p. 43.(33) I, p. 45.(34)
II, p. 94.(35) II, p. 96; cf. our Vol. I, p. 246.(36) I, p. 41-42.(37) II, p.
95; cf. I, p. 41-42.(38) II, p. 97.(39) I, p. 41-42. Is it necessary to stress
that our three seers were too humble, too self-forgetful to seek, by these
almost incessant mutual disclosures, recognition of their self-worth by
glorying in their sacrifices? We see quite the contrary, in the little remarks
they made to one another; they had but one purpose: to encourage each other to
better practice Our Lady’s great requests, and their common commitments to Her.
But in addition to this supernatural emulation, the Holy Spirit, who without
any doubt was moving them interiorly to this great openness of soul between
themselves, also had a greater design: that of making known one day, to a multitude
of souls, “the little way of spiritual childhood” chosen by Our Lady for Her
three messengers. Their simple, childlike manner of offering the Immaculate
Heart of Mary innumerable little sacrifices would have the value of an example.
Like Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, who also always seemed to be boasting of
her slightest acts of virtue, our three seers had received a charism: that of
teaching, through example, the practice of a spiritual way.(40) I, p. 43.(41)
I, p. 43.(42) I, p. 38.(43) I, p. 41.(44) III, p. 117.(45) Ibid.(46) In spite
of the contrary testimony of Mr. Marto, who believes he remembered that Jacinta
was admitted to communion beginning in May 1918, it appears certain that she
never received communion at the church of Fatima. Cf., in De Marchi, Father
Simonin’s notes, p. 243-244, 275. Does Ti Marto confuse her here with the first
communion of one of his daughters older than Jacinta? It is possible.(47) III,
p. 117.(48) I, p. 39.(49) Ibid.(50) II, p. 101.(51) De Marchi, p. 263.(52) I,
p. 43. On the subject of Jacinta’s patience, the apparently dissonant testimony
of Dr. Preto must be mentioned here. In 1946, during the course of an audience
he had with her, Father Jongen made the objection to Sister Lucy: «“In your
Memoirs, you speak of Jacinta’s patience during her illness. However, Dr.
Preto, who took care of her at the hospital of Ourem, told me that Jacinta had
no more patience than the other children.” “I don’t know. When I saw her, she
was always joyful and full of courage.” “The same doctor recalls that Jacinta
reacted strongly when he made her suffer.” “Well”, the Sister said, smiling,
“do you find that so unusual for a child?”...» (Quoted by De Marchi, p. 343.)
These answers are full of good sense. In effect, two remarks are necessary:
first of all, we would like to know the disposition of the above-mentioned
doctor towards the little seer, for his objectivity is not necessarily above
all suspicion. In addition, the lack of precision of
the testimony needs to be stressed: the seer reacted strongly when he made her
suffer. What does that mean? Did he imagine that a nine-year-old child –
because she had seen the Holy Virgin – was going to behave with stoic
impassivity when he removed the dressing from the open wound in her side?
The astonishing thing, on the contrary, is that instead of being all absorbed
by her sufferings, the little seer, immediately afterwards, thought of offering
them in sacrifice.(53) I, p. 43.(54) De Marchi, p. 265.(55) Ibid.(56) Quoted by
J.M. Alonso, O Dr. Formigao, homem de Deus, p. 296-297 (Ediçoes
Santuario, Fatima, 1979).(57) II, p. 95.(58) I, p. 44.(59) IV, p. 185-186.(59a)
Ibid.(60) IV, p. 184-185.(61) III, p. 113. The seer’s prayer really was heard
since, miraculously, neither the war in Spain nor the Second World War reached
“The Land of Holy Mary”.(62) I, p. 44.(63) Quoted by De Marchi, p. 255.(64) II,
p. 95.(65) I, p. 37.(66) II, p. 96; cf. I, p. 44.(67) I, p. 44-45.(68) I, p.
45.(69) I, p. 45.(70) III, p. 114-115.(71) I, p. 45.(72) I, p. 45-46.(73) I, p.
45.(74) 1879-1963.(75) In a long report written at the request of the Bishop of
Leiria, Dr. Lisboa wrote down all his recollections dealing with the final
weeks of the little seer. This text is an important document widely used by
Fatima historians.(76) Quoted by De Marchi, p. 270-271.(77) p. 272.(78) I, p.
46; cf. De Marchi, p. 272.(79) Quoted by De Marchi, p. 273.(80) Ibid. In fact,
Olimpia remained at Lisbon for two weeks, and did not return to Aljustrel until
February 5.(81) Born in 1877, she died at Lisbon on June 24, 1960, in her
orphanage.(82) De Marchi, p. 276.(83) De Marchi, p. 276.(84) Declaration made
during the Third “International Fatima Seminar”. Ephemerides Mariologicae,
1972, p. 438.(85) Out of concern for historical exactitude, in the present
account we shall retain only the statements of Mother Godinho which are
completely plausible and raise no difficulty, reserving for later the deeper
examination of the complex and delicate critical problem raised by the
innumerable statements – sentences, prophecies and secrets – attributed by her
to Jacinta during the latter’s brief stay at Lisbon.(86) De Marchi, p. 277.(87)
Declarations of Mother Godinho to an official interrogation. Quoted by Barthas,
Il était trois petits enfants, p. 199.(88) De Marchi, p. 276.(89) De
Marchi, p.277.(90) I, p. 46.(91) Referring to the Baron of Alvaiazere. The
Baron, a stupefied witness of the solar miracle (cf. our Vol. I, p. 339-340),
had become the most intimate and effective friend of Ti Marto. With Canon
Formigao, he organized the journey and hospitalization of Jacinta, while
helping defray the expenses involved.(92) De Marchi, p. 274.(93) p. 282.(94)
Alonso, O Dr. Formigao, p. 269.(95) De Marchi, p. 284. In an appendix we
will quote Dr. Freire’s testimony. (96) Formigao, Les grandes merveilles,
p. 112.(97) Quoted by De Marchi, p. 285. Cf. our Vol. I, p. 16.(98) Formigao,
op. cit., p. 112.(99) P. 285.(100) Although she contented herself with repeating
to her entourage that Our Lady would come to look for her soon, her surprising
attitude on this evening of February 20 proves that she knew more about it, and
indeed knew the precise hour of her departure for Heaven.(101) Quoted by De
Marchi, p. 286.(102) Father De Marchi notes that the young nurse Aurora Gomes
was present at her death. But it is not astonishing, if this was the case, that
she did not relate for us any words, any gesture of the little seer during the
two long hours separating the moment when she made her confession, still
perfectly lucid, and the instant when she left this earth? Father Castelbranco
states that Jacinta «expired alone, during a brief absence of the nurse» (Le
Prodige inouie de Fatima, p. 168. Cf. also Femando Leite in Jacinta:
«Nobody was present at her final moments»). Be that as
it may, it is certain that Jacinta had no loved ones near her who could support
her by their affectionate presence and prayers.(103) Report of Dr. Lisboa.(104)
De Marchi, p. 289.(105) Lisboa report, quoted by De Marchi, p. 287-291.(106)
Jacinta and Francisco of Fatima will undoubtedly be the first little children
who are not martyrs to be declared saints by the Church. Indeed up to the
present, the competent Roman Congregation “consigned to the archives” all
processes concerning children who were not martyrs, given the fact that it
seemed difficult to establish the heroicity of their virtues.
The question was recently examined at Rome, and was decided in the affirmative
by Msgr. Casieri, an official of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of
Saints. Opened in 1949 and transmitted to the Vatican in 1979, the
beatification processes of the two Fatima seers are thus well on their way,
especially since both have already accomplished more miracles than is required
by the procedure in force (cf. on this subject the many articles appearing in Les
voyants de Fatima, bulletin for the causes of beatification of Francisco
and Jacinta published by vice-postulator, Father Luis Kondor, SVD. Vice
Postulaçao, Rua. S. Pedro 9, Apart. 6. P. 2496 Fatima Codex, Portugal).*(107)
I, p.20.
*
EDITOR’S NOTE: On May 13, 1989, the Vatican took the first step towards
beatifying the children, declaring them “Venerable”, and on May 13, 2000, the
children were beatified by Pope John Paul II.
Appendix
I
(1)
IV, p. 183-184.(2) IV, p. 186-187.(3) I, p. 38.(4) I, p. 39-40.(5) I, p. 40.(6)
IV, p. 175-176.(7) Quoted by Bishop Cosme do Amaral, present Bishop of Leiria,
in his sermon of April 4, 1982. Les voyants de Fatima, January-April,
1982.
Appendix
II
(1)
Alonso, O Dr. Formigao, p. 269-270.(2) See further on, p. 412.(3)
Testimony of Mother Godinho, Alonso, O Dr. Formigao, p. 278-279.(4) Cf.
Geraldes Freire, O Segredo de Fatima, p. 110-111. Ed. do Santuario de
Fatima. 1978.(5) Voz da Fatima, March 3, 1934, quoted by Alonso, O
Dr. Formigao, p. 275. (6) The chapter devoted to the account of Jacinta’s
death, from which the passage we are going to quote is excerpted, had already
appeared in 1921, in Os episodios maravilhosos de Fatima, and before
that, in an article of the review A Guarda of June 5, 1920. The article was
written then by Dr. Alberto Diniz da Fonseca using Dr. Formigao’s notes taken
shortly after the seer’s death, between February and April, 1920 (cf. Alonso, Historia
da Literatura sobre Fatima, p. 14).(7) Les grandes merveilles de Fatima,
French edition, p. 112-113.
Appendix
III
(1)
Read the entirety of Father Alonso’s critical demonstration, O Dr. Formigao,
p. 267-301.(2) Alonso, ibid., p. 291-292.(3) Mensagem de Fatima,
September-October, 1971.(4) Eph. Mar., 1972, p. 432-438.(5) Mother Godinho’s
letter to Pope Pius XII was published in extenso in Mensagem de Fatima
(September-October, 1971), and then by the German review Bote von Fatima
in January, 1972.(6) Cf. Part II, Chap. VII, «They did not want to heed My
request.»(7) Here four nations are named which the editors of the letter,
publishing it before 1972, had believed it necessary to omit.(8) Cf. also the
testimony of Father Dias Coelho, Bote von Fatima, February 1972, p. 12.(9)
Cf. Geraldes Freire, O Segredo de Fatima, 1978 (p. 105-108). The author,
moreover, quotes from it only a few chosen excerpts, and being drawn out of
their context, which takes away their whole value, they serve him – for lack of
anything better! – as arguments against the traditionalists!(10) If at the end
of her testimony, when she writes her letter to Pope Pius XII, Mother Godinho
no longer offers any guarantee of credibility, no doubt the same negative
critical judgment cannot be passed uniformly on all her older testimony. Let us
point out, however, that she was not questioned during the diocesan process of
Fatima. She was only questioned later, in 1934 and 1935 (cf. Alonso, Eph. Mar.,
1969, p. 307).
CHAPTER V
LUCY:«JESUS WISHES TO USE
YOU»(1917 - 1925)
To
understand the life of our three seers from within, in its most profound truth,
we must look at it in the very light of God, who in His Providence fixed for
each of them a distinct vocation in the service of the great design of Love
revealed by His Most Holy Mother at Fatima. In other words, we must always go
back to the apparition of June 13 when, just as in the Annunciation, their
personal futures were prophetically revealed.
Our
Lady had announced at that time: «Jacinta and Francisco, I will take them (to
Heaven) soon, but you, Lucy, will remain here for a certain time. Jesus
wishes to use you to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish in the
world devotion to My Immaculate Heart...»
Before
becoming, at the appointed hour, the messenger of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
and Her desires as regards the Church and the world, Lucy had two essential
tasks to accomplish. First of all, she was to give unceasing testimony, clear
and forceful testimony, concerning everything she had seen and heard, at least
concerning everything she could make known at the moment. Then she had to obey
the pressing request which the Blessed Virgin Mary had addressed to her the
same day: «I want you to learn how to read so that I can tell you what I
want.»1 Thus she would have to read, study, and develop her mind
before being able to pass on the messages of Heaven to the Church: «Jesus
wishes to use you, to make Me known and loved.»
I.
LUCY, WITNESS OF THE APPARITIONS
Going
back in time a little bit, let us return to the eldest of our three seers after
the great apparition of October 13, 1917. She reports in her Memoirs:
«My
mother had to sell our flock. We kept only three sheep, which we took along
with us when we went to the fields. Whenever we stayed at home, we kept them in
the pen and fed them there. My mother then sent me to school,2 and
in my free time, she wanted me to learn weaving and sewing. In this way, she
had me safe in the house, and didn’t have to waste any time looking for me.»3
LUCY,
THE PRINCIPAL WITNESS
After
October 13, Lucy writes, «almost every day, from then on, people went to the
Cova da Iria to implore the protection of our Heavenly Mother. Everybody wanted
to see the seers, to question them, and to recite the Rosary with them.
«At
times, I was so tired of saying the same thing over and over again, and also of
praying, that I looked for any pretext for excusing myself, and making my
escape. But those poor people were so insistent that I had to make an effort,
and indeed no small effort, in order to satisfy them. I then repeated my usual
prayer deep down in my heart: “O my God, it is for love of You, in reparation
for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the conversion
of sinners, and for the Holy Father.”4
Since
Jacinta bitterly regretted having spoken too much, and since Francisco with
great humility always showed himself extremely circumspect, the duty of
responding to visitors’ questions fell principally to Lucy. Lucy records an
example: «One day, I asked Francisco: “When you are questioned, why do you put
your head down and not want to answer?” “Because I want you to answer, and
Jacinta too. I didn’t hear anything. I can only say that I saw. Then, supposing
I said something you didn’t want me to say?”»5 Lucy adds: «As
Jacinta was in the habit of putting her head down, keeping her eyes fixed on
the ground and scarcely uttering a word during the interrogations, I was
usually called upon to satisfy the curiosity of the pilgrims.»6
Very
often also, our three seers made themselves scarce when people approached who
looked like they had come to ask questions. Far from desiring to be seen and
honoured by the visitors, they fled company as much as they could. Sometimes
this led to a clever ruse:
«In
this connection (Lucy writes), it might be good to relate here an incident
which shows to what extent Jacinta sought to escape from the people who came
looking for her.
«We
were on our way to Fatima one day, and approaching the main road, when we
noticed a group of ladies and gentlemen get out of a car. We knew without the
slightest doubt that they were looking for us. Escape was impossible, for they
would see us. We continued on our way, hoping to pass by without being
recognized. On reaching us, the ladies asked if we knew the little shepherds to
whom Our Lady had appeared. We said we did. “Do you know where they live?” We
gave them precise directions, and ran off to hide in the fields among the
brambles. Jacinta was so delighted with the result of her little stratagem,
that she exclaimed: “We must do this always when they don’t know us by sight.”7
«Another
day, we were sitting in the shade of two fig trees overhanging the road that
runs by my cousins’ house. Francisco began to play a little way off. He saw
several ladies coming towards us and ran back to warn us. We promptly climbed
up the fig trees. In those days it was the fashion to wear hats with brims as
wide as a sieve, and we were sure that with such headgear, those people would never
catch sight of us up there. As soon as the ladies had gone by, we came down as
fast as we could, took to our heels and hid in a cornfield.”8
Who
could blame our three shepherds for taking such an attitude? On the contrary,
it is gratifying to see them react as regular children, with joyous simplicity,
and good-natured “mischievousness”. But on a more profound level, in this way
they demonstrated true humility: they are so convinced they have nothing to
teach their visitors, who already surely know everything they could tell them.
No, we can truthfully say that the apparitions did not go to their head! Far
from taking advantage of their role as little seers, it costs them an effort to
receive the pilgrims and answer them. «I offer Our Lord all the sacrifices I
can think of», Francisco said. «Sometimes (not “always”, for that would be
asking too much!) I don’t even run away from all those people, just in order to
make sacrifices!»9 Jacinta said the same thing on one occasion, when
Lucy and Francisco were running away from these pesky strangers as fast as
their legs could carry them: «I’m not going to hide. I’m going to offer this
sacrifice to Our Lord.»10
THE
PRIESTS: MERCILESS INQUISITORS
«I
was continually being summoned to the house of the parish priest. On one
occasion, a priest from Torres Novas11 came to question me. When he
did so, he went into such minute details and tried so hard to trip me up that
afterwards I felt some scruples about having concealed certain things from him.
I consulted my cousins on the matter:
«“I
don’t know”, I told them, “if we are doing wrong by not telling everything,
when they ask us if Our Lady told us anything else. When we just say that She
told us a secret, I don’t know whether we are lying or not, by saying nothing about
the rest.” “I don’t know”, replied Jacinta. “That’s up to you! You’re the one
who does not want us to say anything!” “Of course I don’t want you to say
anything”, I answered. “Why, they’ll start asking us what sort of
mortifications we are practising! And that would be the last straw!...
«I
was left with my misgivings, and had no idea as to how I was to resolve my
doubt. A little while later, another priest appeared; he was from Santarem. He
looked like a brother of the first I’ve just spoken of, or at least they seemed
to have rehearsed things together: asking the same questions, making the same
attempts to trip me up, laughing and making fun of me in the same way; in fact
their very height and features were almost identical.
«After
this interrogation, my doubt was stronger than ever, and I really did not know
what course of action to follow. I constantly pleaded with Our Lord and Our
Lady to tell me what to do. “O my God, and my dearest Mother in Heaven, You
know that I do not want to offend You by telling lies; but You are well aware
that it would not be right to tell them all that You told me!”»12
It
was also this constant concern to preserve their Secret intact, which moved our
three seers to flee from interrogations, especially those of the priests, some
of whom had no scruples about using the most odious procedures with them:
threats, insults, lies.13
Lucy
recalls:
«This
habit we had of making good our escape, whenever possible, was yet another
cause for complaint on the part of the parish priest. He bitterly complained of
the way we tried to avoid priests in particular. His Reverence was certainly
right. It was priests especially who put us through the most rigorous
cross-examinations, and then returned to question us all over again. Whenever
we found ourselves in the presence of a priest, we prepared to offer to God one
of our greatest sacrifices!»14
SOME
“GOOD SHEPHERDS”
THE
DEAN OF OLIVAL: “HE WAS MY FIRST SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR.” Some priests,
fortunately, were an exception, and they were able to recognize the sincerity
of the seers, admire their candour, their piety, and their generosity. We have
already mentioned Canon Formigao, who was undoubtedly the first of these “good
shepherds”.15 But Lucy was soon to find, in the person of Father
Faustino Jacinto Ferreira, the dean of Olival, a wise and kind advisor, a real
spiritual Father.
Lucy
was still tormented over her deliberately incomplete responses to the priest
from Torres Novas, as well as his brother, when she met Father Faustino:
«In
the midst of this perplexity, I had the happiness of speaking to the Vicar of
Olival. I do not know why, but His Reverence inspired confidence, and I
confided my doubt to him...»16 What was I to say to those who asked
if the Holy Virgin had said something more, and avoid lying? This priest said
to us: «You do well, my little ones, to keep the secret of your souls between
God and yourselves. When they put that question to you, just answer: “Yes, She
did say more, but it’s a secret.” If they question you further on this subject,
think of the Secret that the Lady made known to you, and say: “Our Lady told us
not to say anything to anybody; for this reason, we are saying nothing.” In
this way, you can keep your secret under cover of Our Lady’s.» «How well I
understood the explanation and guidance of this venerable old priest», comments
Lucy.17
«He
also gave us some further instructions on the spiritual life. Above all, he
taught us to give pleasure to Our Lord in everything, and how to offer Him
countless little sacrifices. “If you feel like eating something, my children”,
he would say, “leave it, and eat something else instead; and thus offer a
sacrifice to God. If you feel inclined to play, do not do so, and offer to God
another sacrifice. If people question you, and you cannot avoid answering them,
it is God who wills it so: offer Him this sacrifice, too.”
«This
holy priest spoke a language that I could really understand, and I loved him
dearly.
«From
then on, he never lost sight of my soul. Now and then, he called me in to see
me, or kept in touch with me through a pious widow called Mrs. Emilia, who
lived in a little hamlet near Olival. She was very devout, and often went to
pray at the Cova da Iria. After that, she used to come to our house and ask
them to let me go and spend a few days with her. Afterwards, she took me to
visit the Reverend Vicar.
«He
was kind enough to invite me to remain for two or three days as company for one
of his sisters. At such times, he was patient enough to spend whole hours alone
with me, teaching me the practice of virtue and guiding me with his own wise
counsels.
«Even
though at that time I did not understand anything about spiritual direction, I
can truly say that he was my first spiritual director. I cherish, therefore,
grateful and holy memories of this saintly priest.»18
“THE
SECRET OF THE KING’S DAUGHTER...” Around the same time, Lucy also received the
visit of another priest who counselled her with great discretion. She writes:
«I
remember, besides, a saying that I heard from a holy priest when I was only
eleven years old. Like so many others, he came to question me, and asked among
other things, about a matter about which I did not wish to speak. After he had
exhausted his whole repertoire of questions, without succeeding in obtaining a
satisfactory answer on this subject, realizing perhaps that he was touching on
too delicate a matter, the good priest gave me his blessing and said: “You are
right, my child. The secret of the king’s daughter should remain hidden in the
depths of her heart.”
«At
the time, I did not understand the meaning of what he said, but I realized that
he approved of my manner of acting. I did not forget his words, however, and I
understand them now. This saintly priest was at that time Vicar of Torres
Novas. Little does he know all the good that these few words did for my soul,
and that is why I remember him with such gratitude.»19
LUCY
QUESTIONED BY A SAINT: THE VISIT OF FR. CRUZ. Lucy writes: «One day we were
told that a priest was coming to see us who was very holy and who could tell
what was going on in people’s inmost hearts. This meant that he would find out
whether we were telling the truth or not. Full of joy, Jacinta exclaimed: “When
is this Father coming? If he can really tell, then he’ll know we’re telling the
truth.”20 Had the arrival of good Father Cruz been announced to the
children beforehand? This is quite possible, for he enjoyed a great reputation
for sanctity in all Portugal.21 In any case, Lucy tells us how he
came to Aljustrel one day to interrogate the three seers:
«When
he had finished, he asked us to show him the spot where Our Lady had appeared
to us. On the way we walked on either side of His Reverence, who was riding a
donkey so small that his feet almost touched the ground.
«As
we went along, he taught us a litany of ejaculations, two of which Jacinta made
her own and never stopped repeating ever afterwards: “O my Jesus, I love You!
Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation!”»22
Thanks
to the favourable judgment of these few priests, the prejudices of the clergy
evaporated, and the apparitions could finally be recognized by the Bishop of
Leiria. We shall see what an important role Canon Formigao and the Dean of
Olival were to play during the canonical process. As for Father Cruz, he was
the first priest to dare openly preach devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. In his
report on Jacinta, Doctor Lisboa testifies to this:
«I
saw him at Fatima during the first visits I made over there. I heard him give –
for the first time in a church at Lisbon – a public allocution exhorting people
to pray to Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, at a time when most of the clergy
was still afraid to show any sentiments favourable to the apparitions.»23
THE
TENACIOUS OPPOSITION OF THE PARISH PRIEST OF FATIMA
These
resolutely favourable judgments on the three seers – emanating, what is more,
from priests with great common sense, pious and zealous priests who were
unquestionably “men of God” – are extremely valuable for us. They compensate
for the enigmatic, bewildering attitude of the parish priest of Fatima, who
continued taking a “hard line” position against the apparitions. Clearly he was
intellectually convinced of the supernatural character of the apparitions,24
especially after October 13, 1917. Nevertheless, he still kept a latent
animosity with respect to the seers, which was noticeable on every occasion.
Why
this persistent rancour? It is not difficult to guess some of the reasons:
because he was an enterprising and imperious, somewhat domineering man, the
secrecy and extreme reserve of the children towards him irritated him; it
offended and exasperated him. And now, the nascent beginnings of the pilgrimage
to Fatima constituted an open competition to the work he was trying to
accomplish in the parish. The pilgrimage did not have the approval of the
Patriarch; it was neither approved nor disapproved; this meant that the parish
priest was “left hanging”, which caused him to become bitter and spiteful
towards the children. Granted, to handle such a delicate situation irreproachably,
the parish priest would have needed total detachment, and uncommon qualities of
soul...
What
is certain, in any case, is that our three seers, and especially Lucy, had much
to suffer from the perplexities and resentment of their parish priest. In her
Memoirs, Lucy mentions the growing irritation on his part:
«The
parish priest questioned me for the last time. The events had duly come to an
end at the appointed time, and still His Reverence did not know what to say
about the whole affair. He was also beginning to show his displeasure. “Why are
all those people going to prostrate themselves in prayer in a deserted spot
like that, while here the living God of our altars, in the Most Holy Sacrament,
is left all alone, abandoned, in the tabernacle? What’s all the money for, the
money they leave for no purpose whatsoever under the holm-oak, while the
church, which is still under repairs, cannot be completed for lack of funds?”
«I
understood perfectly why he spoke like that, but what could I do! If I had been
given authority over the hearts of those people, I would certainly have led
them to the parish church, but as I did not, I offered to God yet another
sacrifice.»25
Another
episode, which clearly shows the stubborn animosity of the parish priest,
Father Ferreira, with regard to the seers, has almost invariably been omitted
by historians. Sister Lucy, however, albeit without any trace of bitterness,
saw fit to relate the whole episode in her Memoirs. And she is right, for in
this painful history, the rank prejudice of the parish priest becomes obvious,
as do some of his character flaws. It shows especially on this occasion, when
two holy and prudent priests dared to take up, against him, the defence of the
seer. The incident most probably took place in the autumn of 1918. Here is the
account given in the Memoirs:26
«One
fine day, my sisters were asked to go with some other girls to help with the
vintage on the property of a wealthy man of Pe de Cao…27 My mother
decided to let them go, as long as I could go too...» The Solemn Communion of
the parish was to take place while they were away. But since Lucy had already
renewed it each year since the age of six, Maria Rosa judged that she could be
dispensed from it, as well as the catechism classes to prepare the children. As
soon as school was over, Lucy went home to continue her sewing and weaving. Her
account continues:
«The
good priest did not take kindly to my absence from catechism classes. One day,
on my way home from school, his sister sent another child after me. She caught
up with me on the road to Aljustrel… Thinking that I was just wanted for
questioning, I excused myself, saying that my mother had told me to go home
right after school. Without further ado, I took to my heels across the fields
like a mad thing, in search of a hiding place where no one could find me.
«But
this time, the prank cost me dearly. Some days later, there was a big feast in
the parish, and several priests came from all around to sing the Mass. When it
was over, the parish priest sent for me, and in front of all those priests,
reprimanded me severely for not attending the catechism lessons, and for not
running back to his sister when she had sent for me. In short, all my faults
and failings were brought to light, and the sermon went on for quite a long
while.
«At
last, though I don’t know how, a holy priest appeared on the scene, and sought
to plead my cause. He tried to excuse me, saying that perhaps my mother had not
given me permission. But the good priest replied: “Her mother! Why, she’s a
saint! But as for this one, it remains to be seen what she’ll turn out to be!”
The good priest, who later became Vicar of Torres Novas,28 then
asked me very kindly why I had not been to the catechism classes. I therefore
told him of my mother’s decision.
«His
Reverence did not seem to believe me, and sent for my sister Gloria who was
over by the church, to find out the truth of the matter. Having found that
indeed things were just as I had said, he came to this conclusion: “Well then!
Either the child is going to attend the catechism classes for the days still
remaining, and afterwards come to me for confession, and then make her
Solemn Communion with the rest of the children, or she’s never going to
receive Communion again in this parish!”»
Gloria,
and then Maria Rosa herself went over to the presbytery. They tried to explain
that if the parish priest insisted on this order, someone else would have to
take the little child over to Torres Novas. Their efforts were in vain. They
begged the priest to consider the distance and difficulty of the trip. Again in
vain. The stubborn priest would not change his mind. No matter what, Lucy would
have to renew her Solemn Communion! Lucy’s account continues:
«I
think I must have had a cold sweat at the mere idea of having to go to
confession to the parish priest! What fear I had before him! I cried with
anguish. On the day before the Solemn Communion, His Reverence sent for all the
children to go to church in the afternoon to make their confession. As I went,
anguish gripped my heart as in a vice.»
THE
INTERVENTION OF GOOD FR. CRUZ. Just as in the case of Lucy’s First Communion in
1913, it so happened (by a marvellous act of Providence!) that Father Cruz was
there to intervene:
«As
I entered the church, I saw that there were several priests hearing
confessions. There at the end of the church was Reverend Father Cruz from
Lisbon. I had spoken to His Reverence before, and I liked him very much indeed.
Without noticing that the parish priest was in an open confessional halfway up
the church, I thought to myself: “First, I’ll go and make my confession to
Father Cruz and ask him what I am to do, and then I’ll go to the parish
priest.”
«Father
Cruz received me with the greatest kindness. After hearing my confession, he
gave me some advice, telling me that if I did not want to go to the parish
priest, I should not do so; and that he could not refuse me Communion for
something like that. I was radiant with joy on hearing this advice and said my
penance. Then I made good my escape from the church, for fear lest somebody
might call me back.
«Next
day, I went to the church all dressed in white, still afraid that I might be
refused Communion. But His Reverence contented himself with letting me know,
when the feast was over, that my lack of obedience in going to another priest
had not passed unnoticed.»29
THE
DEPARTURE OF FATHER FERREIRA. Since he did not fear to manifest his irritation
publicly, Father Ferreira’s position became more and more unbearable. Ti Marto
told Canon Barthas: «Father Ferreira was the last person in the whole country
to believe in the apparitions...» Around this time, the neighbouring faithful
organized a procession from Moita to the Cova da Iria. A priest from the area
preached a sermon.30 «That annoyed Father Ferreira (Ti Marto said).
Soon, he began saying that he wanted to leave the area, so upset was he.
Indeed, he left the parish of his own accord, even before a successor was
named.»31 He left Fatima in the beginning of June, 1919.
Here
is Lucy’s version of the facts: «The good priest grew more and more displeased
and perplexed concerning these events until, one day, he left the parish. The
news then went around that His Reverence had left on account of me.» In fact,
as Father Alonso points out, he had also run into numerous difficulties with
his parishioners regarding the construction of a church, and this was equally
the cause of his departure.
Lucy,
however, was to suffer cruelly for it: «Several pious (?) women, whenever they
met me, gave vent to their displeasure by insulting me; and sometimes they sent
me on my way with a couple of blows or kicks.»32
II.
IN THE SCHOOL OF SUFFERING:«WILL I REMAIN HERE ALL ALONE?»
APRIL
4, 1919: THE DEATH OF FRANCISCO
After
1919, death was to strike several times among Sister Lucy’s loved ones; her
painful loneliness became deeper and deeper... On April 4, it was Francisco who
flew on to Heaven. The evening before, when night was already falling, they had
spoken for the last time:
«“Goodbye,
then, Francisco! Till we meet in Heaven, goodbye!...” Heaven was drawing near
for him. He took his flight to Heaven the following day in the arms of his
Heavenly Mother.
«I
could never describe how much I missed him. This grief was a thorn that pierced
my heart for years to come. It is a memory of the past that echoes forever unto
eternity.»33
JULY
1, 1919: JACINTA AT VILA NOVA DE OUREM
Three
months later, Lucy had to endure another separation: Jacinta left Aljustrel for
the hospital of Vila Nova de Ourem... During this three month separation, the
two friends could meet only twice, and for such short visits!
JULY
31, 1919: THE DEATH OF ANTONIO
«Once
again (Lucy writes) Our Lord came knocking at my door to ask yet another
sacrifice, and not a small one either. My father was a healthy man, and robust;
he said he had never known what it was to have a headache. But, in less than
twenty-four hours, an attack of double pneumonia carried him off into eternity.
«My
sorrow was so great that I thought I would die as well. He was the only one who
never failed to show himself to be my friend, and the only one who defended me
when disputes arose at home on account of me.
«“My
God! My God!” I exclaimed in the privacy of my room. “I never thought You had
so much suffering in store for me! But I suffer for love of You, in reparation
for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Holy
Father and for the conversion of sinners.”»34
In
this intense sorrow, Maria Rosa and her family nevertheless had one
consolation: Antonio died reconciled with God. He had gone to confession a few
days before on the feast of Our Lady of the Nettles.35
On
August 31, Lucy had the joy of seeing Jacinta again as the latter returned to
Aljustrel, even more ill than before her stay at the hospital. We may believe
that for the two confidantes of Our Lady, these last months spent together were
at the same time both sweet and cruelly sorrowful. For the little child’s
health grew alarmingly worse, and one sad day in December, Lucy learned that
her companion was about to leave. This time, indeed, Jacinta was leaving for
good, for Our Lady Herself had come to announce it to her: «She hugged me and
wept: “I will never see you again! You won’t be coming to visit me there. Oh
please, pray hard for me, because I am going to die alone…”»36
And
Lucy grew sad, just as on June 13, 1917, when Our Lady had foretold what would
happen for the first time. Lucy wept because she would have to «stay all
alone». She said to Jacinta: «It won’t be long now till you go to Heaven.
But what about me!» Jacinta in her turn tried to console Lucy: «You poor thing!
Don’t cry! I’ll pray lots and lots for you when I’m there. As for you, that’s
the way Our Lady wants it. If She wanted that for me, I’d gladly stay and
suffer more for sinners.»37
WINTER
1919: THE ILLNESS OF MARIA ROSA
For
Lucy, in this year 1919, there was no lack of opportunities to offer
sacrifices:
«Such
suffering on my part must have been pleasing to Our Lord (she writes), because
He was about to prepare a most bitter chalice for me which He was soon to give
me to drink.
«My
mother fell so seriously ill that, at one stage, we thought she was dying.»
Maria dos Anjos, who also left us an account of the event, was more specific:
«She had violent attacks of coughing, and the doctor said that they were
cardiac failures. We all wept, because we had already lost our father...»38
Sister
Lucy continues: «All her children gathered around her bed to receive her last
blessing, and to kiss the hand of their dying mother.
«As
I was the youngest, my turn came last. When my poor mother saw me, she
brightened a little, flung her arms around my neck and, with a deep sigh,
exclaimed: “My poor daughter, what will become of you without your mother! I am
dying with my heart pierced through because of you.” Then, bursting into tears
and sobbing bitterly, she clasped me more and more tightly in her arms. My
eldest sister forcibly pulled me away from my mother, took me to the kitchen
and forbade me to go back to the sick room, saying: “Mother is going to die of
grief because of all the trouble you’ve given her!” I knelt down, put my head
on a bench, and in a distress more bitter than any I had ever known before, I
made the offering of my sacrifice to Our Dear Lord.
«A
few minutes later, my two older sisters, thinking the case was hopeless, came
to me and said: “Lucy! If it is true that you saw Our Lady, go right now to the
Cova da Iria, and ask Her to cure our mother. Promise Her whatever you wish and
we’ll do it; and then we’ll believe!”
«Without
losing a moment, I set out. So as not to be seen, I made my way across the
fields across some bypaths, reciting the Rosary along the way. Once there, I
placed my request before Our Lady and unburdened myself of all my sorrow,
shedding copious tears. I then went home, comforted by the hope that my beloved
Mother in Heaven would hear my prayer and restore health to my mother on earth.
«When
I reached home, my mother was already feeling somewhat better. Three days
later, she was able to resume her work around the house.
«I
had promised the Most Holy Virgin that, if She granted me what I asked, I would
go there in nine days in succession, together with my sisters, pray the Rosary
and go on our knees from the roadway to the holm-oak tree; and on the ninth day
we would take nine poor children with us, and afterwards give them a meal...»39
Maria
dos Anjos recalls that Lucy had also brought a little bit of earth from the
Cova da Iria. Lucy asked her sister to prepare a herbal drink for their mother.
Maria Rosa was intrigued by «such dirty water», but she drank it
nevertheless... No doubt we will think: now there is a strange idea! But at
Lourdes, as a sign of penance, had not Our Lady asked Bernadette to «drink of
the fountain», from which there came only «a little bit of water which
resembled mud», and then to eat the herbs there?
In
any case, Maria dos Anjos observes:«The cardiac problems disappeared on the
spot. Nor did she have any more problems with suffocation. She was breathing
well. Her heart was working better, and soon she was able to get up. She was
not entirely healed, and she did not recover all her strength. Nevertheless,
she could still work a great deal after that; indeed she seemed younger than
her age.
«We,
her daughters, did not hesitate to go to the Cova da Iria, to keep the promise
we had made. Nine days in a row – after supper, because we had to work for our
bread, and also so as not to be noticed – we went on our knees, from the place
where the porch is now, over to the little chapel, where we recited the Rosary.
Our mother also made the novena, walking behind us.»40
Inspired
by Our Lady, Lucy had just made with her sisters a penitential gesture which
would soon become familiar to the pilgrims of Fatima: they can still be seen
today, advancing on their knees, crossing the esplanade clear through to the
Capelinha.
BRIEF
VISITS AWAY FROM HOME: «I AM NEITHER A SAINT… NOR A LIAR!»
«Several
people who came from a distance to see us, noticing that I looked very pale and
anaemic, asked my mother to let me go and spend a few days in their homes,
saying the change of air would do me good. With this end in view, my mother
gave her consent, and they took me with them, now to one place, now to another.
«When
away from home like this, I did not always meet with esteem and affection.
While there were some who admired me and considered me a saint, there were
always others who heaped abuse on me and called me a hypocrite, a visionary and
a sorceress. This was the good Lord’s way of throwing salt into the water to
prevent it from going bad.
«Thanks
to this Divine Providence, I went through the fire without being burned, or
without becoming acquainted with the little worm of vanity which has the habit
of gnawing its way into everything. On such occasions, I used to say to myself:
“They are all mistaken. I’m not a saint, as some say, and I’m not a liar
either, as others say. Only God knows what I am.”
«When
I got home, I would run to see Jacinta, who said: “Listen! Don’t go away again.
I have been so lonely for you! Since you went away, I have not spoken to
anyone. I don’t know how to talk to other people.”»41
JANUARY
21, 1920:JACINTA’S DEPARTURE
Finally,
in January of 1920, it was decided that Jacinta would leave for Lisbon to have
an operation. On January 21, the feast of Saint Agnes, the hour of the final
separation arrived for these two confidantes of the Blessed Virgin, who were
united to each other by so many extraordinary graces received together. What a
heart-rending scene!
«How
sad I was to find myself alone! In such a short space of time, Our Dear Lord
had taken to Heaven my beloved father, and then Francisco;42 and now
He was taking Jacinta, whom I was never to see again in this world.
«As
soon as I could, I slipped away to the Cabeço, and hid within our cave among
the rocks. There, alone with God, I poured forth my grief and shed tears in
abundance. Coming back down the slope, everything reminded me of my dear
companions: the stones on which we had so often sat, the flowers I no longer
picked, not having anyone to take them to; Valinhos, where the three of us had
enjoyed the delights of paradise! As though I had lost all sense of reality,
and still half distracted, I went into my aunt’s house one day and made for
Jacinta’s room, calling out to her. Her sister, Teresa, seeing me like that,
barred the way, and reminded me that Jacinta was no longer there!»43
FEBRUARY
20, 1920: JACINTA’S DEATH
As
Our Lady had predicted, during the long month Jacinta was at Lisbon, Lucy was
not able to visit her a single time. They never saw each other again.
«Shortly
afterwards (she writes in her Memoirs) news arrived that she had taken flight
to Heaven. Her body was then brought back to Vila Nova de Ourem. My aunt took
me there one day to pray beside the mortal remains of her little daughter, in
the hope of thus distracting me. But for a long time after, my sorrow seemed
only to grow ever greater. Whenever I found the cemetery open, I went and sat
by Francisco’s grave, or beside my father’s, and there I spent long hours.»44
THE
FIRST ATTEMPT TO PLACE LUCY IN A BOARDING SCHOOL
«During
her last days, Jacinta requested insistently several times that the Reverend
Doctor Manuel Formigao be called to her. She affirmed that Our Lady, during an
apparition, had commanded her to pass on two messages to this venerable
priest...
«The
first concerned Lucy, already an adolescent, who as long as she remained on
this earth was exposed to grave dangers. It was a warning Our Lady sent her for
her to reflect on, and begin a more fervent life.»45
What
were these «grave dangers» of the spiritual order which threatened Lucy? They
can easily be guessed. This was the time of the development of the pilgrimage,
which rapidly grew, in spite of all the vain efforts of the Masonic government
to oppose it. Every thirteenth of the month saw thousands of people come to the
Cova da Iria. And, since the hierarchical authority took a non-committal view,
Lucy found herself at the head of the movement. More than ever, everybody
wanted to see her, ask her questions. At times she was threatened by the
members of the Masonic sect, but more often she was flattered, the object of
adulation and formally taken for a saint. The situation of the seer became more
and more perilous for her soul. For she was still only an adolescent, only thirteen
years old, with neither instruction nor a solid spiritual formation...
Already,
since October 13, 1917, Canon Formigao thought it better that the seers leave
Fatima.46 Now he decided to intervene. The first time the suggestion
had been made to Maria Rosa to place her daughter in a boarding school, so that
Lucy could «learn to pray and read», she replied sharply: «If this is for her
to learn how to pray, I’ll teach her!»47 But in the end she was
convinced and accepted Canon Formigao’s wise suggestion. Thus it was agreed
that Maria Rosa would accompany Lucy to Lisbon and take advantage of the trip
to try to improve her health, consulting the doctors in the capital. Here we
must let Sister Lucy speak again, and describe what happened:
THE
SOJOURN AT LISBON AND SANTAREM: (JULY 7 - AUGUST 12, 1920)
«My
mother, thank God, decided some time after this to go to Lisbon, and to take me
with her. Through the kindness of Father Formigao, a good lady received us into
her house, and offered to pay for my education in a boarding school, if I was
willing to remain. My mother and I gratefully accepted the offer of this
charitable lady, whose name was Dona Assunçao Avelar.
«My
mother, after consulting the doctors, found that she needed an operation for
kidneys and spinal column, but the doctors would not be responsible for her
life, since she also suffered from a cardiac lesion. She therefore went home,
leaving me in the care of this lady.
«When
everything was ready, and the day arranged for my entering the boarding school,
I was informed that the government was aware that I was in Lisbon, and was
seeking my whereabouts. They, therefore, took me to Santarem, to Father
Formigao’s house, for several days [August 6 to August 12, according to Father
Alonso] without even being allowed out to Mass... All these happenings
distracted me somewhat, and so the oppressive sadness began to disappear.»48
This
first unsuccessful attempt at removing Lucy from the place of the apparitions
did not change the mind of the prudent Canon Formigao. During this time the
diocese of Leiria, providentially restored by a brief of Benedict XV dated
January 17, 1918, finally received its new Shepherd after a long and painful
wait. Appointed bishop on January 15, 1920, and consecrated on July 25, Bishop da
Silva had solemnly taken possession of his diocese on August 5.
Right
away Fatima became one of his major preoccupations. The new bishop still did
not have a definite opinion on the nature of the events at the Cova da Iria;
first he desired to be better informed. This is why he spoke with Canon
Formigao as soon as he could. During a long conversation which took place on
September 15, 1920, «together they dealt with three principal points: sending
Lucy away into seclusion, the possibility of beginning a public cult at the
Cova da Iria, and setting up a canonical process to investigate the events.»49
Months
passed... and it was only in June of the following year that Canon Formigao’s
project could finally take shape. Bishop da Silva himself chose for Lucy the
College of the Dorothean Sisters at Vilar, near Porto, where he had been
chaplain. Moreover, being originally from the diocese of Porto, he still had
some friends who could help in the formation of the seer.50
JUNE
13, 1921: THE FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH BISHOP DA SILVA
Now
we must quote a long passage from the Memoirs where Sister Lucy describes her
first visit to the bishop’s house. This account is full of freshness and
spontaneity.
“IF
HE KNOWS EVERYTHING, HE KNOWS THAT I SPEAK THE TRUTH!” «It was about this time
that Your Excellency was installed as Bishop of Leiria, and Our Dear Lord
confided to your care this poor flock that had been so many years without a
shepherd. There were some people who tried to frighten me about Your
Excellency’s arrival, just as they had done before about another holy priest.
They told me that Your Excellency knew everything, that you could read hearts
and penetrate the depths of consciences, and that now you were going to
discover all my deceptions. Far from frightening me, it made me earnestly
desire to speak to you, and I thought to myself: “If it’s true that he knows
everything, he will know that I am speaking the truth!”
AT
THE BISHOP OP LEIRIA’S RESIDENCE. «For this reason, as soon as a kind lady from
Leiria offered to take me to see Your Excellency, I accepted her suggestion
with joy. There was I, full of hope, in expectation of this happy moment. At
last the day came, and the lady and I went to the Palace. We were invited to
enter and shown to a room, where we were asked to wait for a little while.
«A
few moments later, Your Excellency’s secretary came in,51 and spoke
kindly with Dona Gilda who accompanied me. From time to time, he asked me some
questions. As I had already been twice to confession to this priest, I already
knew him, and it was therefore a pleasure to talk to him.
A
PAINFUL INTERROGATION. «A little later, Rev. Dr. Marques dos Santos came in,52
wearing shoes with buckles, and wrapped in a great big cloak. As it was the
first time that I had seen a priest dressed like this, it caught my attention.
He then embarked on a whole repertoire of questions that seemed unending. Now
and again, he laughed, as though making fun of my replies, and it seemed as if
the moment when I could speak to Your Excellency would never come.
A
ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW. «At last, your secretary returned to speak to the lady
who was with me. He told her that when Your Excellency arrived, she was to make
her apologies and take her leave, saying that she had to go elsewhere, since
Your Excellency might wish to speak to me in private. I was delighted when I
heard this message, and I thought to myself: as His Excellency knows
everything, he won’t ask me many questions, and he will be alone with me. What
a blessing!
“A
GOOD SHEPHERD.” «When Your Excellency arrived, the good lady played her part
very well, and so I had the happiness of speaking to you alone. I am not going
to describe now what happened during this interview, because Your Excellency
certainly remembers it better than I do.
«To
tell the truth, when I saw Your Excellency receive me with such kindness,
without in the least attempting to ask me any useless or curious questions,
being concerned only for the good of my soul, and only too willing to take care
of this poor little lamb that the Lord had just entrusted to you, then I was
more convinced than ever that Your Excellency did indeed know everything; and I
did not hesitate for a moment to give myself completely into your hands.
«Thereupon,
Your Excellency imposed certain conditions which, because of my nature, I found
very easy: that is, to keep completely secret all that Your Excellency had said
to me, and to be good. I kept my secret to myself, until the day when Your
Excellency asked my mother’s consent.»53
Through
whose mediation did Bishop da Silva ask for Maria Rosa’s consent? In any case,
things were arranged quickly, very quickly, since the date for Lucy’s departure
was fixed for June 16.54 Lucy had just enough time to get ready and
hastily prepare her things, and then bid adieu to the blessed places from which
she was to be separated, for all time as she believed. However, she could not
say goodbye to anybody, because the bishop had made her promise to keep the
most absolute secrecy concerning her departure: “My child, you will not tell
anybody where you are going.” “Yes, Your Excellency!”
«“When
you go away you must come and say goodbye to me”, Maria da Capelinha (now her
greatest friend) had told her a fortnight before. “Of course”, Lucy had assured
her. But the bishop’s command had to be rigorously obeyed. She must not say a
word to anybody, not even to relatives and friends. No one must know that she
was leaving Aljustrel perhaps for ever, and was going to disappear into the
College of the Dorotheans in Vilar, near Porto.»55
JUNE
15, 1921: GOODBYE TO FATIMA
«Finally,
the day of my departure was settled. The evening before, I went to bid farewell
to all the familiar places so dear to us. My heart was torn with loneliness and
longing, for I was sure I would never set foot again on the Cabeço, the Rock,
Valinhos, or in the parish church where Our Dear Lord had begun His work of
mercy, and the cemetery, where rested the mortal remains of my beloved father
and of Francisco, whom I could still never forget.
«I
said goodbye to our well, already illumined by the pale rays of the moon, and
to the old threshing-floor where I had so often spent long hours contemplating
the beauty of the starlit heavens, and the wonders of sunrise and sunset which
so enraptured me. I loved to watch the rays of the sun reflected in the dew
drops, so that the mountains seemed covered with pearls in the morning
sunshine; and in the evening, after a snowfall, to see the snowflakes sparkling
on the pine trees was like a foretaste of the beauties of paradise.»56
JUNE
16, 1921: THE FINAL GRACE FROM THE COVA DA IRIA
«Without
saying farewell to anyone, I left the next day at two o’clock in the morning,
accompanied by my mother and a poor labourer named Manuel Correia, who was
going to Leiria. I carried my secret with me, inviolate. We went by way of the
Cova da Iria, so that I could bid it my last farewell. There, for the last
time, I prayed my Rosary. As long as this place was still in sight, I kept
turning around to say a last goodbye.»57
What
Sister Lucy did not write in her Memoirs, but confided to Canon Galamba during
the course of her pilgrimage to Fatima from May 20-22, 1946, is that Our Lady
then favoured her with a new apparition: «She recalled to me (Canon Galamba
writes) how, on the day of her farewell to the Cova da Iria and departure for
Porto, she had seen Our Lady once more, at the bottom of the little hill which
faces the steps going up to the church. “And She said nothing to you?”
“Nothing.” But this vision, in this place and on this day, filled her soul with
power to bear with love the cross which the Divine Spouse had placed upon her
shoulders.»58
After
arriving at Leiria about nine in the morning, Lucy and her mother went to the
bishop’s residence. Once again, Bishop da Silva made his recommendations to the
seer: she was to remain absolutely incognito, neither telling anybody who she
was, nor saying anything related to the apparitions of Fatima.
Lucy
continues her account in the Memoirs, in a passage addressed to her bishop:
«There
I met Dona Filomena Miranda, whom Your Excellency had charged to accompany me.
This lady was later to be my godmother at confirmation. The train left at two
o’clock in the afternoon, and there I was at the station, giving my poor mother
a last embrace, leaving her overwhelmed with sorrow and shedding abundant
tears. The train moved out, and with it went my poor heart plunged in an ocean
of loneliness and filled with memories that I could never forget.»59
Early
next morning, Dona Filomena took her to Vilar, in a suburb of Porto, to the
College of the Dorothean Sisters where she was expected.
III.
AT THE COLLEGE OF VILAR60(JUNE 17, 1921 - OCTOBER
24, 1925)
A
COOL WELCOME
Early
in the morning of June 17, Lucy and her patroness knocked on the door of the
college at Asilo de Vilar. As Mass was about to begin, they were taken right
away to the chapel, and Lucy had the joy of being able to receive Holy
Communion. Immediately after, she was presented to the superior of the
institute, Mother Maria das Dores Magalhaes.
The
historian Antero de Figueiredo, who romanticized the event somewhat, described
the scene of this first encounter thus:61
«Finally,
Lucy arrived in the sacristy, where the chaplain and the directress were
waiting for her... Fixing her kind and intelligent eyes on the rustic
appearance of this fourteen-year-old peasant – a real “mountain maid”, with
their way of looking at you, eyes half-closed, through thick eyebrows, with her
thick lips and large mouth – the directress could not help saying to the
chaplain, in a low voice, “she sure is a wild animal!”»
Then
she gave the seer the strict recommendations of the bishop, designed to conceal
her identity from everyone:
«“When
people ask you your name, you will answer: My name is Maria das Dores.” “Yes,
Mother Directress.” “When you are asked what parts you are from, you will
answer: From around Lisbon.” “Yes, Mother Directress.” “You will never say
anything to anyone regarding the events at Fatima. You will not ask anything.
You will not answer anything.” “Yes, Mother Directress.” “You will not go on
walks with the other girls, and you will not say why you do not go. Do you
understand?” “Yes, Mother Directress.”»62
Having
donned the uniform of the boarding students, Lucy began a life in which
everything would be new for her, beginning with her name. Later on she would
admit how painful it was for her to give up her baptismal name: «It very much
afflicted me (she later said) that I could not be named Maria of Jesus rather
than Maria das Dores (Maria of Sorrows), since I was already called Lucy of
Jesus.»63 This borrowed name, which was not yet a religious name,
was more than a symbol, it was the mark of the hard sacrifices demanded of her
by the absolute silence she had promised on everything concerning Fatima.
Although it was easy for her to keep silence regarding herself, to say nothing
about Fatima, ever – this no doubt cost her much more. As for not knowing
anything of what was going on there, or very little, gleaned now and then from
the rare visits she received – this was a sorrowful trial for Lucy, which did
not go away with time. Although she was happy in her new life as a boarding
student, completely devoted to the life of prayer and study, nevertheless this
double separation – from her family and from the blessed spot of the
apparitions – was a cruel suffering for her during her stay at Vilar... in
addition to a supernatural trial, the deprivation of spiritual consolations.
THE
LETTERS OF MARIA DAS DORES
Today
we have a direct and very moving testimony of Lucy’s life as a young student.
In 1979 a series of twenty-five of her letters written between 1921 and 1925
was published; they are almost all addressed to her mother. These letters are
documents of the highest importance for us.64 They are especially
important because they help us discover, through an incomparable firsthand
view, what a simple, courageous, humble and modest soul Our Lady chose for Her
messenger.
Without
going too much into the news of her family which occupies her for the most
part, we will nevertheless use these letters as a thread connecting our own
account.
A
SOLID AND PRACTICAL FORMATION
Four
days after her arrival, Lucy already took up her pen to write to her mother and
reassure her. By July 4, Lucy is concerned, and writes:
«My
dear mother, I write you this letter because, right up until today I have not
had any news from you. I have written to you and I still have not had a
response... I am anxious to know how you are doing.
«My
dear mother, do not worry, for I am doing quite well. My Sister-Professors are
very good to me, and Mother Directress is very kind. She encourages me very
much, which is what I need...»
At
this point Lucy urgently requested news about each and every one of her
relatives and friends.
She
took up her pen again on July 17:
«My
dear mother, I have received your letter and it is a great joy for me to know
that you are in good health... But I was very sad to learn of the death of my
cousin Teresa (one of Francisco and Jacinta’s sisters). Let me know what
illness she had, because she died very suddenly.
«I
have already said some prayers for her and I have asked my companions to do the
same. They all said they would, and the Sisters did too. My aunt must be very
sad! Poor dear! She must be conformed to the will of God...
«I
ask you to pray to Our Lady for me; so that She gives me a good memory to
pursue my studies. Right now I am learning how to make the responses at Mass,
but for that, I have to be able to read Latin...»
When
Lucy first entered Vilar, her handwriting was very inconsistent, with numerous
spelling mistakes. She applied herself and rapidly made great progress.
However, the education given at the college was much more practical than
theoretical. The most varied subjects were taught there, and Lucy always
retained a rather imprecise spelling. Later on, when she had to write down her
recollections, only her great natural talent made up for her lack of literary
formation.
On
October 10, 1921, she wrote:
«My
dear mother, I am more and more happy... My work is to be at study and in the
work room. Here we learn everything, cooking, braid-work. Everything is
useful...»
Lucy
even learned how to type. But she excelled especially in sewing. She had a
particular taste for embroidery, in which she developed a real mastery.65
Intelligent and clever, she quickly attained high honours. As we have said, it
was to avoid revealing her real identity and for no other reason that she was
not presented for examinations.66
MEANWHILE,
AT FATIMA
By
October 2, 1921, more than three months had gone by since Lucy had left
Aljustrel. She had received no news of the Cova da Iria, and this silence
weighed heavily on her. She dared to ask her mother about this discreetly,
after first reminding her, somewhat clumsily, of the reasons for her reserve:
«The
letters are read by the Mother Directress, and by the Sister who teaches us
reading…67 Do many people continue to go there? Is it nice? Do the
women of Valado continue to write?...»
This
is all she permitted herself to say regarding the pilgrimage which was so close
to her heart. Later on, she would confide that sometimes a frightful doubt
tormented her. Here is Figueiredo’s account of this recollection:
«It
occurred to me that it was all over. I felt a profound bitterness to see
that the Most Holy Virgin would never be venerated there as She requested to be.
I often thought of that, and this thought never left my mind, and it afflicted
me.»The author continues: «But Lucy, always humble and submissive, murmured:
“If all is finished, it is because Our Lord permits it so. For my part, I have
done everything that Our Lady has inspired me to do and requested me to do.
Everything.”»68
If
Lucy’s ignorance concerning Fatima was not always as complete as has been
claimed, we know nevertheless that the Directress of the college, Mother
Magalhaes, had agreed to accept the seer only out of deference to Bishop da
Silva, and was at the time hardly favourable to the apparitions of Fatima. She
was also rigorous in applying the rule of absolute silence on this subject.
«She watched carefully, so that no news of Fatima came into the house:
visitors, letters, journals. Treating all her boarding students with equal
kindness, she was somewhat cold to Lucy, or at least made sure that she was not
given more consideration than the others.»69
AN
EVIDENT MODESTY
October
23, 1921: Bishop da Silva came to the college and Lucy «spent a moment with
him». However, she said nothing to her mother about this conversation. Eager as
always for news of Aljustrel, she concluded: «Do not forget to write me and
tell me everything going on over there, all right?»
On
December 18, 1921 she wrote:
«Finally,
I cannot say anything about my coming over there. (Had she perhaps hoped to
spend part of her Christmas vacation there?) As far as my studies go, I am still
on the honour roll. Look how quickly Christmas is coming around! Are you going
to kill the pig? I assure you that this gave me a little thought; I cannot
forget how much work that makes before going to Mass!»
We
deliberately quote this excerpt to show how natural the seer is, not to say
banal and prosaic. Except for two or three passages where she permits herself
to express a few counsels or remonstrances concerning her brother or sisters,
all her letters are in this vein, which shows her extremely great modesty. We
do not find a single line in which she tries to play herself up in any way.
Nothing leads us to believe that she does not consider herself the most
ordinary girl. No, it cannot be said that the apparitions went to her head! And
yet, in the recesses of her soul, she remembers them and from them still
nourishes her life of piety! She is always ready to give a firm witness on this
subject.
1922:
FIRST ACCOUNT OF THE APPARITIONS
It
was surely her confessor, Father Pereira Lopes, then a professor at the
seminary of Porto70, who asked Lucy to give this first account of
the apparitions, which she drew up on January 5, 1922. Under the title, “The
Events of 1917”, Lucy briefly describes the six apparitions of Our Lady. In
spite of its stylistic errors and omissions, this account demonstrates, apart
from its historical importance, the charming ingenuity of the seer, who
concludes: «May I be excused for writing so badly, but I am unable to do
better; I am still a student.»71
Let
us recall here that it was also during this same year, 1922, that Lucy, so
desirous of making known the messages received from Heaven, taught the two
prayers of the Angel to one of her companions, without of course referring to
the circumstances in which she had learned them.72
A
PAINFUL LONELINESS
Since
this is the best way of making her known, let us continue to glean some
excerpts from the letters of our boarding student. On January 2, 1922, she
wrote:
«It
seems that Dona Filomena73 is going to leave this summer to be with
you; it would be a great pleasure for me to go there with her; but if that is
not possible, patience! I am resigned to the will of God. I would very much
like to write to several ladies, especially the ladies of Valado and Dona
Emilia, as well as those of Olival (with whom I stayed frequently), but this is
not possible and you know the reason. If you will, recommend me to those who
ask for news of me, and I forget none of those who are recommended to my
prayers.»
On
February 2, 1922, Lucy wrote to her mother again, always expressing the same
affection, the same touching tenderness:
«It
is already almost two months that I have had no news from over there, and every
day I prayed to Our Lady so that you might send me some news. Are you feeling
better? Since Caroline is at home, she must remember every morning to bring
some milk to you in bed so that you will be strong enough to be waiting for me
when I come.»
Maria
Rosa sent some money to get a photograph of her daughter. But since the
Directress was either too busy to drive Lucy into town, or absent, the affair
went on for months.
«IN
THE HANDS OF SHE WHO CAN DO EVERYTHING»
On
April 16, 1922, Lucy wrote to her mother:
«I
received your letter yesterday... I see that you are very worried about me. You
should not be so worried, because I am quite well. If only you could see what
good health I am in now! It also seems to me that you are somewhat wanting in
confidence towards Our Lady. You can be sure that She protects me; I am in the
hands of She who can do everything and that is why we must put all our
confidence in Her. (There follows a long list of relatives or dear friends
about whom she asked for news.) It would be my pleasure to write to them, but
there is a reason why I cannot write to anyone, and you know what it is. Dona
Filomena came on the fifteenth of this month, and she gave me more winter
clothes and scissors. She told me the Capelinha had been burned.»74
THE
TERRIBLE TRIAL OF SEPARATION
The
letter of June 4, 1922, is a sad cry of alarm, which shows what anguish her
concern for her relatives caused her: