{"id":51053,"date":"2022-03-17T11:55:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-17T09:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/?p=51053"},"modified":"2025-02-08T11:49:09","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T09:49:09","slug":"fatimaenglish1217322","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/?p=51053","title":{"rendered":"Fatima,English,12,17,3,22"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tweet<\/a><\/p>

    \n
  1. THE APPARITIONS<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. A Mysterious Presage in 1915<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

      This was how things were until I was seven years old. My mother<\/span><\/p>\n

      then decided that I should take over the care of our sheep. My<\/span><\/p>\n

      father did not agree, nor did my sisters. They were so fond of me,<\/span><\/p>\n

      that they wanted an exception made in my case. My mother would<\/span><\/p>\n

      not give in. \u201cShe\u2019s just like the rest,\u201d she said, \u201cCarolina is already<\/span><\/p>\n

      twelve years old. That means she can now begin to work in the<\/span><\/p>\n

      fields, or else, learn to be a weaver or a seamstress, whichever<\/span><\/p>\n

      she prefers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

      The care of our flock was then given to me 9. News that I was<\/span><\/p>\n

      beginning my life as a shepherdess spread rapidly among the other<\/span><\/p>\n

      shepherds; almost all of them came and offered to be my companions.<\/span><\/p>\n

      I said \u2018Yes\u2019 to everybody, and arranged with each one to meet<\/span><\/p>\n

      on the slopes of the serra. Next day, the serra was a solid mass of<\/span><\/p>\n

      sheep with their shepherds, as though a cloud had descended upon<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. But I felt ill at ease in the midst of such a hubbub. I therefore<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        chose three companions from among the shepherds, and without<\/span><\/p>\n

        saying a word to anyone, we arranged to pasture our sheep on the<\/span><\/p>\n

        opposite slopes. These were the three I chose: Teresa Matias, her<\/span><\/p>\n

        sister Maria Rosa and Maria Justino 10. On the following day, we<\/span><\/p>\n

        set out in the direction of a hill known as the Cabe\u00e7o. We went up<\/span><\/p>\n

        the northern slope. Valinhos, a place that Your Excellency already<\/span><\/p>\n

        knows by name, is on the southern side of the same hill. On the<\/span><\/p>\n

        eastern slope is the cave I have already spoken of, in my account<\/span><\/p>\n

        8<\/span><\/p>\n

        .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

        76<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        of Jacinta. Together with our flocks, we climbed almost to the top of<\/span><\/p>\n

        the hill. At our feet lay a wide expanse of trees \u2013 olives, oaks, pines,<\/span><\/p>\n

        holmoaks, and so on, that stretched away down towards the level<\/span><\/p>\n

        valley below.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Around midday, we ate our lunch. After this, I invited my companions<\/span><\/p>\n

        to pray the Rosary with me, to which they eagerly agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

        We had hardly begun when, there before our eyes, we saw a figure<\/span><\/p>\n

        poised in the air above the trees; it looked like a statue made of<\/span><\/p>\n

        snow, rendered almost transparent by the rays of the sun.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cWhat is that?\u201d asked my companions, quite frightened.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

        We went on praying, with our eyes fixed on the figure before<\/span><\/p>\n

        us, and as we finished our prayer, the figure disappeared. As was<\/span><\/p>\n

        usual with me, I resolved to say nothing; but my companions told<\/span><\/p>\n

        their families what had happened the very moment they reached<\/span><\/p>\n

        home. The news soon spread, and one day when I arrived home,<\/span><\/p>\n

        my mother questioned me:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cLook here! They say you\u2019ve seen I don\u2019t know what, up there.<\/span><\/p>\n

        What was it you saw?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d and as I could not explain it myself, I went on:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cIt looked like a person wrapped up in a sheet!\u201d As I meant to<\/span><\/p>\n

        say that I couldn\u2019t discern its features, I added:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cYou couldn\u2019t make out any eyes, or hands, on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

        My mother put an end to the whole matter with a gesture of<\/span><\/p>\n

        disgust: \u201cChildish nonsense!\u201d 11<\/span><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Apparitions of the Angel in 1916<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          After some time, we returned with our flocks to the same place,<\/span><\/p>\n

          and the very same thing happened again. My companions once<\/span><\/p>\n

          more told the whole story. After a brief interval, the same thing<\/span><\/p>\n

          was repeated. It was the third time that my mother heard all these<\/span><\/p>\n

          things being talked about outside, without my having said a single<\/span><\/p>\n

          word about them at home. She called me, therefore, quite displeased,<\/span><\/p>\n

          and demanded:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cNow, let us see! What is it that you girls say you saw over there?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          11 These indistinct apparitions of the Angel were probably meant to prepare<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

          Lucia for the future.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

          77<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201c I don\u2019t know, Mother. I don\u2019t know what it is!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          Some people started making fun of us. My sisters, recalling<\/span><\/p>\n

          that for some time after my First Communion I had been quite abstracted,<\/span><\/p>\n

          used to ask me rather scornfully:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cDo you see someone wrapped in a sheet?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          I felt these contemptuous words and gestures very keenly, as<\/span><\/p>\n

          up to now I had been used to nothing but caresses. But this was<\/span><\/p>\n

          nothing, really. You see, I did not know what the good Lord had in<\/span><\/p>\n

          store for me in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Around this time, as I have already related to Your Excellency,<\/span><\/p>\n

          Francisco and Jacinta sought and obtained permission from their<\/span><\/p>\n

          parents to start taking care of their own flock. So I left my good<\/span><\/p>\n

          companions, and I joined my cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, instead.<\/span><\/p>\n

          To avoid going to the serra with all the other shepherds, we<\/span><\/p>\n

          arranged to pasture our flocks on properties belonging to my uncle<\/span><\/p>\n

          and aunt and my parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

          One fine day, we set out with our sheep for some land that my<\/span><\/p>\n

          parents owned, which lay at the foot of the eastern slope of the hill<\/span><\/p>\n

          that I have already mentioned. This property was called Chousa<\/span><\/p>\n

          Velha. Soon after our arrival, about midmorning, a fine drizzle began<\/span><\/p>\n

          to fall, so fine that it seemed like mist. We went up the hillside,<\/span><\/p>\n

          followed by our flocks, looking for an overhanging boulder where we<\/span><\/p>\n

          could take shelter. Thus it was for the first time that we entered this<\/span><\/p>\n

          blessed hollow among the rocks. It stood in the middle of an olive<\/span><\/p>\n

          grove belonging to my godfather Anast\u00e1cio. From there, you could<\/span><\/p>\n

          see the little village where I was born, my parents\u2019 home, and the<\/span><\/p>\n

          hamlets of Casa Velha and Eira da Pedra. The olive grove, owned<\/span><\/p>\n

          by several people, extended to within the confines of the hamlets<\/span><\/p>\n

          themselves. We spent the day there among the rocks, in spite of<\/span><\/p>\n

          the fact that the rain was over and the sun was shining bright and<\/span><\/p>\n

          clear. We ate our lunch and said our Rosary. I\u2019m not sure whether<\/span><\/p>\n

          we said it that day in the way I have already described to Your<\/span><\/p>\n

          Excellency, saying just the word Hail-Mary and Our-Father on each<\/span><\/p>\n

          bead, so great was our eagemess to get to our play! Our prayer<\/span><\/p>\n

          finished, we started to play \u2018pebbles\u2019!<\/span><\/p>\n

          We had enjoyed the game for a few moments only, when a<\/span><\/p>\n

          strong wind began to shake the trees. We looked up, startled, to<\/span><\/p>\n

          see what was happening, for the day was unusually calm. Then we<\/span><\/p>\n

          78<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          saw coming towards us, above the olive trees, the figure I have<\/span><\/p>\n

          already spoken about 12. Jacinta and Francisco had never seen it<\/span><\/p>\n

          before, nor had I ever mentioned it to them. As it drew closer, we<\/span><\/p>\n

          were able to distinguish its features. It was a young man, about<\/span><\/p>\n

          fourteen or fifteen years old, whiter than snow, transparent as crystal<\/span><\/p>\n

          when the sun shines through it, and of great beauty. On reaching<\/span><\/p>\n

          us, he said:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cDo not be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          Kneeling on the ground, he bowed down until his forehead<\/span><\/p>\n

          touched the ground, and made us repeat these words three times:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cMy God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon<\/span><\/p>\n

          of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and<\/span><\/p>\n

          do not love You.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          Then, rising, he said: \u201cPray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary<\/span><\/p>\n

          are attentive to the voice of your supplications.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          His words engraved themselves so deeply on our minds that<\/span><\/p>\n

          we could never forget them. From then on, we used to spend long<\/span><\/p>\n

          periods of time, prostrate like the Angel, repeating his words, until<\/span><\/p>\n

          sometimes we fell, exhausted. I warned my companions, right away,<\/span><\/p>\n

          that this must be kept secret and, thank God, they did what I wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Some time passed 13, and summer came, when we had to go<\/span><\/p>\n

          home for siesta. One day, we were playing on the stone slabs of<\/span><\/p>\n

          the well down at the bottom of the garden belonging to my parents,<\/span><\/p>\n

          which we called the Arneiro. (I have already mentioned this well to<\/span><\/p>\n

          Your Excellency in my account of Jacinta). Suddenly, we saw beside<\/span><\/p>\n

          us the same figure, or rather Angel, as it seemed to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d he asked. \u201cPray, pray very much! The<\/span><\/p>\n

          most holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on<\/span><\/p>\n

          you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cHow are we to make sacrifices?\u201d I asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cMake of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as<\/span><\/p>\n

          an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in<\/span><\/p>\n

          supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down<\/span><\/p>\n

          peace upon your country. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of<\/span><\/p>\n

          .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

          79<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission, the suffering<\/span><\/p>\n

          which the Lord will send you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          A considerable time had elapsed, when one day we went to<\/span><\/p>\n

          pasture our sheep on a property belonging to my parents, which<\/span><\/p>\n

          lay on the slope of the hill I have mentioned, a little higher up than<\/span><\/p>\n

          Valinhos. It is an olive grove called Pregueira. After our lunch, we<\/span><\/p>\n

          decided to go and pray in the hollow among the rocks on the opposite<\/span><\/p>\n

          side of the hill. To get there, we went around the slope, and had<\/span><\/p>\n

          to climb over some rocks above the Pregueira. The sheep could<\/span><\/p>\n

          only scramble over these rocks with great difficuity.<\/span><\/p>\n

          As soon as we arrived there, we knelt down, with our foreheads<\/span><\/p>\n

          touching the ground, and began to repeat the prayer of the<\/span><\/p>\n

          Angel: \u201cMy God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You…\u201d, I don\u2019t<\/span><\/p>\n

          know how many times we had repeated this prayer, when an extraordinary<\/span><\/p>\n

          light shone upon us. We sprang up to see what was<\/span><\/p>\n

          happening, and beheld the Angel. He was holding a chalice in his<\/span><\/p>\n

          left hand, with the Host suspended above it, from which some drops<\/span><\/p>\n

          of blood fell into the chalice 14. Leaving the chalice suspended in<\/span><\/p>\n

          the air, the Angel knelt down beside us and made us repeat three<\/span><\/p>\n

          times:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cMost Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You<\/span><\/p>\n

          profoundly, and I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul<\/span><\/p>\n

          and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the<\/span><\/p>\n

          world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference<\/span><\/p>\n

          with which He Himself is offended. And, through the infinite merits<\/span><\/p>\n

          of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg<\/span><\/p>\n

          of You the conversion of poor sinners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          Then, rising, he took the chalice and the Host in his hands. He<\/span><\/p>\n

          gave the Sacred Host to me, and shared the Blood from the chalice<\/span><\/p>\n

          between Jacinta and Francisco 15, saying as he did so:<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u201cTake and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly<\/span><\/p>\n

          outraged by ungrateful men! Make reparation for their crimes and<\/span><\/p>\n

          console your God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

          14<\/span><\/p>\n

          .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

          80<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          Once again, he prostrated on the ground and repeated with<\/span><\/p>\n

          us, three times more, the same prayer \u201cMost Holy Trinity…\u201d and<\/span><\/p>\n

          then disappeared.<\/span><\/p>\n

          We remained a long time in this position, repeating the same<\/span><\/p>\n

          words over and over again. When at last we stood up, we noticed<\/span><\/p>\n

          that it was already dark, and therefore time to return home.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Trouble at Home<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

            Here I am, Your Excellency, at the end of my three years as a<\/span><\/p>\n

            shepherdess, from the time I was seven until I was ten years old.<\/span><\/p>\n

            During these three years, our home, and I would venture to say,<\/span><\/p>\n

            our parish as well, underwent an almost total change. Reverend<\/span><\/p>\n

            Father Pena was no longer our parish priest, and had been replaced<\/span><\/p>\n

            by Reverend Father Boicinha 16. When this most zealous<\/span><\/p>\n

            priest learned that such a pagan custom as endless dancing was<\/span><\/p>\n

            only too common in the parish, he promptly began to preach against<\/span><\/p>\n

            it from the pulpit in his Sunday sermons. In public and in private, he<\/span><\/p>\n

            lost no opportunity of attacking this bad custom. As soon as my<\/span><\/p>\n

            mother heard the good priest speak in this fashion, she forbade my<\/span><\/p>\n

            sisters to attend such amusements. As my sisters\u2019 example led<\/span><\/p>\n

            others also to refrain from attending, this custom gradually died<\/span><\/p>\n

            out. The same thing happened among the children, who used to<\/span><\/p>\n

            get up their little dances apart, as I have already explained to Your<\/span><\/p>\n

            Excellency when writing about my cousin Jacinta.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Apropos of this, somebody remarked one day to my mother:<\/span><\/p>\n

            \u201cUp to now, it was no sin to go to dances, but just because we have<\/span><\/p>\n

            a new parish priest, it is a sin. How could that be?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

            \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d replied my mother. \u201cAll I know is that the priest<\/span><\/p>\n

            does not want dancing, so my daughters are not going to such<\/span><\/p>\n

            gatherings any more. At most, I would let them dance a bit within<\/span><\/p>\n

            the family, because the priest says there is no harm in that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

            During this period, my two eldest sisters left home, after receiving<\/span><\/p>\n

            the sacrament of matrimony. My father had fallen into bad<\/span><\/p>\n

            company, and let his weakness get the better of him; this meant<\/span><\/p>\n

            16 His proper name was Fr. Manuel Marques Ferreira. He died in January, 1945.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

            81<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

            the loss of some of our property 17. When my mother realized that<\/span><\/p>\n

            our means of livelihood were diminishing, she resolved to send my<\/span><\/p>\n

            two sisters, Gloria and Carolina, out to work as servants.<\/span><\/p>\n

            At home, there remained only my brother, to look after our few<\/span><\/p>\n

            remaining fields; my mother, to take care of the house; and myself,<\/span><\/p>\n

            to take our sheep out to pasture. My poor mother seemed just<\/span><\/p>\n

            drowned in the depths of distress. When we gathered round the<\/span><\/p>\n

            fire at night time, waiting for my father to come in to supper, my<\/span><\/p>\n

            mother would look at her daughters\u2019 empty places and exclaim<\/span><\/p>\n

            with profound sadness: \u201cMy God, where has all the joy of our home<\/span><\/p>\n

            gone?\u201d Then, resting her head on a little table beside her, she would<\/span><\/p>\n

            burst into bitter tears. My brother and I wept with her. It was one of<\/span><\/p>\n

            the saddest scenes I have ever witnessed. What with longing for<\/span><\/p>\n

            my sisters, and seeing my mother so miserable, I felt my heart was<\/span><\/p>\n

            just breaking. Although I was only a child, I understood perfectly<\/span><\/p>\n

            the situation we were in.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Then I remembered the Angel\u2019s words: \u201cAbove all, accept<\/span><\/p>\n

            submissively the sacrifices that the Lord will send you.\u201d At such<\/span><\/p>\n

            times, I used to withdraw to a solitary place, so as not to add to my<\/span><\/p>\n

            mother\u2019s suffering, by letting her see my own. This place, usually,<\/span><\/p>\n

            was our well. There, on my knees, leaning over the edge of the<\/span><\/p>\n

            stone slabs that covered the well, my tears mingled with the waters<\/span><\/p>\n

            below and I offered my suffering to God. Sometimes, Jacinta<\/span><\/p>\n

            and Francisco would come and find me like this, in bitter grief. As<\/span><\/p>\n

            my voice was choked with sobs and I couldn\u2019t say a word, they<\/span><\/p>\n

            shared my suffering to such a degree that they also wept copious<\/span><\/p>\n

            tears. Then Jacinta made our offering aloud: \u201cMy God, it is as an<\/span><\/p>\n

            act of reparation, and for the conversion of sinners, that we offer<\/span><\/p>\n

            You all these sufferings and sacrifices.\u201d The formula of the offering<\/span><\/p>\n

            was not always exact, but the meaning was always the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

            So much suffering began to undermine my mother\u2019s health.<\/span><\/p>\n

            She was no longer able to work, so she sent for my sister Gloria to<\/span><\/p>\n

            come and take care of her, and look after the house as well. All the<\/span><\/p>\n

            surgeons and doctors around were consulted. We had recourse to<\/span><\/p>\n

            every kind of remedy, but there was no improvement whatsoever.<\/span><\/p>\n

            The good parish priest kindly offered to take my mother to Leiria in<\/span><\/p>\n

            his mule cart, to consult the doctors there. Accompanied by my<\/span><\/p>\n

            sister Teresa, she went to Leiria. But she arrived home half dead<\/span><\/p>\n

            from such a journey, worn out after so many consultations, and<\/span><\/p>\n

            having obtained no beneficial results of any kind. Finally, a surgeon<\/span><\/p>\n

            in S. Mamede was consulted. He declared that my mother<\/span><\/p>\n

            had a cardiac lesion, a dislocated spinal vertebra, and fallen kidneys.<\/span><\/p>\n

            He prescribed for her a rigorous treatment of red-hot needles<\/span><\/p>\n

            and various kinds of medication, and this brought about some<\/span><\/p>\n

            improvement in her condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

            This is how things were with us when the 13th of May, 1917,<\/span><\/p>\n

            arrived. It was around this time also that my brother reached the<\/span><\/p>\n

            age for enlistment in the army. As his health was excellent, there<\/span><\/p>\n

            was every reason to expect that he would be accepted. Besides,<\/span><\/p>\n

            there was a war on, and it would be difficult to obtain his exemption<\/span><\/p>\n

            from military service. My mother, afraid of being left alone and with<\/span><\/p>\n

            no one to look after the land, sent also for my sister Carolina to<\/span><\/p>\n

            come home. Meanwhile, my brother\u2019s godfather promised to obtain<\/span><\/p>\n

            his exemption. He put in a word with the doctor responsible for<\/span><\/p>\n

            his medical examination, and thus the good Lord deigned to grant<\/span><\/p>\n

            my mother this relief.<\/span><\/p>\n

             <\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Apparitions of Our Lady<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

              I will not delay now describing the Apparition of May 13th. It is<\/span><\/p>\n

              well known to Your Excellency, and it would therefore be a waste of<\/span><\/p>\n

              time for me to go into it here. You also know how my mother came<\/span><\/p>\n

              to be aware of what happened, and how she spared no efforts to<\/span><\/p>\n

              make me admit that I had lied. We agreed never to reveal to anyone<\/span><\/p>\n

              the words that Our Lady spoke to us that day. After having<\/span><\/p>\n

              promised to take us to Heaven, she asked:<\/span><\/p>\n

              \u201cAre you willing to offer yourselves to God to bear all the<\/span><\/p>\n

              sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins<\/span><\/p>\n

              by which He is offended, and of supplication for the conversion of<\/span><\/p>\n

              sinners?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

              \u201cYes, we are willing,\u201d was our reply.<\/span><\/p>\n

              83<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

              \u201cThen, you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of<\/span><\/p>\n

              God will be your comfort.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

              The 13th of June, feast of St. Anthony, was always a day of<\/span><\/p>\n

              great festivities in our parish. On that day, we usually let out the<\/span><\/p>\n

              flocks very early in the morning, and at nine o\u2019clock we shut them<\/span><\/p>\n

              up in their pens again, and went off to the festa. My mother and my<\/span><\/p>\n

              sisters, who knew how much I loved a festa<\/em>, kept saying to me:<\/span><\/p>\n

              \u201cWe\u2019ve yet to see if you\u2019ll leave the festa <\/em>just to go to the Cova da<\/span><\/p>\n

              Iria, and talk to that Lady!\u201d On the day itself nobody said a single<\/span><\/p>\n

              word to me. Insofar as I was concerned, they acted as if they were<\/span><\/p>\n

              saying: \u201cLeave her alone; and we\u2019ll soon see what she\u2019ll do!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

              I let out my flock at daybreak, intending to put them back in<\/span><\/p>\n

              the pen at nine, go to Mass at ten, and after that, go to the Cova<\/span><\/p>\n

              da Iria. But the sun was no sooner up than my brother came to call<\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. He told me to go back home, as there were several people<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                there wanting to speak to me. He himself stayed with the flock,<\/span><\/p>\n

                and I went to see what they wanted. I found some women, and<\/span><\/p>\n

                men too, who had come from such places as Minde, from around<\/span><\/p>\n

                Tomar, Carrascos, Boleiros, etc 18. They wished to accompany me<\/span><\/p>\n

                to the Cova da Iria. I told them that it was early as yet, and invited<\/span><\/p>\n

                them to go with me to the 8 o\u2019clock Mass. After that, I returned<\/span><\/p>\n

                home. These good people waited for me out in the yard, in the<\/span><\/p>\n

                shade of our fig trees.<\/span><\/p>\n

                My mother and my sisters persisted in their contemptuous attitude,<\/span><\/p>\n

                and this cut me to the heart, and was indeed as hurtful to<\/span><\/p>\n

                me as insults.<\/span><\/p>\n

                Around 11 o\u2019clock, I left home and called at my uncle\u2019s house,<\/span><\/p>\n

                where Jacinta and Francisco were waiting for me. Then we set off<\/span><\/p>\n

                for the Cova da Iria, in expectation of the longed-for moment. All<\/span><\/p>\n

                those people followed us, asking a thousand questions. On that<\/span><\/p>\n

                day, I was overwhelmed with bitterness. I could see that my mother<\/span><\/p>\n

                was deeply distressed, and that she wanted at all costs to compel<\/span><\/p>\n

                me, as she put it, to admit that I had lied. I wanted so much to do as<\/span><\/p>\n

                she wished, but the only way I could do so was to tell a lie. From the<\/span><\/p>\n

                cradle, she had instilled into her children a great horror of Iying,<\/span><\/p>\n

                18<\/span><\/p>\n

                .<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                84<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                and she used to chastise severely any one of us who told an untruth.<\/span><\/p>\n

                \u201c I\u2019ve seen to it,\u201d she often said, \u201cthat my children always told the<\/span><\/p>\n

                truth, and am I now to let the youngest get away with a thing like this?<\/span><\/p>\n

                If it were just a small thing…! But a lie of such proportions, deceiving<\/span><\/p>\n

                so many people and bringing them all the way here!\u201d After these<\/span><\/p>\n

                bitter complaints, she would turn to me, saying: \u201cMake up your mind<\/span><\/p>\n

                which you want! Either undo all this deception by telling these people<\/span><\/p>\n

                that you\u2019ve lied, or I\u2019ll lock you up in a dark room where you<\/span><\/p>\n

                won\u2019t even see the light of the sun. After all the troubles I\u2019ve been<\/span><\/p>\n

                through, and now a thing like this to happen!\u201d My sisters sided with<\/span><\/p>\n

                my mother, and all around me the atmosphere was one of utter<\/span><\/p>\n

                scorn and contempt.<\/span><\/p>\n

                Then I would remember the old days, and ask myself: \u201cWhere<\/span><\/p>\n

                is all that affection now, that my family had for me just such a short<\/span><\/p>\n

                while ago?\u201d My one relief was to weep before the Lord, as I offered<\/span><\/p>\n

                Him my sacrifice. It was on this very day that, in addition to what I<\/span><\/p>\n

                have already narrated, Our Lady, as though guessing what was<\/span><\/p>\n

                going on, said to me:<\/span><\/p>\n

                \u201cAre you suffering a great deal? Don\u2019t lose heart. I will never<\/span><\/p>\n

                forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way<\/span><\/p>\n

                that will lead you to God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                When Jacinta saw me in tears, she tried to console me, saying:<\/span><\/p>\n

                \u201cDon\u2019t cry. Surely, these are the sacrifices which the Angel<\/span><\/p>\n

                said that God was going to send us. That\u2019s why you are suffering,<\/span><\/p>\n

                so that you can make reparation to Him and convert sinners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Lucia\u2019s Doubts and Temptations <\/em><\/strong>19<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                  Around that time, our parish priest came to know of what was<\/span><\/p>\n

                  happening, and sent word to my mother to take me to his house.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  My mother felt she could breathe again, thinking the priest was<\/span><\/p>\n

                  going to take responsibility for these events on himself. She therefore<\/span><\/p>\n

                  said to me:<\/span><\/p>\n

                  19<\/span><\/p>\n

                  \u201cTomorrow, we\u2019re going to Mass, the first thing in the morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  Then, you are going to the Reverend Father\u2019s house. Just let him<\/span><\/p>\n

                  compel you to tell the truth, no matter how he does it; let him punish<\/span><\/p>\n

                  you; let him do whatever he likes with you, just so long as he<\/span><\/p>\n

                  forces you to admit that you have lied; and then I\u2019ll be satisfied.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                  My sisters also took my mother\u2019s part and invented endless<\/span><\/p>\n

                  threats, just to frighten me about the interview with the parish priest.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  I told Jacinta and her brother all about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

                  \u201cWe\u2019re going also,\u2019\u2019 they replied. \u201cThe Reverend Father told our<\/span><\/p>\n

                  mother to take us there too, but she didn\u2019t say any of those things<\/span><\/p>\n

                  to us. Never mind! If they beat us, we\u2019ll suffer for love of Our Lord<\/span><\/p>\n

                  and for sinners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                  Next day I walked along behind my mother, who did not address<\/span><\/p>\n

                  one single word to me the whole way. I must admit that I was<\/span><\/p>\n

                  trembling at the thought of what was going to happen. During Mass,<\/span><\/p>\n

                  I offered my suffering to God. Afterwards, I followed my mother out<\/span><\/p>\n

                  of the church over to the priest\u2019s house, and started up the stairs<\/span><\/p>\n

                  leading to the verandah. We had climbed only a few steps, when<\/span><\/p>\n

                  my mother turned round and exclaimed:<\/span><\/p>\n

                  \u201cDon\u2019t annoy me any more! Tell the Reverend Father now that<\/span><\/p>\n

                  you lied, so that on Sunday he can say in the church that it was all<\/span><\/p>\n

                  a lie, and that will be the end of the whole affair. A nice business,<\/span><\/p>\n

                  this is! All this crowd running to the Cova da Iria, just to pray in front<\/span><\/p>\n

                  of a holm oak bush!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                  Without more ado, she knocked on the door. The good priest\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

                  sister opened the door and invited us to sit down on a bench and<\/span><\/p>\n

                  wait a while. At last, the parish priest appeared. He took us into his<\/span><\/p>\n

                  study, motioned my mother to a seat, and beckoned me over to his<\/span><\/p>\n

                  desk. When I found that His Reverence was questioning me quite<\/span><\/p>\n

                  calmly, and with such a kindly manner, I was amazed. I was still<\/span><\/p>\n

                  fearful, however, of what was yet to come. The interrogation was<\/span><\/p>\n

                  very minute and, I would even venture to say, tiresome. His Reverence<\/span><\/p>\n

                  concluded with this brief observation:<\/span><\/p>\n

                  \u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem to me like a revelation from heaven. It is usual in<\/span><\/p>\n

                  such cases for Our Lord to tell the souls to whom He makes such<\/span><\/p>\n

                  communications to give their confessor or parish priest an account<\/span><\/p>\n

                  of what has happened. But this child, on the contrary, keeps it to<\/span><\/p>\n

                  herself as far as she can. This may also be a deceit of the devil. We<\/span><\/p>\n

                  shall see. The future will show us what we are to think about it all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                  86<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Encouragement from Jacinta and Francisco<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                    How much this reflection made me suffer, only God knows, for<\/span><\/p>\n

                    He alone can penetrate our inmost heart. I began then to have<\/span><\/p>\n

                    doubts as to whether these manifestations might be from the devil,<\/span><\/p>\n

                    who was seeking by these means to make me lose my soul. As I<\/span><\/p>\n

                    heard people say that the devil always brings conflict and disorder,<\/span><\/p>\n

                    I began to think that, truly, ever since I had started seeing these<\/span><\/p>\n

                    things, our home was no longer the same, for joy and peace had<\/span><\/p>\n

                    fled. What anguish I felt! I made known my doubts to my cousins.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cNo, it\u2019s not the devil!\u201d \u2013 replied Jacinta, \u201cnot at all! They say<\/span><\/p>\n

                    that the devil is very ugly and that he\u2019s down under the ground in<\/span><\/p>\n

                    hell. But that Lady is so beautiful, and we saw her go up to heaven!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                    Our Lord made use of this to allay somewhat the doubts I had.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    But during the course of that month, I lost all enthusiasm for making<\/span><\/p>\n

                    sacrifices and acts of mortification, and ended up hesitating as<\/span><\/p>\n

                    to whether it wouldn\u2019t be better to say that I had been Iying, and so<\/span><\/p>\n

                    put an end to the whole thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cDon\u2019t do that!\u201d exclaimed Jacinta and Francisco. \u201cDon\u2019t you<\/span><\/p>\n

                    see that now you are going to tell a lie, and to tell lies is a sin?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                    While in this state of mind, I had a dream which only increased<\/span><\/p>\n

                    the darkness of my spirit. I saw the devil laughing at having deceived<\/span><\/p>\n

                    me, as he tried to drag me down to hell. On finding myself in<\/span><\/p>\n

                    his clutches, I began to scream so loudly and call on Our Lady for<\/span><\/p>\n

                    help that I awakened my mother. She called out to me in alarm,<\/span><\/p>\n

                    and asked me what was the matter. I can\u2019t recall what I told her, but<\/span><\/p>\n

                    I do remember that I was so paralysed with fear that I couldn\u2019t<\/span><\/p>\n

                    sleep any more that night. This dream left my soul clouded over<\/span><\/p>\n

                    with real fear and anguish. My one relief was to go off by myself to<\/span><\/p>\n

                    some solitary place, there to weep to my heart\u2019s content. Even the<\/span><\/p>\n

                    company of my cousins began to seem burdensome, and for that<\/span><\/p>\n

                    reason, I began to hide from them as well. The poor children! At<\/span><\/p>\n

                    times, they would search for me, calling out my name and receiving<\/span><\/p>\n

                    no answer, but I was there all the while, hidden right close to<\/span><\/p>\n

                    them in some corner where they never thought of looking.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    The 13th of July was close at hand, and I was still doubtful as<\/span><\/p>\n

                    to whether I should go. I thought to myself: \u201cIf it\u2019s the devil, why<\/span><\/p>\n

                    should I go to see him? If they ask me why I\u2019m not going, I\u2019ll say<\/span><\/p>\n

                    that I\u2019m afraid it might be the devil who is appearing to us, and for<\/span><\/p>\n

                    87<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                    that reason I\u2019m not going. Let Jacinta and Francisco do as they<\/span><\/p>\n

                    like; I\u2019m not going back to the Cova da Iria any more.\u201d My decision<\/span><\/p>\n

                    made, I was firmly resolved to act on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    By the evening of the 12th, the people were already gathering,<\/span><\/p>\n

                    in anticipation of the events of the following day. I therefore called<\/span><\/p>\n

                    Jacinta and Francisco, and told them of my resolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cWe\u2019re going,\u201d they answered. \u201cThe Lady said we were to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                    Jacinta volunteered to speak to the Lady, but she was so upset<\/span><\/p>\n

                    over my not going, that she started to cry. I asked the reason for<\/span><\/p>\n

                    her tears.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cBecause you don\u2019t want to go!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cNo, I\u2019m not going. Listen! If the Lady asks for me, tell her I\u2019m<\/span><\/p>\n

                    not going, because I\u2019m afraid it may be the devil.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                    I left them then, to go and hide, and so avoid having to speak<\/span><\/p>\n

                    to all the people who came looking for me to ask questions. My<\/span><\/p>\n

                    mother thought I was playing with the children of the village, when<\/span><\/p>\n

                    all the time I was hidden behind the bramble bushes in a neighbour\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

                    property which adjoined the Arneiro, a little to the east of the<\/span><\/p>\n

                    well which I have mentioned so many times already. She scolded<\/span><\/p>\n

                    me, as soon as I got home that night:<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cA fine little plaster saint you are, to be sure! All the time you<\/span><\/p>\n

                    have left from minding the sheep, you do nothing but play, and<\/span><\/p>\n

                    what\u2019s more you have to do it in such a way that nobody can find<\/span><\/p>\n

                    you!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                    On the following day, when it was nearly time to leave, I suddenly<\/span><\/p>\n

                    felt I had to go, impelled by a strange force that I could hardly<\/span><\/p>\n

                    resist. Then I set out, and called at my uncle\u2019s house to see if Jacinta<\/span><\/p>\n

                    was still there. I found her in her room, together with her brother<\/span><\/p>\n

                    Francisco, kneeling beside the bed, crying.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cAren\u2019t you going then?\u201d I asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cNot without you! We don\u2019t dare. Do come!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cYes, I\u2019m going,\u201d I replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    Their faces lighted up with joy, and they set out with me.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    Crowds of people were waiting for us along the road, and only<\/span><\/p>\n

                    with difficulty did we finally get there. This was the day on which<\/span><\/p>\n

                    Our Lady deigned to reveal to us the Secret. After that, to revive my<\/span><\/p>\n

                    flagging fervour, she said to us:<\/span><\/p>\n

                    \u201cSacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times to Jesus,<\/span><\/p>\n

                    especially whenever you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is<\/span><\/p>\n

                    88<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                    for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for<\/span><\/p>\n

                    the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                     <\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. Lucia\u2019s Mother has her Doubts<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                      Thanks to our good Lord, this apparition dispelled the clouds<\/span><\/p>\n

                      from my soul and my peace was restored. My poor mother worried<\/span><\/p>\n

                      more and more, as she saw the crowds who came flocking from all<\/span><\/p>\n

                      parts.<\/span><\/p>\n

                      \u201cThese poor people,\u201d she said, \u201ccome here, taken in by your<\/span><\/p>\n

                      trickery, you can be sure of that, and I really don\u2019t know what I can<\/span><\/p>\n

                      do to undeceive them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                      A poor man who boasted of making fun of us, of insulting us<\/span><\/p>\n

                      and of even going so far as to beat us, asked my mother one day:<\/span><\/p>\n

                      \u201cWell, ma\u2019am, what have you got to say about your daughter\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n

                      visions?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                      \u201c I don\u2019t know,\u201d she answered. \u201clt seems to me that she\u2019s nothing<\/span><\/p>\n

                      but a fake, who is leading half the world astray.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                      \u201cDon\u2019t say that out loud, or somebody\u2019s likely to kill her. I think<\/span><\/p>\n

                      there are people around here, who\u2019d be only too glad to do so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                      \u201cOh, I don\u2019t care, just so long as they force her to confess the<\/span><\/p>\n

                      truth. As for me, I always tell the truth, whether against my children,<\/span><\/p>\n

                      or anybody else, or even against myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                      And, truly, this was so. My mother always told the truth, even<\/span><\/p>\n

                      against herself. We, her children, are indebted to her for this good<\/span><\/p>\n

                      example.<\/span><\/p>\n

                      One day, she resolved to make a fresh attempt to compel me<\/span><\/p>\n

                      to retract all that I had said, as she put it. She made up her mind to<\/span><\/p>\n

                      take me back the very next day to the parish priest\u2019s house. Once<\/span><\/p>\n

                      there, I was to confess that I had lied, to ask his pardon, and to<\/span><\/p>\n

                      perform whatever penance His Reverence thought fit or desired to<\/span><\/p>\n

                      impose on me. This time the attack was so strong, that I did not<\/span><\/p>\n

                      know what to do. On the way, as I passed my uncle\u2019s house, I ran<\/span><\/p>\n

                      inside to tell Jacinta, who was still in bed, what was taking place.<\/span><\/p>\n

                      Then I hurried out and followed my mother. In my account about<\/span><\/p>\n

                      Jacinta, I have already told Your Excellency about the part played<\/span><\/p>\n

                      by her and her brother in this trial which the Lord had sent us, and<\/span><\/p>\n

                      how they prayed as they waited for me at the well, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

                      89<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                      As we walked along, my mother preached me a fine sermon.<\/span><\/p>\n

                      At a certain point, I said to her, trembling: \u201cBut, mother, how can I<\/span><\/p>\n

                      say that I did not see, when I did see?\u201d My mother was silent. As<\/span><\/p>\n

                      we drew near the priest\u2019s house, she declared: \u201cJust you listen to<\/span><\/p>\n

                      me! What I want is that you should tell the truth. If you saw, say so!<\/span><\/p>\n

                      But if you didn\u2019t see, admit that you lied.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                      Without another word, we climbed the stairs, and the good<\/span><\/p>\n

                      priest received us in his study with the greatest kindness and even,<\/span><\/p>\n

                      I might almost say, with affection. He questioned me seriously, but<\/span><\/p>\n

                      most courteously, and resorted to various stratagems to see if I<\/span><\/p>\n

                      would contradict myself, or be inconsistent in my statements. Finally,<\/span><\/p>\n

                      he dismissed us, shrugging his shoulders, as if to imply: \u201c I<\/span><\/p>\n

                      don\u2019t know what to make of all this!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. The Administrator\u2019s Threats<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                        Not many days later, our parents were notified to the effect<\/span><\/p>\n

                        that all three of us, Jacinta, Francisco and myself, together with our<\/span><\/p>\n

                        fathers, were to appear at a given hour on the following day before<\/span><\/p>\n

                        the Administration in Vila Nova de Our\u00e9m. This meant that we had<\/span><\/p>\n

                        to make a journey of about nine miles, a considerable distance for<\/span><\/p>\n

                        three small children. The only means of transport in those days<\/span><\/p>\n

                        was either our own two feet or to ride on a donkey. My uncle sent<\/span><\/p>\n

                        word right away to say that he would appear himself, but as for his<\/span><\/p>\n

                        children, he was not taking them.<\/span><\/p>\n

                        \u00abThey\u2019d never stand the trip on foot,\u201d he said, \u201dand not being<\/span><\/p>\n

                        used to riding, they could never manage to stay on the donkey. And<\/span><\/p>\n

                        any way, there\u2019s no sense in bringing two children like that before a<\/span><\/p>\n

                        court.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                        My parents thought the very opposite.<\/span><\/p>\n

                        \u201c My daughter is going. Let her answer for herself. As for me, I<\/span><\/p>\n

                        understand nothing of these things. If she\u2019s Iying, it\u2019s a good thing<\/span><\/p>\n

                        that she should be punished for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                        Very early next morning 20, they put me on a donkey and off I<\/span><\/p>\n

                        went, accompanied by my father and uncle. I fell off the donkey<\/span><\/p>\n

                        three times along the way. I think I have already told Your Excellency<\/span><\/p>\n

                        how much Jacinta and Francisco suffered that day, thinking that I<\/span><\/p>\n

                        20 The day was the 11<\/em>th <\/em>of August.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                        90<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                        was going to be killed. As for me, what hurt me most, was the<\/span><\/p>\n

                        indifference shown me by my parents. This was all the more obvious,<\/span><\/p>\n

                        since I could see how affectionately my aunt and uncle treated<\/span><\/p>\n

                        their children. I remember thinking to myself as we went along:<\/span><\/p>\n

                        \u201cHow different my parents are from my uncle and aunt. They<\/span><\/p>\n

                        risk themselves to defend their children, while my parents hand me<\/span><\/p>\n

                        over with the greatest indifference, and let them do what they like<\/span><\/p>\n

                        with me! But I must be patient,\u201d I reminded myself in my inmost<\/span><\/p>\n

                        heart, \u201csince this means I have the happiness of suffering more for<\/span><\/p>\n

                        love of You, O my God, and for the conversion of sinners.\u201d This<\/span><\/p>\n

                        reflection never failed to bring me consolation.<\/span><\/p>\n

                        At the Administration office, I was interrogated by the Administrator,<\/span><\/p>\n

                        in the presence of my father, my uncle and several other<\/span><\/p>\n

                        gentlemen who were strangers to me. The Administrator was determined<\/span><\/p>\n

                        to force me to reveal the secret and to promise him never<\/span><\/p>\n

                        again to retum to the Cova da Iria. To attain his end, he spared<\/span><\/p>\n

                        neither promises, nor even threats. Seeing that he was getting nowhere,<\/span><\/p>\n

                        he dismissed me, protesting however, that he would achieve<\/span><\/p>\n

                        his end, even if this meant that he had to take my life. He then<\/span><\/p>\n

                        strongly reprimanded my uncle for not having carried out his orders,<\/span><\/p>\n

                        and finally let us go home.<\/span><\/p>\n

                         <\/p>\n

                          \n
                        1. Trouble in Lucia\u2019s Family<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                          \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                          In the intimacy of my own family, there was fresh trouble, and<\/span><\/p>\n

                          the blame for this was thrown on me. The Cova da Iria was a piece<\/span><\/p>\n

                          of land belonging to my parents. In the hollow, it was more fertile,<\/span><\/p>\n

                          and there we cultivated maize, greens, peas and other vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\n

                          On the slopes grew olive trees, oaks and holm oaks. Now, ever<\/span><\/p>\n

                          since the people began to go there, we had been unable to cultivate<\/span><\/p>\n

                          anything at all. Everything was trampled on. As the majority<\/span><\/p>\n

                          came mounted, their animals ate up all they could find and wrecked<\/span><\/p>\n

                          the whole place. My mother bewailed her loss: \u201cYou, now,\u201d she said<\/span><\/p>\n

                          to me, \u201cwhen you want something to eat, go and ask the Lady for<\/span><\/p>\n

                          it!\u201d My sisters chimed in with: \u201cYes, you can have what grows in the<\/span><\/p>\n

                          Cova da Iria!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                          These remarks cut me to the heart, so much so that I hardly<\/span><\/p>\n

                          dared to take a piece of bread to eat. To force me to tell the truth, as<\/span><\/p>\n

                          91<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                          she said, my mother, more often than not, beat me soundly with<\/span><\/p>\n

                          the broom-handle or a stick from the woodpile near the fireplace.<\/span><\/p>\n

                          But in spite of this, mother that she was, she then tried to revive my<\/span><\/p>\n

                          failing strength. She was full of concern when she saw me so thin<\/span><\/p>\n

                          and pale, and feared I might fall sick. Poor mother! Now, indeed,<\/span><\/p>\n

                          that I understand what her situation really was, how sorry l feel for<\/span><\/p>\n

                          her! Truly, she was right to judge me unworthy of such a favour,<\/span><\/p>\n

                          and therefore to think I was Iying.<\/span><\/p>\n

                          By a special grace from Our Lord, I never experienced the<\/span><\/p>\n

                          slightest thought or feeling of resentment regarding her manner of<\/span><\/p>\n

                          acting towards me. As the Angel had announced that God would<\/span><\/p>\n

                          send me sufferings, I always saw the hand of God in it all. The love,<\/span><\/p>\n

                          esteem and respect which I owed her, went on increasing, just as<\/span><\/p>\n

                          though I were most dearly cherished. And now, I am more grateful<\/span><\/p>\n

                          to her for having treated me like this, than if she had continued to<\/span><\/p>\n

                          surround me with endearments and caresses.<\/span><\/p>\n

                           <\/p>\n

                            \n
                          1. Lucia\u2019s First Spiritual Director<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                            \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                            It seems to me that it was in the course of this month 21 that<\/span><\/p>\n

                            Rev. Dr. Formig\u00e3o came for the first time to question me. His interrogation<\/span><\/p>\n

                            was serious and detailed. I liked him very much, for he<\/span><\/p>\n

                            spoke to me a great deal about the practice of virtue, and taught<\/span><\/p>\n

                            me various ways of exercising myself in it. He showed me a holy<\/span><\/p>\n

                            picture of St. Agnes, told me about her martyrdom and encouraged<\/span><\/p>\n

                            me to imitate her. His Reverence continued to come every month<\/span><\/p>\n

                            for an interrogation, and always ended up by giving me some good<\/span><\/p>\n

                            advice, which was of help to me spiritually. One day he said to me:<\/span><\/p>\n

                            \u201cMy child, you must love Our Lord very much, in return for so<\/span><\/p>\n

                            many favours and graces that He is granting you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                            These words made such an impression on my soul that, from<\/span><\/p>\n

                            then on, I acquired the habit of constantly saying to Our Lord: \u201cMy<\/span><\/p>\n

                            God, I love You, in thanksgiving for the graces which You have<\/span><\/p>\n

                            granted me.\u201d I so loved this ejaculation, that I passed it on to Jacinta<\/span><\/p>\n

                            and her brother, who took it so much to heart that, in the middle of<\/span><\/p>\n

                            the most exciting games, Jacinta would ask: \u201cHave you been forgetting<\/span><\/p>\n

                            to tell Our Lord how much you love Him for the graces He<\/span><\/p>\n

                            has given us?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                             <\/p>\n

                              \n
                            1. Imprisonment at Our\u00e9m<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                              \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                              Meanwhile the 13th day of August had dawned. Ever since the<\/span><\/p>\n

                              previous evening, crowds had been pouring in from all parts. They<\/span><\/p>\n

                              all wanted to see and question us, and recommend their petitions<\/span><\/p>\n

                              to us, so that we could transmit them to the most Holy Virgin. In the<\/span><\/p>\n

                              middle of all that crowd, we were like a ball in the hands of boys at<\/span><\/p>\n

                              play. We were pulled hither and thither, everyone asking us questions<\/span><\/p>\n

                              without giving us a chance to answer anybody. In the midst of<\/span><\/p>\n

                              all this commotion, an order came from the Administrator, telling<\/span><\/p>\n

                              me to go to my aunt\u2019s house, where he was awaiting me. My father<\/span><\/p>\n

                              got the notification and it was he who took me there. When I arrived,<\/span><\/p>\n

                              he was in a room with my cousins. He interrogated us there,<\/span><\/p>\n

                              and made fresh attempts to force us to reveal the secret and to<\/span><\/p>\n

                              promise that we would not go back to the Cova da Iria. As he<\/span><\/p>\n

                              achieved nothing, he gave orders to my father and my uncle to<\/span><\/p>\n

                              take us to the parish priest\u2019s house.<\/span><\/p>\n

                              I will not delay now to tell Your Excellency about everything<\/span><\/p>\n

                              else that happened during our imprisonment, for you already know<\/span><\/p>\n

                              it all. As I have previously explained to Your Excellency, what I felt<\/span><\/p>\n

                              most deeply and what caused me most suffering on that occasion<\/span><\/p>\n

                              was my being completely abandoned by my family; and it was the<\/span><\/p>\n

                              same for my little cousins. After this journey or imprisonment, for I<\/span><\/p>\n

                              really don\u2019t know what to call it, I returned home, as far as I can<\/span><\/p>\n

                              remember, on the 15th of August. To celebrate my arrival, they sent<\/span><\/p>\n

                              me right away to let out the sheep and take them off to pasture. My<\/span><\/p>\n

                              uncle and aunt wanted their children to stay with them at home,<\/span><\/p>\n

                              and therefore sent their brother John in their place. As it was already<\/span><\/p>\n

                              late, we stayed in the vicinity of our little hamlet, at a place<\/span><\/p>\n

                              called Valinhos 22.<\/span><\/p>\n

                              What happened next, is also known to Your Excellency; therefore<\/span><\/p>\n

                              I will not delay here to describe this either. Once again, the<\/span><\/p>\n

                              most Blessed Virgin recommended to us the practice of mortification,<\/span><\/p>\n

                              and ended by saying:<\/span><\/p>\n

                              \u201cPray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many<\/span><\/p>\n

                              souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves<\/span><\/p>\n

                              and to pray for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                               <\/p>\n

                               <\/p>\n

                                \n
                              1. Penances and Sufferings<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                                Some days later, as we were walking along the road with our<\/span><\/p>\n

                                sheep, I found a piece of rope that had fallen off a cart. I picked it up<\/span><\/p>\n

                                and, just for fun, I tied it round my arm. Before long, I noticed that<\/span><\/p>\n

                                the rope was hurting me.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                \u201cLook, this hurts!\u201d I said to my cousins. \u201cWe could tie it round<\/span><\/p>\n

                                our waists and offer this sacrifice to God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                The poor children promptly fell in with my suggestion. We then<\/span><\/p>\n

                                set about dividing it between the three of us, by placing it across a<\/span><\/p>\n

                                stone and striking it with the sharp edge of another one that served<\/span><\/p>\n

                                as a knife. Either because of the thickness or roughness of the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                rope, or because we sometimes tied it too tightly, this instrument of<\/span><\/p>\n

                                penance often caused us terrible suffering. Now and then, Jacinta<\/span><\/p>\n

                                could not keep back her tears, so great was the discomfort this<\/span><\/p>\n

                                caused her. Whenever I urged her to remove it, she replied: \u201cNo! I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                want to offer this sacrifice to Our Lord in reparation, and for the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                conversion of sinners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                Another day we were playing, picking little plants off the walls<\/span><\/p>\n

                                and pressing them in our hands to hear them crack. While Jacinta<\/span><\/p>\n

                                was plucking these plants, she happened to catch hold of some<\/span><\/p>\n

                                nettles and stung herself. She no sooner felt the pain than she<\/span><\/p>\n

                                squeezed them more tightly in her hands, and said to us: \u201cLook!<\/span><\/p>\n

                                Look! Here is something else with which we can mortify ourselves!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                From that time on, we used to hit our legs occasionally with nettles,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                so as to offer to God yet another sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                If I am not mistaken, it was also during this month that we<\/span><\/p>\n

                                acquired the habit of giving our lunch to our little poor children, as<\/span><\/p>\n

                                I have already described to Your Excellency in the account about<\/span><\/p>\n

                                Jacinta. It was during this month too, that my mother began to feel<\/span><\/p>\n

                                a little more at peace. She would say: \u201cIf there were even just one<\/span><\/p>\n

                                94<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                more person who had seen something, why then, I might believe!<\/span><\/p>\n

                                But among all those people, they\u2019re the only ones who saw anything!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                Now, during this past month, various people were saying that<\/span><\/p>\n

                                they had seen different things. Some had seen Our Lady, others,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                various signs in the sun, and so on. My mother declared: \u201c I used to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                think before, that if there were just one other person who saw anything,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                then I\u2019d believe; but now, so many people say they have seen<\/span><\/p>\n

                                something, and I still don\u2019t believe!\u201d My father also began, about<\/span><\/p>\n

                                then, to come to my defence, and to silence those who started<\/span><\/p>\n

                                scolding me; as he used to say: \u201cWe don\u2019t know if it\u2019s true, but<\/span><\/p>\n

                                neither do we know if it\u2019s a lie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                Then it was that my uncle and aunt, wearied by the troublesome<\/span><\/p>\n

                                demands of all these outsiders who were continually wanting<\/span><\/p>\n

                                to see us and speak to us, began to send their son John out to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                pasture the flock, and they themselves remained at home with<\/span><\/p>\n

                                Jacinta and Francisco. Shortly afterwards, they ended by selling<\/span><\/p>\n

                                the sheep altogether. As I did not enjoy any other company, I started<\/span><\/p>\n

                                to go out alone with my sheep. As I\u2019ve already told Your Excellency,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                whenever I happened to be nearby, Jacinta and her brother would<\/span><\/p>\n

                                come to join me; and when the pasture was at a distance they<\/span><\/p>\n

                                would be waiting for me on my way home. I can truly say that these<\/span><\/p>\n

                                were really happy days. Alone, in the midst of my sheep, whether<\/span><\/p>\n

                                on the tops of the hills or in the depths of the valleys below, I contemplated<\/span><\/p>\n

                                the beauty of the heavens and thanked the good God for all<\/span><\/p>\n

                                the graces He had bestowed on me. When the voice of one of my<\/span><\/p>\n

                                sisters broke in on my solitude, calling for me to go back home to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                talk to some person or other who had come looking for me, I felt a<\/span><\/p>\n

                                keen displeasure, and my only consolation was to be able to offer<\/span><\/p>\n

                                up to our dear Lord yet another sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                On a certain day, three gentlemen came to speak to us. After<\/span><\/p>\n

                                their questioning, which was anything but pleasant, they took their<\/span><\/p>\n

                                leave with this remark: \u201cSee that you decide to tell that secret of<\/span><\/p>\n

                                yours. If you don\u2019t, the Administrator has every intention of taking<\/span><\/p>\n

                                your lives!\u201d Jacinta, her face lighting up with a joy that she made no<\/span><\/p>\n

                                effort to hide, said: \u201cHow wonderful! I so love Our Lord and Our<\/span><\/p>\n

                                Lady, and this way we\u2019ll be seeing them soon!\u201d The rumour got<\/span><\/p>\n

                                round that the Administrator did really intend to kill us. This led my<\/span><\/p>\n

                                aunt, who was married and lived in Casais, to come to our house<\/span><\/p>\n

                                95<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                with the express purpose of taking us home with her, for, as she<\/span><\/p>\n

                                explained: \u201c I live in another district and, therefore, this Administrator<\/span><\/p>\n

                                cannot lay hands on you there.\u201d But her plan was never carried<\/span><\/p>\n

                                out, because we were unwilling to go, and replied: \u201c If they kill us,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                it\u2019s all the same! We\u2019ll go to Heaven!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                  \n
                                1. September 13th<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                  \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                                  Now the 13th of September was drawing near. In addition to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  what I have already related, Our Lady said to us on this day:<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  \u201cGod is pleased with your sacrifices, but He does not want you<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  to sleep with the rope on; only wear it during the day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  Needless to say, we promptly obeyed His orders. Since it seems<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  Our Lord had, a month before, wished to give some visible sign out<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  of the ordinary, my mother eagerly hoped that, on this day, such<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  signs would be still more clear and evident. The good Lord, however,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  perhaps to give us the opportunity to offer him yet another<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  sacrifice, permitted that no ray of His glory should appear on this<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  day. My mother lost heart once more, and the persecution at home<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  began all over again. She had indeed many reasons for being so<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  upset. The Cova da Iria was now a total loss, not only as a fine<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  pasture for our flock, but even as regards the eatables we had grown<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  there. Added to this was my mother\u2019s almost certain conviction, as<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  she expressed it, that the events themselves were nothing but foolish<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  fancies and mere childish imaginings. One of my sisters did<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  scarcely anything else but go and call me, and take my place with<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  the flock, while I went to speak to the people who were asking to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  see me and talk to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  This waste of time would have meant nothing to a wealthy family,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  but for ourselves, who had to live by our work, it meant a great<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  deal. After some time, my mother found herself obliged to sell our<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  flock, and this made no small difference to the support of the family.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  I was blamed for the whole thing, and at critical moments, it was all<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  flung in my face. I hope our dear Lord has accepted it all from me,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  for I offered it to Him, always happy to be able to sacrifice myself for<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  Him and for sinners. On her part, my mother endured everything<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  with heroic patience and resignation; and if she reprimanded me<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  and punished me, it was because she really thought that I was<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  96<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                  Iying. She was completely resigned to the crosses which Our Lord<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  was sending her, and at times she would say: \u201cCould it be that all<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  this is God\u2019s work, in punishment for my sins? If so, then blessed<\/span><\/p>\n

                                  be God!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                   <\/p>\n

                                    \n
                                  1. Lucia\u2019s Spirit of Sacrifice<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                    \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                                    A neighbour took it upon herself one day, why I don\u2019t know, to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    remark that some gentlemen had given me some money, though I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    cannot remember how much. Without more ado, my mother called<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    me and asked for it. When I told her I hadn\u2019t received any, she<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    wanted to force me to hand it over to her, and to this end, had<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    recourse to the broom-handle. When the dust had been well beaten<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    out of my clothes, Carolina, one of my sisters, intervened, along<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    with a girl from our neighbourhood called Virginia. They said they<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    had been present at the interrogation, and they had seen that the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    gentlemen had actually given me nothing at all. Thanks to their<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    defending me, I was able to slip away to my-beloved well, and there<\/span><\/p>\n

                                    offer yet another sacrifice to our good Lord.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                     <\/p>\n

                                      \n
                                    1. A Tall Visitor<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                      \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                                      If I am not mistaken, it was also during this month 23 that a<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      young man made his appearance at our home. He was of such tall<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      stature that I trembled with fear. When I saw that he had to bend<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      down in order to come through the doorway in search of me, I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      thought I must be in the presence of a German. At that time we<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      were at war, and grown-ups would try to frighten children by saying:<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      \u201cHere comes a German to kill you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      I thought, therefore, that my last hour had come. My fright did<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      not pass unnoticed by the young man, who sought to calm me; he<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      made me sit on his knee and questioned me with great kindness.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      His interrogation over, he asked my mother to let me go and show<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      him the site of the apparitions, and pray with him there. He obtained<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      the desired permission and off we went. But, all along the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      way, I trembled with fear at finding myself alone in the company of<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      this stranger. Then I began to feel tranquil again at the thought that<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      if he killed me, I would go to see Our Lord and Our Lady.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      On arriving at the place, he knelt down and asked me to pray<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      the Rosary with him to obtain a special grace from Our Lady that<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      he greatly desired: that a certain young lady would consent to receive<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      with him the sacrament of matrimony. I wondered at such a<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      request, and thought to myself: \u201c If she has as much fear of him as<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      I, she will never say Yes!\u201d When the Rosary was over, the good<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      young man accompanied me most of the way home, and then bade<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      me a friendly farewell, recommending his request to me again. I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      ran off helter skelter to my aunt\u2019s house, still afraid he might turn<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      round and come back!<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      What was my surprise then, on the 13th of October, when I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      suddenly found myself, after the apparitions, in the arms of this<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      same person, sailing along over the heads of the people. It actually<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      served to satisfy the curiosity of everybody who wanted to see me!<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      After a little while, the good man, who was unable to see where he<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      was going, stumbled and fell. l didn\u2018t fall, as I was caught in the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      crush of people who pressed around me. Right away, others took<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      hold of me, and this gentleman disappeared. It was not until some<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      time later that he appeared again, this time accompanied by the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      aforesaid girl, who was now his wife! He came to thank the Blessed<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      Virgin for the grace received, and to ask her copious blessings on<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      their future. This young man is today Dr. Carlos Mendes of Torres<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      Novas.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                      \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                        \n
                                      1. October 13th<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                        \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                                        Now, Your Excellency, here we are at the 13th of October. You<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        already know all that happened on that day. Of all the words spoken<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        at this Apparition, the ones most deeply engraved upon my<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        heart were those of the request made by our heavenly Mother:<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        \u201cDo not offend Our Lord and God any more, because He is<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        already so much offended!\u201d How loving a complaint, how tender a<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        request! Who will grant me to make it echo through the whole world,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        so that all the children of our Mother in Heaven may hear the sound<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        of her voice!<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        The rumour had spread that the authorities intended to explode<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        a bomb quite close to us, at the very moment of the Appari98<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                        tion. This did not frighten me in the least. I spoke of it to my cousins.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        \u201cHow wonderful!\u201d we exclaimed, \u201cif we were granted the grace of<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        going up to Heaven from there, together with Our Lady!\u201d My parents,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        however, were very much afraid, and for the first time they<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        wished to accompany me, saying that if their daughter was going<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        to die, they wanted to die by her side. My father then took me by the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        hand to the place of the Apparitions. But from the moment of the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        Apparition itself, I did not set eyes on him again until I was back<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        home with the family that night.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        I spent the afternoon of that day with my cousins. We were like<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        some curious creature that the multitudes wanted to see and observe.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        By night time I was really exhausted after so many questions<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        and interrogations. These did not even end with nightfall. Several<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        people, who had been unable to question me, remained over<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        till the following day, awaiting their turn. Some of them even tried to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        talk to me that night, but, overcome by weariness, I just dropped<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        down and fell asleep on the floor. Thank God, human respect and<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        self-love were, at that time, still unknown to me. For that reason, I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        was as much at ease with any person at all, as I was with my<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        On the following day, or rather, to be accurate, on the following<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        days, the questionings continued. Almost every day, from then on,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        people went to the Cova da Iria to implore the protection of our<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        heavenly Mother. Everybody wanted to see the seers, to put questions<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        to them, and to recite the Rosary with them. At times, I was so<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        tired of saying the same thing over and over again, and also of<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        praying, that I looked for any pretext for excusing myself, and making<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        my escape. But those poor people were so insistent, that I had<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        to make an effort, and indeed no small effort, in order to satisfy<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        them. I then repeated my usual prayer deep down in my heart: \u201cO<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        my God, it is for love of You, in reparation for the sins committed<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the conversion of sinners,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                        and for the Holy Father!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                         <\/p>\n

                                         <\/p>\n

                                          \n
                                        1. Questioned by Priests<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                          \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                                          In the account I have written about my cousin, I have already<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          told Your Excellency how two holy priests came and spoke to us<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          about His Holiness, and told us of his great need of prayers. From<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          99<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                          that time on, there was not a prayer or sacrifice that we offered to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          God which did not include an invocation for His Holiness. We grew<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          to love the Holy Father so deeply, that when the parish priest told<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          my mother that I would probably have to go to Rome to be interrogated<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          by His Holiness, I clapped my hands with joy and said to my<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          cousins: \u201cWon\u2019t it be wonderful if I can go and see the Holy Father!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          They burst into tears and said: \u201cWe can\u2019t go, but we can offer this<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          sacrifice for him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          The parish priest questioned me for the last time 24. The events<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          had duly come to an end at the appointed time, and still His Reverence<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          did not know what to say about the whole affair. He was also<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          beginning to show his displeasure. \u201cWhy are all those people going<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          to prostrate themselves in prayer in a deserted spot like that,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          while here the Living God of our altars, in the Blessed Sacrament,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          is left all alone, abandoned, in the tabernacle? What\u2019s all that money<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          for, the money they leave for no purpose whatsoever under that<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          holmoak, while the church, which is under repairs, cannot be completed<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          for lack of funds? 25<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          I understood perfectly why he spoke like that, but what could I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          do! If I had been given authority over the hearts of those people, I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          would certainly have led them to the parish church, but as I had<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          not, I offered to God yet another sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          As Jacinta was in the habit of putting her head down, keeping<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          her eyes fixed on the ground and scarcely uttering a word during<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          the interrogations, I was usually called upon to satisfy the curiosity<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          of the pilgrims. For that reason, I was continually being summoned<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          to the house of the parish priest. On one occasion, a priest from<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          Torres Novas came to question me 26. When he did so, he went into<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          such minute details, and tried so hard to trip me up, that afterwards<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          I felt some scruples about having concealed certain things from<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          him. I consulted my cousins on the matter:<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          \u00a0\u201c I don\u2019t know,\u201d I asked them, \u201c if we are doing wrong by not<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          telling everything, when they ask us if Our Lady told us anything<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          else. When we just say that she told us a secret, I don\u2019t know whether<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          we are Iying or not, by saying nothing about the rest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          \u201c I don\u2019t know,\u201d replied Jacinta, \u201cthat\u2019s up to you! You\u2019re the one<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          who does not want us to say anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          \u201c Of course I don\u2019t want you to say anything,\u201d I answered. \u201cWhy,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          they\u2019ll start asking us what sort of mortifications we are practising!<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          And that would be the last straw! Listen! If you had kept quiet, and<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          not said a word, nobody would have known by now that we saw<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          Our Lady, or spoke to her, or to the Angel; and nobody needed to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          know it anyway!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          The poor child had no sooner heard my arguments than she<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          started to cry. Just as she did in May, she asked my forgiveness in<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          the way I have already described in my account of her life. So I<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          was left with my scruple, and had no idea as to how I was to resolve<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          my doubt.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          A little while later, another priest appeared; he was from<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          Santar\u00e9m. He looked like a brother of the first I\u2019ve just spoken of,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          or at least they seemed to have rehearsed things together: asking<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          the same questions, making the same attempts to trip me up,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          laughing and making fun of me in the same way; in fact their<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          very height and features were almost identical. After this interrogation,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          my doubt was stronger than ever, and I really did not<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          know what course of action to follow. I constantly pleaded with<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          Our Lord and Our Lady to tell me what to do. \u201cO my God, and my<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          dearest Mother in Heaven, you know that I do not want to offend<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          you by telling lies; but you are well aware that it would not be right<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          to tell them all that you told me!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          In the midst of this perplexity, I had the happiness of speaking<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          to the Vicar of Olival 27. I do not know why, but His Reverence inspired<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          me with confidence, and I confided my doubt to him. I have<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          already explained, in my account of Jacinta, how he taught us to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          keep our secret. He also gave us some further instructions on the<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          spiritual life. Above all, he taught us to give pleasure to Our Lord in<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          everything, and how to offer Him countless little sacrifices. \u201cIf you<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          feel like eating something, my children,\u201d he would say, \u201cleave it,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          27 This was Father Faustino.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

                                          101<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

                                          and eat something else instead; and thus offer a sacrifice to God. If<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          you feel inclined to play, do not do so, and offer to God another<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          sacrifice. If people question you, and you cannot avoid answering<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          them, it is God who wills it so: offer Him this sacrifice too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          This holy priest spoke a language that I could really understand,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          and I loved him dearly. From then on, he never lost sight of my soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          Now and then, he called in to see me, or kept in touch with me<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          through a pious widow called Senhora Emilia 28 who lived in a little<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          hamlet near Olival. She was very devout, and often went to pray at<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          the Cova da Iria. After that, she used to come to our house and ask<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          to let me go and spend a few days with her. Then we paid a visit to<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          the Reverend Vicar, who was kind enough to invite me to remain<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          for two or three days as company for one of his sisters. At such<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          times, he was patient enough to spend whole hours alone with me,<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          teaching me the practice of virtue and guiding me with his own<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          wise counsels. Even though at that time I did not understand anything<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          about spiritual direction, I can truly say that he was my first<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          spiritual director. I cherish, therefore, grateful and holy memories<\/span><\/p>\n

                                          of this saintly priest.<\/span><\/p>\n

                                           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                          Tweet THE APPARITIONS \u00a0 A Mysterious Presage in 1915 \u00a0 This was how things were until I was seven years old. My mother then decided that I should take over the care of our sheep. My father did not agree, nor did my sisters. They were so fond of me, that they wanted an exception […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-divulgacion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51053"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59222,"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51053\/revisions\/59222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.floracantabrica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}