Saints Francesco and Jacinta
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Today is the Feast of St. Francesco and Jacinta of Fatima.
From 1916-1917 the Guardian Angel of Portugal and Mary, the Mother of God appeared to three children in Fatima Portugal: Lucia, Francesco and Jacinta. They were 10, 9 and 7 years old. The apparitions culminated with the miracle of the Sun, witnessed by more than 70,000 and reported in the secular newspapers the next day.
What was Mary’s message? People have forgotten God and have turned away from him. Anyone who, by their own free choice, turns away from God until death, turns away forever and this is hell.
Mary is the Mother of All People. She has come from Heaven to Earth on a Rescue Mission – to save her children from hell and lead them to Heaven.
She asks for our help in this Rescue Mission – primarily by doing two things – to pray the Rosary every day and to offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. Little Francesco and Jacinta took this seriously, helped save many souls. They both died of the Spanish Flu shortly after these events and were canonized Saints in 2017.
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On June 13, 1917, Mary said to the children: My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the path that leads you to God.
Then she opened her hands. In one hand she held her Immaculate Heart from which flowed a great light which is God. This light penetrated the hearts of the children and flowed out upon the whole world.
Francesco said: “I loved seeing the Angel, but I loved still more seeing Our Lady. What I loved most of all was to see Jesus in that Light from Our Lady which penetrated our hearts.”
The Light was the life of God. It flowed from the Heart of Mary into the hearts of the children.
That is what Mary does for us as Our Spiritual Mother. She works to open our hearts to receive the life of God, to know his will and do it.
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Francesco said: “What I loved most of all was to see Jesus in that Light from Our Lady which penetrated our hearts.”
Mary opened the hearts of the children to receive the Light of Jesus.
We sometimes have the wrong idea about Mary’s role, that She stands between us and God. We turn to Mary who then turns to God to get from Him, the things we can’t get on our own from God.
This is not accurate. Mary does not primarily work on God. She works on us – to open our hearts. God does not need to change. We are the ones who need to change. Mary does not intercede and work to influence God to change his mind. No, Mary works on us. She comes to influence us.
Mary is our spiritual Mother. Her role is to dispose us, influence us, open our hearts to receive Jesus, to receive the grace of God. Mary primarily works on us, to open our heart, to educate us to know and do the will of God. That is why we turn to her.
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August 19, 1917 Mary said the children:
“Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.”
St. Jacinta was only 8 years old when she heard this, but it made a lasting impression.
Lucia relates this story: “Shortly before Jacinta died, she sent for me to come and see her at once. I ran over. ‘Our Lady came to see us,’ Jacinta said. ‘She told us she would come and take Francisco to heaven very soon. She asked me if I still wanted to convert more sinners. I said I did. She told me I would be going to a hospital where I would suffer a great deal; and that I am to suffer for the conversion of sinners, in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for love of Jesus. She said my mother would take me to the hospital, and then I would have to stay all alone!” After this, she was very thoughtful for a while, and then added…Maybe, the hospital is a big dark house, where you can’t see, and I’ll be there suffering all alone! But never mind! I’ll suffer for the love of Our Lord, to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the conversion of sinners and for the Holy Father.’”
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Mary comes on a Rescue Mission.
She asks for our help in two ways: by praying the Rosary every day and offering sacrifices to save souls from hell and lead them to heaven.
Sts. Francesco and Jacinta took this seriously and did it.
Let us make the firm resolution to pray the Rosary every day and to offer sacrifices to help save souls.
We can make voluntary sacrifices by fasting from our screens, eating and drinking less, giving up little things for the conversion of sinners.
And we can accept those things we did not choose, do not like and cannot change, and offer them to God for the conversion of souls and the love of Jesus.
She already gave all she could give for your soul, she gave her only Son, Jesus Christ. What will you give? What is the price of a soul?