St. Jacinta | Prayer and Sacrifice
Intro
Today is the Feast of Sts. Jacinta and Fracesco Marta, two of the three children, along with Lucia, to whom the Angel of Peace appeared in 1916 that prepared the way for Our Lady of Fatima to appear to them in 1917 with a message and mission for the world. Both Jacinta and Francesco should be our patron saints this Lent because they took to heart the mission to pray and sacrifice for the conversion of sinners.
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The Apparitions of Mary to the three children of Fatima, were preceded by three apparitions from the Guardian Angel of Portugal in 1916 and the spring of 1917
In the 1st Apparition, the Angel said: ‘Do not be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.’
Kneeling on the ground, he bowed down until his forehead touched the ground and made them repeat three times:
‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.’
Then rising he said,
‘Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.’
And he disappeared.
I know – we want everything to go well in life, but Mary said to Bernadette at Lourdes
· I do not promise you happiness in this life but in Heaven
· The next life is for everything to go perfectly
· This life is for mission
· We have a mission to be co-workers with Jesus and Mary to help others to conversion by offering up our Lenten prayer and sacrifices for them
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2nd Apparition of the Angel in the Summer of 1916
While the children were playing around the well near Lucia’s house, suddenly the Angel appeared again and asked:
"What are you doing? Pray, pray very much! The Most Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifice constantly to the Most High. The hearts of Jesus and Mary have a mission for you."
The hearts of Jesus and Mary also have a mission for us to play on behalf of others.
Lucy asked the Angel: “How are we to make sacrifices?”
"Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners.”
“In this way, you will draw peace upon your country. I am its Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings which the Lord will send you."
Every day this Lent, let us offer our Lenten practices for all the names on our prayer list. But don’t forget to offer the crosses you did not choose. The most spiritually fruitful you can be is
· The patient acceptance and endurance of those things which you did not choose, do not like and cannot change,
· Yet, which God in His mysterious providence allows in your life
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3rd Apparition of the Angel in the Fall of 1916
The children took their sheep to the same place where the first apparition took place: a grove of Oak Trees called Cabeco. The Angel of Portugal once again appeared to them. He was holding a chalice in his left hand, with the Host suspended above it, from which drops of Blood fell from the host into the Chalice. Leaving the Chalice and the Host suspended in the air, he prostrated himself down on the ground beside the children and made them repeat three times this prayer:
“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences with which He, Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg you for the conversion of poor sinners.”
Then, rising, the Angel took the Chalice and Host, and he gave Lucia the Eucharistic Host in communion. Then he gave the Precious Blood from the Chalice to Francisco and Jacinta, and he said: "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men! Make reparation for their crimes and console your God."
Once again, prostrating himself on the ground he repeated with the children three times the same prayer: Most Holy Trinity… and disappeared. The Angel shows us that the most simple yet most impactful thing we can do for the conversion of others is to go and offer the Mass for them. What a great time this Lent to go to Mass more often, daily if possible, and when the gifts of bread and wine are placed on the altar, place there with them all the names on our prayer list and all the people you want to pray for. You are bringing them to the foot of the Cross made present in the Mass – you are bringing them to the infinite intercession of Jesus Christ. There is no greater thing you can do for another.
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St. Jacinta, was only 8 years old when Mary appeared at Fatima. She would die of the Spanish Flu on February 20, 1920. Here feast day is today. Lucia, one of the visionaries of Fatima relates this story: Jacinta’s thirst for making sacrifices seemed insatiable. One day a neighbor offered my mother a good pasture for our sheep. Though it was quite far away, and we were at the height of summer, my mother accepted the offer made so generously and sent me there…It was a lovely day, but the sun was blazing, and in that arid, stony wasteland, it seemed as though it would burn everything up. We were parched with thirst, and there wasn’t a single drop of water for us to drink! At first, we offered it up generously for the conversion of sinners, but after midday, we could hold out no longer. As there was a house quite near, I suggested to my companions that I should go and ask for a little water. They agreed to this, so I went and knocked on the door. A little old woman gave me not only a pitcher of water, but also some bread which I accepted gratefully. I ran to share it with my little companions, and then offered the pitcher to Francisco, and told him to drink. “I don’t want to,” he replied. “Why?” “I want to suffer for the conversion of sinners.” “You have a drink Jacinta!” “But I want to offer this sacrifice for the conversion of sinners too.” Then I poured the water into a hollow in the rock, so that the sheep could drink it, and went to return the pitcher to its owner. The heat was getting more and more intense. The shrill singing of the crickets and grasshoppers coupled with the croaking of the frogs in the neighboring pond made an uproar that was almost unbearable. Jacinta, frail as she was, and weakened still more by the lack of food and drink, said to me with that simplicity which was natural to her: “Tell the crickets and the frogs to keep quiet! I have such a terrible headache.” Then Francisco said to her: “Don’t you want to suffer for the conversion of sinners?” The poor child, clasping her head between her two little hands, replied: “Yes, I do! Let them sing!”
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Lucia relates, 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 want to convert more sinners. I said I did. She told me I would be going to a hospital where I would suffer a great deal; and that I am to suffer for the conversion of sinners, in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for love of Jesus. I asked if you would go with me. She said you wouldn’t, and that is what I find hardest. She said my mother would take me, and then I would have to stay all alone!” After this, she was very thoughtful for awhile, and then added: “If only you could be with me! The hardest part is to go without you. Maybe, the hospital is a big dark house, where you can’t see, and I’ll be there suffering all alone! But never mind! I’ll suffer for the love of Our Lord, to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the conversion of sinners and for the Holy Father.”
Post-script
Everyone of us has a son or daughter, brother or sister or friend who is not interested in Jesus. We can help them. We are called to be co-workers with Jesus to help bring about their conversion by joining our prayer and sacrifice to that of Jesus. Since we have already committed to pray and take on some sacrifice for Lent, then, leverage that and offer it for the conversion of all the names submitted to our prayer list. What an awesome mission we have this Lent – to help Jesus rescue souls! I might let myself down, but I won’t let you or your loved ones down. I’m offering my Lenten practices for them. Wont you join me in the same!