PART
I:
The Apparitions of the Angel of Portugal
Before
the apparitions of Our Lady occurred, Lucia de Jesus dos Santos and her
cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who all lived in the village of Aljustrel
in the township of Fatima, had three visions of the Angel of Portugal, also
called the Angel of Peace.
The First Apparition of the Angel
The angel first appeared either in the spring or summer of 1916 at Loca do
Cabeço, a rocky outcrop near the top of a knoll called Cabeço, not far from
Aljustrel. This is Sister Lucia's account of the apparition:
"We
had been playing for a while when a strong wind shook the trees. Since it was a
calm day, this made us raise our eyes to see what was happening. Then we began
to see, well above the trees that covered the stretch of land to the east, a
light whiter than snow in the shape of a transparent young man who was more
brilliant than a crystal struck by the rays of the sun.
"As
he approached, we began to see his features. He was a young man of great beauty
about fourteen or fifteen years old. We were surprised and ecstatic. We did not
utter a word.
"Once
he drew near us, he said: 'Fear not. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.'
"Kneeling down, he bowed forward until his forehead touched the ground. We
imitated him, led by a supernatural inspiration, and repeated the words we
heard him say: 'My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee. I beg Thee
forgiveness for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not
love Thee.'
"After
he had repeated this twice, he rose and said: 'Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus
and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.' Then he
disappeared.
"The
supernatural atmosphere that enveloped us was so intense that we were almost
unaware of our own existence. For a long time, we remained in the same position
we were in when he left, repeating the same prayer. The presence of God was so
intense and intimate that we dared not speak to each other. On the following
day, we felt our spirits still enveloped in that atmosphere, which was but
slowly disappearing.
"None
of us thought of talking about this apparition or of recommending secrecy, for
the incident itself demanded it. It was so intimate that it was difficult to
utter a word about it. This might well have been the apparition that impressed
us the most, because it was the first one thus manifested."
The Second Apparition of the Angel
The second apparition occurred in the summer of 1916 over the well at the house
of Lucia's parents, next to which the three children were playing. This is how
Sister Lucia narrates what the angel said to them:
"'What
are you doing? Pray! Pray a great deal! The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
have merciful designs concerning you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly
to the Most High!'
'How
must we sacrifice?' I asked.
"'Offer
God a sacrifice of anything you can as an act of reparation for the sins with
which He is offended and as a supplication for the conversion of sinners. Draw
peace upon your country by doing this. I am its guardian angel – the Angel of
Portugal. Above all, accept and endure with submission whatever suffering the
Lord sends you.' Then he disappeared.
"The
angel's words were impressed upon our souls like a light that made us
understand who God is, how much He loves us and wishes to be loved, the value
of sacrifice and how it pleases God, and how He converts sinners because of
it."
The Third Apparition of the Angel
The third apparition occurred either at the end of the summer or the beginning
of the autumn of 1916, once again at Loca do Cabeço. According to Sister
Lucia's account, it took place as follows:
"As
soon as we arrived there, we began to say the angel's prayer on our knees, with
our faces to the ground. 'My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love
Thee....' I do not know how many times we had said this prayer when we saw an
unknown light shining over our heads. We rose to see what was happening, and we
saw the angel bearing a chalice in his left hand. Drops of blood fell into the
chalice from a Host suspended over it.
Leaving
the chalice and the Host suspended in the air, the angel prostrated himself
beside us and said the following prayer three times:
"'Most
Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly and offer
Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present
in all the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the insults, sacrileges,
and indifference with which He is offended. And through the infinite merits of
His Most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg Thee for the
conversion of poor sinners.'
"After this, rising up, he again took the chalice and the Host in his
hand; he gave the Host to me and the contents of the chalice to Jacinta and
Francisco to drink, saying: 'Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ,
who is horribly insulted by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and
console your God.'
"He
again prostrated himself on the ground and repeated with us the same prayer
three more times. 'Most Holy Trinity....' Then he disappeared.
"Compelled
by the supernatural force that enveloped us, we imitated the angel in
everything, that is, prostrating ourselves as he did and repeating the prayers
he said. The strength of God's presence was so intense that it absorbed and
annihilated us almost completely. It seemed to deprive us even of the use of
our bodily senses for a long period of time. For several days afterward, we
performed our physical actions as though sustained by that same supernatural
being who compelled us to do them. The peace and happiness we felt were great,
but intimate, as our souls were entirely concentrated on God. The physical
weariness that overwhelmed us was also great.
"I
do not know why, but the fact is that the apparitions of Our Lady had a very
different effect on us. There was the same intimate gladness, the same peace
and happiness. But instead of physical weariness, we felt a certain expansive
liveliness, a sense of glee instead of that annihilation in the Divine
Presence, a certain communicative enthusiasm instead of that difficulty in
speaking. But, in spite of these feelings, I felt the inspiration to remain
silent, especially about certain things. In the interrogations, I felt an
intimate inspiration that suggested to me the answers, which, although true,
would not disclose what I should still keep secret."
The
apparitions of the angel in 1916 were preceded by three other visions from
April to October of 1915, in which Lucia and three other little shepherd girls
(Maria Rosa Matias, Teresa Matias, and Maria Justino) saw something suspended
in the air over the trees in the valley. It was "a kind of cloud whiter
than snow, somewhat transparent, with a human form...a figure like a statue
made of snow that the rays of the sun had turned somewhat transparent".
This description is the one given by Sister Lucia herself.
0 comments:
Post a Comment