FT Chapter 9 (Real Suffering)
Trusting and planning are good things. Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco were trusting children and they planned on doing what Our Lady asked of them. Well, sometimes monkey wrenches are thrown in and that is what happened. The children thought that they were going to answer a few simple questions and then get a ride to Cova da Iria, but it turns out that the local authorities (Free Masons) took the children to a different location than they expected (Fatima for Today, 89). Not only that they were harassed, scared, hassled by the authorities to tell what Our Lady had told them. They were threatened and were even put into jail with criminals, all to get them to tell what had happened (Fatima for Today, 90). The children trusted in the Lord and they even prayed the Rosary with the criminals who they were in jail with. As a result of this, they were not at Cova da Iria on August 13 for Our Lady’s appearance. Finally, on August 15 (the Assumption) the children were released and brought back to their parish (Fatima for Today, 92).
Our Lady didn’t appear on the 13th of August, instead she appeared on August 19th (Fatima for Today, 93). Our Lady said, “I want you to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th, and to continue to praying the Rosary every day. In the last month, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe” (Fatima for Today, 94). Praying daily the Rosary is a big part of the message of Fatima, especially for peace (the peace that only God can give). “Lucia recorded that our Lady’s face suddenly became sad as she said: ‘Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them’” (Fatima for Today, 95). Ouch, this isn’t exactly what we want to hear, we want to hear that nobody is in hell, but Our Lady doesn’t say that there are many souls in hell. She says this to remind us to pray and sacrifice for sinners. This call is still placed on us today!