I. The Angel

Fatima is a village in the very center of Portugal, about 70 miles north of Lisbon. It

“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee. I ask pardon for all those who do not believe in Thee, do not adore Thee, do not hope in Thee, do not love Thee.”

He repeated this prayer three times. Then he arose and said:

“Pray this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.”

The Angel disappeared... Perhaps it made a deeper impression upon us because it was the Angel’s first clear manifestation.”

Children being children... The three little cousins were content to spend all their time together.

When the summer months came... It was while resting there, during one early afternoon, that the Angel visited them again. Lucia tells us what happened:

“What are you doing?” The Angel suddenly appeared at their side.

“Pray! Pray a great deal! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy for you! Offer prayers and sacrifices unceasingly to the Most High!”

“But how are we to sacrifice ourselves?” Lucia said.

“Offer up everything within your power as a sacrifice to the Lord in an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended; and of supplication for the conversion of sinners... Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings that the Lord may send you.”

Only Lucia and Jacinta heard the Angel’s words... Burning with curiosity, he wanted to learn what was said.

“Jacinta, tell me what the Angel said!”

“I will tell you tomorrow, Francisco. I am not able to speak now.”

...The next day as soon as he got up Francisco asked Jacinta, “Could you sleep last night? I was thinking of the Angel all night long trying to guess what he said to you.”

Lucia told him all the Angel said. The little lad could not grasp the meaning... “What is the Most High? What does he mean, ‘The hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications?’”

...It made Jacinta raise her voice, saying, “Take care! We must not speak much about these matters.”

...Jacinta used to say, “I don’t know what happens to me, but I cannot speak, play or sing...” and Francisco would remark, “Neither can I. What does it matter? The Angel is more important. Let us think about him.”

In later years, Lucia revealed: “The words of the Angel were like a light that made us realize who God was... From that moment, we began to offer to the Lord everything that mortified us...”

Autumn drew near... Then the Angel appeared to us for the third time. He was holding a chalice in his hand. A Host was over it, from which fell some drops of Blood into the chalice. Leaving the chalice and Host suspended in mid-air, he prostrated himself on the ground, repeating this prayer three times:

“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly, and I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the same Son Jesus Christ, present in the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for all the sacrileges, outrages and indifferences by which He Himself is offended. And by the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.”

The Angel then arose... while 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.”

He prostrated himself again on the ground and again repeated with the children three times the prayer: “Most Holy Trinity...” Then he disappeared.

...Francisco was the first to break it. He had not heard the Angel speak and was anxious to learn everything.

“Lucia,” he said, “I know that the Angel gave you Holy Communion. But what did he give to me and Jacinta?”

“The same; it was Holy Communion,” Jacinta replied at once, overflowing with joy, “did you not see that it was the Blood that dropped from the Host?”

“I felt that God was within me,” he agreed, “but I did not know how.”

The three of them remained kneeling on the ground for a long while, repeating over and over again the inspired, heart-stirring prayer of the Angel.