Great preparations usually precede great events. The apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima were preceded by three visions of the Angel of Portugal to Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. Providence prepared the children for the moment when Our Lady would speak to them.
Between April and October of 1915, the apparitions of the Angel of Portugal were also preceded by some supernatural signs. Around a hill near Cova da Iria, called “Cabeço”, Lucia shepherded the flock with three other little girls. Her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, were not present. At a certain moment, all four of them saw a sort of cloud, whiter than snow and in the shape of a human, floating above the trees in the valley. “It looked like a statue made of snow that became almost transparent by the rays of the sun,” according to Lucia’s description. This apparition occurred on two other occasions.
On a spring day in 1916, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco were sheltering themselves from a fine drizzle at “Loca do Cabeço”, when the Angel clearly appeared for the first time. After prayers, the children began to play. Suddenly, a strong wind shook the trees. This is how Sister Lucia describes what followed: “We began to see, in the distance, a light whiter than snow in the form of a young man, quite transparent, and as brilliant as crystal in the rays of the sun. As he came near we were able to see his features: a young man about 14 or 15 years old and very beautiful. We were surprised and quite taken aback. We did not say a word. He reached us and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the angel of peace. Pray with me.’ He knelt, bending his forehead to the ground. With a supernatural impulse we did the same, repeating the words we heard him say: ‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You. Pray in this way. The hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to your prayers.’ And he disappeared. The supernatural atmosphere that he left us in was so intense we were for a long time unaware of our own existence...”. Then he disappeared. “The supernatural atmosphere that enveloped us,” continues Sister Lucia, “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 still felt enveloped in that atmosphere, which only gradually disappeared.”
In the summer of 1916, while the three little shepherds played in the yard surrounding a well at Lucia’s parents’ house, the Angel appeared to them a second time. This is how Sister Lucia narrates what the Angel said to them: “The angel said to us: ‘What are you doing? You must pray! Pray a lot! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs for you. You must constantly offer your prayers and sacrifices to God, the Most High.’ ‘How are we to sacrifice?’ I asked. ‘In every possible way offer sacrifice to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way you will bring peace to your country. I am the Guardian Angel of Portugal. Above all, bear and accept with submission the sufferings God will send you.’ And he disappeared... These words of the angel cut into our spirits like a light, making us understand who God is, how He loves us, and how He wants us to love Him; the value of sacrifice and how it pleases Him; how He receives it for the conversion of sinners.”
The third and last apparition of the Angel occurred again at Loca do Cabeço. Sister Lucia’s account is as follows: “After our lunch, we decided to go and pray in the grotto on the opposite side of the hill…As soon as we arrived there, we knelt down, with our faces on the ground and began to repeat the Angel’s prayer: ‘My God! I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee…’ I don’t know how many times we had said this prayer when we saw an extraordinary light shining upon us. We rose to see what was happening and beheld the Angel bearing a chalice in his left hand. Drops of Blood fell into the chalice from a Host suspended above it.”
Leaving the chalice and the Host suspended in the air, the Angel prostrated himself beside the children and said the following prayer three times: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly and I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all of the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the insults, sacrileges and indifference with which He is offended. And through the infinite merits of his Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.” Then, rising, he gave the Host to Lucia, 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 thy God. “The Angel again prostrated himself on the ground and repeated with us the same prayer three more times: ‘Most Holy Trinity…’ and then disappeared. “We remained in this position for a long time, repeating the same words over and over again. When we finally got up, we noticed it was already dark and therefore time to go home.”
The Angel’s words made a profound impression on the three children who, from then on, began to expiate for sinners through sacrifices and an assiduous life of prayer.
“Apparitions of the Angel - 1916.” Virgin of Fatima Association, 2020. https://virginfatima.org/apparitions-of-the-angel/ “The Angel of Peace Appears to the Shepherds of Fatima Three Times and Gives Them Communion - Portugal, 1916.” Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association, 2006. https://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/angelofpeace1.pdf
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