Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto

In the Jubilee year, the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco, the two little shepherds of Fatima, Portugal, was a landmark event. These two children, aged 10 and 11, are the youngest non-martyrs ever to be beatified in the history of the Catholic Church, proving that no matter how young you are, you can still become a saint.

Francisco Marto was born in Fatima, Portugal, on June 11, 1908, and his sister Jacinta was born on March 11th, 1910. The brother and sister were not much alike; Francisco had a calm personality and loved nature and music, while Jacinta was more active and playful.

Beginning at a young age, the two children accompanied their cousin Lucia Santo to the fields each day to watch the families' sheep. One day in 1916, they saw an Angel, who told them he was the angel of peace and the guardian angel of Portugal. The angel taught the amazed children a prayer to say in reparation for sins: "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!" The angel appeared to the children three times in all, reminding them to pray and make sacrifices. During the third visit, the angel appeared holding a chalice and a host, and taught them another 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 indifference with which He Himself is offended. And, through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners." He gave Lucia, who was the only one who had made her first Communion, the host, and gave Jacinta and Francisco the blood in the chalice to drink. These apparitions filled the children with a sense of peace and the presence of God, preparing them for the apparitions of Mary which were soon to take place.

The first apparition of Our Lady took place on May 13, 1817, an event which would change their lives forever. In this first of the several apparitions at Fatima, Our Lady asked the children to say the Rosary and to make sacrifices, offering them for the conversion of sinners.

Seven-year-old Jacinta especially took this request very seriously, even though it had earlier been her idea to save time in reciting the Rosary by only saying the first two words of every prayer! She was particularly struck by the Blessed Virgin's request to pray for sinners, especially after seeing the vision of Hell which Mary showed to the three children.

Francisco was affected by the vision in a different way; he saw how sad Jesus and Mary were, and how much they were offended by sins, and his great desire was to console them. The children began to make sacrifices for sinners, and in reparation for the sins which wounded the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sometimes they gave their lunch to beggars, going without food themselves; they refrained from drinking water on hot days; they offered up their daily crosses; they wore little ropes around their waist until Our Lady told them not to; they prayed often, alone, or together.

In October of 1918, Francisco and Jacinta became seriously ill with the Spanish flu. Our Lady appeared to the two children and told them she was coming soon to take them to Heaven: Francisco first, and then Jacinta later.

Francisco, who had longed for Heaven, was thrilled at the thought of being able to see Jesus and Mary forever. In his last illness, he continually made the sacrifice of taking any medicine or food which was given him, no matter whether he liked it or not, without complaining. As his illness progressed, he could no longer say his prayers out loud, but he continued to pray "with his heart." At Francisco's request, the parish priest came to give him his first Communion, which he had not yet received. It would be his last Communion - Francisco died peacefully the next day, April 14, 1919.

Poor little Jacinta, who was still extremely ill, missed her brother greatly. At the same time, she was suffering from an abcess on her chest. Despite her sufferings, she continued to make sacrifices and offer her pain to God for her dearest intention - the conversion of sinners. She was ready to suffer anything to save souls from Hell. Eventually Jacinta was transferred to a hospital in Lisbon, but her condition did not improve, despite a painful operation. Our Lady continued to console Jacinta with her presence, and on February 20, 1920, the little girl died in the hospital, attended only by a nurse.

The lives of Jacinta and Francisco teach us that even young children can become saints. In 1999, the Vatican accepted a miracle for the beatification of the two children. They were beatified on May 13th, 2000, the 83rd anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima.

Blessed Jacinta and Francisco, PRAY FOR US!

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Souls in Purgatory

The Souls in Purgatory are the souls of those who died in the state of grace (i.e. as God's friends), but who are not yet cleansed enough from sin to enter Heaven. When we are sorry for our sins and confess them, God joyfully forgives us. However, each sin wounds our soul, and the damage remains even after it is forgiven. Souls who neglect to repair this spiritual damage, by doing penance, are not ready for Heaven when they die, even if they don't deserve to go to hell. So God in His mercy allows them to spend time suffering in Purgatory, in atonement for their sins before entering Heaven. The Souls in Purgatory are part of the Communion of Saints (they are sometimes referred to as "The Church Suffering"), and we have the obligation as Catholics to pray for their speedy release from Purgatory.

So Purgatory is a state of purification, where the soul can be cleansed of all the sins and damage from sin which hinder it from reaching Heaven. The fact that Purgatory exists is a proof of God's overwhelming mercy. Souls who die without having taken care to properly prepare their souls for Heaven, would actually prefer to suffer in Purgatory rather than have to enter the presence of God and stand among the glorious saints and angels, stained with even the slightest speck of sin!

Imagine if you were invited to a party, and when you arrived, having not bothered to shower and change from your old clothes, you discovered that the room was full of glittering, gorgeously dressed kings and queens! Imagine how ashamed you would feel, and how glad you would be if someone took you aside and showed you a room where you could get suitably washed and dressed.

However, Purgatory is a place of suffering, as the saints saw, when Souls in Purgatory appeared to them wrapped in flames and begging for prayers. We know, of course, that souls are not material, so the vision of fire is certainly only a symbol of sufferings which we don't understand. Part of the suffering of Purgatory, of course, is that the souls there can't see God, and they long with all their hearts to be with Him. Perhaps another part of the suffering is seeing the awful damage which your sins have caused to others - following the results of your sinful actions as they continue to affect people centuries later. Who knows? (Just picture how horrible it would be to have to listen to ALL of the conversations you ever had during your whole life, only now intensely aware of every unkind, idle, foolish, or unchaste word, and seeing the effect of those conversations on the souls around you!)

How can we help the Holy Souls?

It's true that we often entirely neglect to pray for the poor Souls in Purgatory. We want to help those who suffer in our world, whether human or animal, but sometimes we forget about helping the Souls in Purgatory, since we can't see them. However, there are many different ways in which we can help them and earn their eternal gratitude:

• Have Masses said for them. Some Souls are so close to Heaven that all they need are the graces of ONE MASS to set them free. And we can do this for them so easily!

• Say prayers for them. On this site we have collected a few prayers for the soul in purgatory but you can offer any prayer for them, such as the Rosary or the Chaplet of Mercy.

• Offer sacrifices for them. When you do something kind for someone, or you make a sacrifice, remember to say inside, "Jesus, this is for the Souls in Purgatory." Or, you can pick specific days, and decide that you will offer everything good you do that day, for the relief of the Souls in Purgatory.

• Gain indulgences for them. By gaining indulgences for the Souls, you can give them enormous graces from the "treasure-house of the Church," by saying just one little prayer or doing a simple little action.

How do we avoid Purgatory?

It is possible to avoid Purgatory and go straight to Heaven after your death!

Frequent Communion and Confession are important means to purify our souls and keep us at all times ready for death.

When we are sorry for our sins and go to Confession, God completely forgives us. However, each sin wounds our soul, and the spiritual damage we have caused remains even after our sins are forgiven.
We can repair this damage to our souls by our prayers and sacrifices, and by perfect contrition, being perfectly sorry for our sins because of the sorrow they cause God, not just because we know we will be punished for them.

You don't have to do all the work by yourself! Why not ask God to help you with the merits and sufferings of Jesus? Tell Him you want to go straight to Heaven when you die, to be with Him, and He will be glad to help you, because He wants you to be with Him more than you can imagine!

And of course, all this is made easier if you have a true desire to serve God and become a saint. By your love for God, you can atone for your sins so perfectly that you will be worthy to go straight to Heaven when you die! Hey, that's just one more reason for becoming a saint!

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The Attractive Side to Celibacy

A good marriage is, in the best sense of the word, something awesome. Celibacy is too, when you see it the way Jesus does. Celibacy for the sake of saving time and money is not enough.

Angels can’t be priests. The Lord calls only men, and a normal part of being a man is to like girls. When God calls a man to the priesthood he doesn’t unplug his natural attraction to marriage. I know young men who would join the seminary, if they did not have to sacrifice dating and marriage. Last year, a television series dramatized the tension they may feel: “God or the Girl.”

Why does it have to be one or the other? For some, marriage seems too good to give up. Is celibacy something the Church should rethink? I am a seminarian and I almost agree: it is not something we can or should re-think, but it does deserve a second look. Take a quick, superficial look at celibacy, like a lot of outsiders do, and certainly it will seem like giving up marriage is too much to ask. But celibacy comes from God – it was not the Church’s idea. Christ inspired it, so it has to be awesome. If we do not appreciate its greatness, this is probably because we haven’t yet taken a good look at it for what it is.

Among mainstream Catholics, you often have three viewpoints. Some critics argue that celibacy needs to go. There is the contention, old and rather naïve, that, ever since the Middle Ages, celibacy is how the ones in power have stayed in power. Others contend that the Church should make it optional: there are, in fact, already some married Catholic priests, who have converted from the Anglican clergy, or else who serve other rites. A third group suggests we keep it because it saves the Church millions of dollars, and gives priests time to be with their flock. In other words, it makes practical sense. Between administering the sacraments, teaching, preaching and spending time with his flock, the last thing Father needs on a Sunday morning is to have to run out to buy baby formula. Later on in life, who will pay for his kids’ college? This is a real consideration: a celibate priest is already hard pressed for time. Still, I think that even this last position fails to see the best thing about celibacy, to see it from Christ’s point of view.

A good marriage is, in the best sense of the word, something awesome. Celibacy is too, when you see it the way Jesus does. Celibacy for the sake of saving time and money is not enough. Let’s put it this way. Marriage is so good, why not let a husband and a wife have more than just each other? Why not let a husband share his love with more than just one woman, or a wife with more than just one man? You would laugh if someone replied: “No, that would cost too much money.” The whole point of marriage is the love it takes to dedicate yourself to one person, saying with your life, “Even though I have other options, I choose you.” It is beautiful, though not always easy, precisely because it costs. I think celibacy has this same beauty, if not more.

Part of what makes priestly celibacy seem hard to swallow is that sometimes we tend to think of the priesthood as another career, like “social service”, “law”, or “medicine”. Many priests would cringe at this idea. For example, John Paul II described his priesthood in two adjectives: “gift and mystery”. The Catechism teaches that Jesus Christ is the one and only priest. An ordained Catholic priest shares in the priesthood of Christ, because the Sacrament of Holy Orders is an anointing of the Holy Spirit. At ordination the Spirit stamps him with a seal, configuring him to Christ, and giving him power to act in the person of Christ. His priesthood is not something he does, but something he is, and for eternity.

So the priesthood is more than a career. But still, it is interesting to note that surveys of different walks of life – lawyers, doctors, teachers, and so on – indicate that priests are the happiest men at what they do. If celibacy is so unreasonable a demand, why are priests typically happy? We should not be surprised. God is the “God of the Living.” If he calls a man to be a priest, it is because he wants to unite that man to Himself in a special way. The same goes for religious sisters and brothers, consecrated lay people, and many single Catholics. The living God fills them up. Step One in the process calls them to make room in their hearts, clearing out other “merely” human affections. Step Two, the decision to consecrate themselves with vows or promises, tells Christ and his Church, “You are worth it.” God is never outdone in generosity. This helps us understanding why Jesus says that in heaven everyone is celibate. Instead of marriage and dating, there is union with God Himself. Here on earth, happiness and love has limits, but not in heaven: there it never stops growing.

Christ was truly man, and he chose celibacy for himself. Was he “repressed” or sad? He was able to love more people, and was so enthusiastic about his priesthood that he still wants to share it with others! As Jesus told Peter, it is a gift “for those who are called”, and not a price that they have to pay. This is what motivates celibacy. It is one way the Church invites Christians to follow in Christ’s footsteps.

The Church has two thousand years of evidence for just how much happiness and generosity this way of life can produce. The proof is in a myriad of saints who were celibate. Not all the saints lived celibacy, of course, but it is no accident that many chose to. Why does the world call Blessed Theresa of Calcutta “Mother” if she was never a wife? She adopted all of us, especially the poorest, and she is just one example among thousands of consecrated men and women religious, who committed themselves in heart, mind, body, and soul to Jesus Christ and to saving souls.

If we really believe in Jesus Christ, celibacy is priceless. Its value is not in “saving time” and “cutting costs”. God does not see it in these terms. For Him, it is one way of reminding us that He is source of all love and happiness. Those of us who have this calling might think of it as our gift to God, but really it is His gift to us and to the Church. May we see its true value, and when we do, it will come as no surprise to watch how God blesses the Church with great vocations: vocations to marriage, vocations to religious life, and plenty of vocations to the priesthood.

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