Again, Our Lady helped this little “project team” as she had done in May - with the light of the Holy Spirit that emanated from her hands. Francesco and Jacinta were enveloped in the ray of light that pointed to the sky, supporting Our Lady’s words that they would soon go to heaven.
Lucia was enveloped in the
light that pointed to the earth, supporting the reality that
she would stay on earth for a while. This experience gave
Lucia greater peace and comfort about the fate of each child.
In the process, she also truly believed and became assured that
Our Lady would be with her in the absence of her cousins. Throughout
Lucia’s long life (almost 98 years), Our Lady appeared to Lucia
as needed and
- love that she has for each of us through her Immaculate Heart.
- fact that, even when we don’t realize it, all of:
- our prayers to God flow through her to Him
- God’s answer to our prayers and His graces flow through her to us
So many people love her so little, are indifferent, reject her, or even hate her, even though as the Mother of God, she plays an essential loving and an ongoing role in our salvation, while Christ is truly our only Redeemer.
Our Lady told the children that it was important for people to love and honor (but not worship her), not as a god, but as the Mother of the true God. As one would expect, God obeys all of His own commandments, including the need to “honor your father and mother”. Thus God wants us to love the Immaculate Mother who gave human life to His dearly beloved Son. Only by loving Mary, can we love God as we should.Many gifted writers have described how and why Our Lady is so important to each of us and the world at large, but perhaps the most comprehensive content for how and why to love Mary can be found in St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary: with Preparation for Total Consecration.
If this book seems too “dense” for you at first, then try 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley. Either book is a treasure for unpacking the connection between Our Lord and Our Lady. Even if you don’t plan to do the consecration, the content is very valuable, including the material in the references for Fr. Gaitley’s book.
