The children’s perseverance had to begin almost simultaneously with their obedience to specific details of the “Fatima plan”, because:
- they were mocked as soon as locals knew what had happened in May
- Lucia’s parents:
- punished her, because they were angry that that the children could be lying
- were then embarrassed as neighbors’ mocked these children's claims.
- asked various local priests to talk to the children and try to determine if they were lying.
Yet the children’s same obedience to and perseverance in
all aspects of God’s requests through Our Lady strengthened
them for this local mockery, parental punishment, and
questions from the local priests.
The worst was yet to come, however, because they were
kidnapped in August as they walked to the Cova on the
13th to be faithful to
All of this evil fell upon them simply because of what
they had seen and heard from Our Lady, for whom they
kept her promise to remain silent for now about certain
parts of the July events. By God’s grace, she also helped
them to endure their daily ordeals and comforted them after
their kidnapping by appearing to and speaking with them
privately on August 19th after their release from jail.
